ALL DAY WITH THE BIRDS. 



This is to record the third attempt to find the best day of 

 all the \-ear for the birds in Lorain County, Ohio. Our first 

 all-day horizon was for May 17, 1898, with a list of 102 species ; 

 oui second, May 8, 1899, 112 species. Two attempts at an all- 

 day horizon were made in 1900, May 5 with a list of 93 ; May 

 19 with a list of 100 ; but these were so far below the previous 

 records that they have not been counted seriously with the 

 otiiers. Besides, Rev. W. L. Dawson and the writer have 

 been the participants in the 1898, 1899 and 1901 records, and 

 these should be compared rather than last year if the work is 

 to be on the same footing. 



The greatest drawback to a work of this character is the 

 inability of persons situated as we are to take advantage of the 

 most favorable day. On the contrary. May 9th was decided 

 upon as the day for this piece of work at Christmas time — four 

 months previously — because that was the only time when both 

 could leave our work. But such disappointments serve only to 

 whet our appetites for the years to come. It is the large record 

 on an unfavorable day which furnished the excitement of the 

 chase. But there were other considerations which made the 

 day close at 2.30 P. M., so that the present horizon is scarcely 

 more than half a day long. 



We were in the field at 4 A. M., pushing out to the woods 

 which has yielded up so many rare species. A thick fog threw 

 a shroud over everything beyond a hundred feet, saturating the 

 grass and foliage. The season was so backward that none but 

 the soft-wood trees had ventured to put forth leaves, thus afford- 

 ing an unobstructed view into the tree tops. By 7 o'clock the 

 fog had risen into fleecy clouds and the temperature risen from 



