The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1888-07-05
WHERE THE CROWS RoosT.
Scenes at a Rookery-Habits of the Ss-
ble-coated Bird-Night Time.

ble-cOated B1rd-N1ShG Time
The first of these two rookeries is
situated about two miles east of Syra-
cuse, n. Y, in woods known as
.'Tamarack Swamp" and lying be-
tween the Central and West Shore
tracks. The second is situated in Ar
lington Cemetery at Washington. Both
rookeries are nearly equal in size, the
one at Syracuse covering about fifteen
acres and that at Arlington from ten to
twelve.
A visit to these roosts in the day
time is interesting in the extreme,
while another paid at dusk when the
birds are coming in is even more so.
Shortly after daybreak the vast throng
of black bestirs itself; first a loud
clamor betokens that the birds are
| awake; then with mighty shake OF
two they launch forth in quest of the
| mornings breakfast. Leaving singly,
in pairs, by dozens, and in tlocks of
| hundreds, each group wings its way
to where the previous days meals
were secured, or starts in search OF
new feeding grounds. After they have
| gone the roost is a sight indeed. On
| every hand the trees and ground be-
meath are literally covered with the
excreta of the birds, having much the
appearance of having been plentifully
| bespattered with whitewash. The air
| is foul with the odor mingled with that
| of the putrefying bodies of the dead
| ones that here and there dot the snow,
| while among the branches as well as
on the ground are numbers of indivi-
lduals too weak, emaciated, OF other
wise disabled to participate in the
| flight. These are readily approached,
and are often to be caught in the
hands.
A drive through the surrounding
country will now give a glimpse OF
their daily life during winter Any
where and everywhere they may, be
seen, each in search of that which alone
sustains life. but with the usual frozen
/ condition of the ground this. as a rule,
is difficult to obtain. Up to about )
O'Clock the birds are busy feeding, and
the average person would hardly be-
lieve that within an hour or even less
these same birds will be miles away,
and in company with tens of thousands
of the same species. Having traced
them in their daily wanderings, it is in
order to visit the roost again at night
/ fall and watch them come in. At the
hour above mentioned they begin to
arrive either singly or in tiocks, tar
| rying at times at some near-at-hand
feeding grounds, but soon seeking
the vicinity of the roost. Strangely
enough, instead of repairing at once to
their nights resting place, they gather
in immense multitudes on the sur
rounding hills; coming as they do
| from all quarters of the country, the
numbers increase until the fields, the
trees, and the fences are covered with
them. Long after the sun had set
they continued to arrive. The noise is
deafening, and when at times they rise
and circle about in the air it seems as
/ if the heavens themselves were about
to fall. As darkness begins to settle,
first few of the bolder ones enter the
roost. These are followed by small
punches of fifty or so, and these in turn
by other companies interspersed with
stragglers. Suddenly, with a noise
as of hurricane, vast host arises
and makes dive for the rOost. These
are closely followed by another, and
still another, until finally the numbers,
on the hillsides begin to show some
signs of thinning out.
AS the darkness deepens they come
in anyway; down they come pell NELL.
brushing past the face, almost flying
against one, alighting on the first
branch they strike against (fer they are
now almost unable to see. and it is
amusing to see hundreds Topping about
waiting for luck to throw branch in
their way), often within arms reach
Every tree and branch seems packed
with them, and still they continue to
pour down, finding roosting place
somewhere. and adding clamor te
the deafening babel already existing
Finally all appear to have arrived. an,
are busy settling themselves for th,
night. Utter now but so much as
syllable, and the entire army with lie
newed cries. and in the direst confu
sion, take wing and seek another par
of the woods, only to renew the per
formance should the operation be re
peated. l have never as yet remained
in a roost long enough to ascertain
whether or not the birds became alb
solutely quiet. Scientific american.