File:Birds and nature (1905) (14753182364).jpg

Identifier: birdsnature11905chic (find matches)
Title: Birds and nature
Year: 1900 (1900s)
Authors:
Subjects: Birds Natural history
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : A.W. Mumford, Publisher
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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move south-ward in the fall. As they obtain theirfood from the ground, the principal ob-ject of their southward journey is to findlocalities where the surface is free fromsnow, at least most of the time. Whenmigrating they travel in flocks. Duringthe fall and winter they are gregariousand form quite large colonies calledroosts. It has been estimated thatsome of these roosts contain one hun-dred thousand or more Crows. Mr. Samuel N. Rhoods has so vividlydescribed one of these roosts that wequote from; his paper, published in theAmerican Naturalist in 1886. He says:The course adopted in assembling toand departing from the chosen spot isuniform everywhere. About an hourbefore sunset stragglers begin to appear,reconnoitering, as it were, to see that thecoast is clear, and returning whence theycame, as if to inform the main body ofthe result. In the course of half an hourthe flocks begin to arrive in broken linesand detachments from all quarters, and,if the evening be calm, their earthward
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descent from a height of many hundredfeet exhibits aerial prowess surpassing- indaring elegance those of any other landbird with which I am acquainted. It istheir invariable custom to descend tosome spot in the neighborhood, fromone-half to a quarter of a mile from theroost, preliminary to assembling therefor the nights repose. This may beeither upon the adjoining fields or onwoodland tracts near by. Such prelimi-nary gatherings, as Godman observes,seem to have a definite object—either fortoilet or gastronomic purposes—a time,also, if we may judge by the clamor, ofgeneral conversation, some rejoicing,some repining, in their varied experienceof the last twelve hours. *The aerial evolution of this descend-ing multitude, coupled with the surgingclamor of those which have already set-tled as successive re-enforcements appear,and which at a distance greatly resem-ble the far-aw^ay roar of the sea, mayjustly awaken emotions of sublimity inthe spectator. To descend almost per-pendicularl

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