45 Oberlin All Day With the Birds 



utes, but he refused to sing. Later the rare Prairie and about 

 noon the still rarer Hooded, were found in the low foliage. 

 Ill a swampy woods half a mile south of Oak Point, the first 

 Pruthonotary Warbler for Lorain County was feeding and 

 singing, permitting a close approach and excellent study. 

 This would have amply atoned for the cold and wet of the 

 day, but a little later a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, which has 

 eluded me for a dozen years, darted into view from a fringing 

 thicket of the woods. Many other birds which do not ordi- 

 narily seek the shelter of the woods were found in the lea of 

 the thickets, where the wind did not reach them. The abun- 

 dance of all thrushes except the Hermit, exceeded anything 

 which the county has seen during my stay in it. The weather 

 seemed impossible, but since the birds were here the record 

 depended only upon field work under adverse conditions. 



The evening of May 13th did not give promise of any- 

 thing worthy during the following morning, but a determina- 

 tion born of necessit\ found expression in a trolley ride to 

 Oak Point during that evening, and a search for the soft side 

 of a reasonably clean plank, in a cold, bleak drizzle. The 

 plank proved to be a convenient broken-down bedstead, with 

 dilapidated springs — and mattress, under cover! Being too 

 case-hardened to fear microbes, we slept peacefully until early 

 morning twilight. Clearly, the weather had gone mad, but 

 during its few lucid intervals the birds sang and sported about 

 in spite of rain and cold. The day began at 45 degrees and 

 did not reach 60 during even the noon hour. Rain fell rather 

 more than half the day. The walk overland to Oberlin added 

 but five species to the day's list, thus equalling the largest 

 list previous to this year — 113 species. 



Not satisfied with the previous record, Monday, May i6> 

 found us again in the field, reversing the course of study by 

 beginning, as in previous years, at the old South Woods at 

 three in the morning. Leaving this usually favored place 

 shortly after 7 o'clock, and home an hour later, we wheeled 

 leisurely to Oak Point, making many stops by the way. The 

 list had reached 94 when the wheels were cached at 11:30, a 

 mile south of the lake. Here the physical strain of two days 

 before began to affect our ability to do effective work. The 

 keen edge had worn off. Shortly after dinner Dawson was 



