Remarks on the Mid-j\Iav Census M 



On this occasion each man has a piece of heavy cardboard 

 about four by ten inches in size, and on each side of this is 

 closely fastened one sheet of finely-ruled paper very slightly 

 smaller. A list containing all species we are at all likely to 

 meet (about one hundred), with a few blank spaces where 

 they are most likely to be needed, is written in ink in A. O. U. 

 "Check-List" order on this paper the previous day. In the 

 field a pencil is used, and this may be tied to the cardboard. 

 Individuals are entered at intervals as brief as seems neces- 

 sary ; often the board is hardly in the pocket before it must 

 come out again. Of course all this does delay the progress of 

 the hunt to a certain extent, and occasionally a "good" bird 

 may slip by unobserved while we write, but we believe that the 

 comparative accuracy of our results justifies the loss of time 

 and, possibly, species, and we know of no scheme that would 

 take less time, unless we should take along a scribe to whom 

 we could dictate ! 



We are usually together, but at times become separated 

 (thcjiigh never beyond hail), so that our totals sometimes dif- 

 fer. In that case the larger figure is used for publication. 

 7"li:is, if one sees ten Phoebes, the other twelve, each including 

 1 .vo not seen by the other, the number printed is twelve, not 

 fourteen. The latter, however, would be better, if always 

 practicable. 



From many years' familiarity with our region, we have 

 carefully chosen a route to include the haunts of as many 

 species as possible. We find that we cannot cover more than 

 fourteen miles before dark; this leaves six miles of return 

 journey with the possibility of adding the Whip-poor-will and 

 other species that make themselves heard by night. From the 

 start till the end of the twenty miles we are afoot. 



We are particularly interested in the avifauna of northern 

 New Jersey, and we take the liberty of questioning certain of 

 Mr. Kohler's identifications. In his last May census, "Purple 

 Crackle, 150; Bronzed Crackle, 25;" indicates what we fear 

 to be a misplaced confidence in his ability to distinguish be- 

 tween these two forms in the field. To do this requires such 



