Bird-Lore's Sixteenth Christmas Bird Census 



BIRD-LORE'S annual bird census will be taken as usual on Christmas 

 Day, or as near that date as circumstances will permit. Without wish- 

 ing to appear ungrateful to those contributors who have assisted in 

 making the census so remarkably successful, lack of space compels us to ask 

 each census-taker to send only one census. Furthermore, much as we should 

 like to print all the records sent, the number received has grown so large that 

 we shall have to exclude those which do not appear to give a fair representa- 

 tion of the winter bird-life of the locality in which they were made. 



Bird Clubs taking part in the census are requested to compile the various 

 censuses obtained by their members, and send the result as one census, with a 

 statement of the number of separate censuses it embraces. It should be signed 

 by all the observers who have contributed to it. 



Reference to the February, igoi-1914, numbers of Bird-Lore will acquaint 

 one with the nature of the report of the day's hunt which we desire; but to 

 those to whom none of these issues is available, we may explain that such 

 reports should be headed by a brief statement of the character of the weather, 

 whether clear, cloudy, rainy, etc.; whether the ground is bare or snow-cov- 

 ered, the direction and force of the wind, the temperature at the time of 

 starting, the hour of starting and of returning. Then should be given, in the 

 order of the A. 0. U. 'Check-List' (which is followed by most standard bird- 

 books), a list of the species seen, with exactly, or approximately, the number of 

 individuals of each species recorded. A record should read, therefore, some- 

 what as follows: 



Yonkers, N. Y., 8 a.m. to 12 m. Clear, ground bare; wind west, light; temp., 38° 

 Herring Gull, 75. Total, — species, — ■ individuals. — James Gates. 



These records will be published in the February issue of Bird-Lore, and 

 it is particularly requested that they be sent the editor (at the American 

 Museum of Natural History, New York City) not later than December 28. 

 It will save the editor much clerical labor if the model here given and the order of 

 the A. 0. U. 'Check-List' be closely followed. 



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