Immense flock This was a "gossamer" day. ‘ The Balloon Spiders 
of Crows were voyaging across the landscape in large numbers and the 
^^xt meadows were coated with their shiny silk. The Spiders 
on migration annoyed us somewhat by crawling over us. 
mig 
at noon 
4 '-"' 
At about 11 A. M. , as we were passing Dakin's 
Hill, an enormous flock of Crows rose from Holden's Meadow 
and circled about for several minutes, finally returning to 
the woods and meadow and separating into smaller flocks. 
I counted them roughly (or rather tried to) and rna.de out 
their number to be upwards of 200 birds, an unusually large 
flock. The movement just mentioned wa.s doubtless a "false 
start" for about an hour later the whole body mounted to a 
height of at least a thousand feet and went off due south. 
Their order of flight was not loose and straggling as is 
usually the case during migration but in a compact flock, 
each individual of which had no more horizontal space than 
was required for the free use of his wings. 4j i "'There was a 
good deal of cawing — in fact, it was incessant — but the 
combined clamor was less than one would expect from so 
many birds. It came to my ears with perfect distinctness 
when the floc k h ad passed beyond my vision, although no 
obstacles intervened and the air was free from haze. When 
the birds were rising and circling over me I heard the 
cr-r-r-r and cluck-cluck-cluck-cluck calls frequently 
(this rendering viras noted on the spot). I do not remember 
to have seen Crows migrate in this way before. They usually 
fly in windy weather, low down, and in loose, scattered 
flocks. The size of this flock was also remarkable. 
