li III U till No. 2^. 71 



adult bird population. Dividing the net result given us thus far equally 

 we have 207,360 pairs nesting within our limits ; and, as the successful 

 rearing of at least tzuo yoiaijo- for each pair of adults must be regarded 

 as averaging very low — the species simply reproducing itself — the sum- 

 mer or breeding census of DuPage County cannot fall very far short of 

 one million birds. 



That these figures are extremely conservative I have not the slightest 

 reason to doubt, and still on the whole the writer is not prepared to say 

 that " figures will not lie." Take our place of two and sixty-five hun- 

 dredths acres for example and on which it was found that the following 

 species nested the past season, viz. : Mourning Dove, i pair ; Chimney 

 Swift, 2 pairs ; Kingbird, i pair ; Blue Jay, i pair ; Baltimore Oriole, i 

 pair ; Bronzed Crackle, i pair ; Song Sparrow, i pair ; Purple Martin, 

 14 pairs ; Catbird, i pair ; Robin, 3 pairs and House Sparrows, 2 pairs, 

 or twenty-eight pairs all told, which means that they necessarily must 

 have reared not far from one hundred young. 



Just beyond the confines of our place and possibly within an area of ten 

 acres our list could easily be increased by the addition of several pairs 

 of at least six of the species above given, and, also in addition, several 

 others that are not herein listed, as for example, the Red-headed Wood- 

 pecker, I pair ; Flicker, i pair ; Wood Pewee, i pair : Meadowlark, i 

 Vesper Sparrow, i pair ; Rose-breasted Grosbeak, i pair ; Scarlet Tana- 

 ger, I pair ; Warbling Vireo, i pair ; Yellow Warbler, i pair ; Brown 

 Thrasher, i pair, and Bluebird, one pair. 



And still there are other facts that cause me to regard the foregoing 

 figures as extremely low and which can be explained in part by the 

 almost entire absence of sev^eral species otherwise known to be common 

 and among which could be named the Red-headed Woodpecker, Chim- 

 ney Swift, Prairie Horned Lark, Cowbird, Goldfinch, Towhee, Brown 

 Thrasher and Robin which do not show up in anywhere near their 

 normal numbers in the preceding lists. Neither does this take into ac- 

 count our large alien population of Fasso- domcsliciis. 



However approximate these figures may be. they are considered 

 never-the-less as a very excellent showing for a county of which fully 

 eighty per cent, is cultivable farming lands and where not more than one- 

 half of the remaining twenty per cent. — perhaps nearer six per cent, of 

 Milton Township — taking into consideration orchards, hedges, etc., is 

 occupied in any form as woodland. 



It is well enough to add further that DuP?ige County is among the 

 smallest counties in the state. 



