126 



CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. 



couuIihI is actiiiiUy ncsling' withiu the area 

 and that no sptx-ics has Ix^cn overlookc<l. 



Tho tract soloctcd should I'opresent the 

 average farm eonditious, and should uot 

 have an undue amount of woodland. It 

 should contain uot less than 40 acres — a 

 quarter of a mile square — nor more than 

 80 acres, and should include the farm 

 buildings, with the usual shade trees, 

 orchards, etc., as well as fields of plowed 

 land and of pasture or meadow. 



The final results of the count should be 

 sent to this Bureau as soon afterward as 

 convenient, and should be accompanied by 

 a statement of the exact boundaries of 

 the selected area, so explicitly defined that 

 it will be possible 25 years hence to have 

 the count repeated. The name of the 

 present owner should be given, together 

 with a careful description of the char- 

 acter of the land, including a statement 

 of whether it is dry upland or moist bot- 

 tom laud; the number of acres in each of 

 the principal crops, or iu permanent 

 meadow, pasture, orchard, swamps, roads, 

 etc. ; the kinds of fencing used ; and the 

 amount of brush along fences, streams, 

 roads, or iu permanent pasture. 



If there is an isolated piece of wood- 

 land comprising 10 to 20 acres con- 

 veniently uear, a separate count of the 

 ])irds uestiug therein also will be useful. 

 In this case the report, in addition to 

 specifying the size and exact boundaries 

 of the area, should state the principal 

 kinds of trees and whether there is much 

 or little underbrush. 



A third count desired is of some definite 

 timbered area — 40 acres, for instance — 

 which is part of a much larger tract of 

 timber, either deciduous or evergreen. 



Still a fourth count, supplementary to 

 these, is needed. The average farm in 

 the Northeastern States contains about 

 KX) acres, and the average count hitherto 

 has been of the birds nesting on the 50 

 acres of the farm nearest to and includ- 



ing the farm buildings. It is now neces- 

 sary to obtain counts of the remainder of 

 the farm, tho wilder part containing no 

 buildings, es])ecially on the same farms 

 where counts about the buildings have 

 already been made. 



Furthermore, counts on any other kinds 

 of land are much desired for comparison. 



Persons who have made counts in 

 previous years are requested to repeat the 

 work on the same areas. New areas 

 selected should be such as are not likely 

 to have their physical conditions much 

 changed for a number of years. If suc- 

 ceeding annual counts show changes in 

 bird population, it will thus be known 

 that they are uot duo to changed en- 

 vironment. 



The several kinds of counts are needed 

 for a study of the relative abundance of 

 birds under changing or stationary con- 

 ditions. It is hoped that many persons 

 interested in bird life will make one or 

 more counts this season. As the depart- 

 ment has no funds to pay for this work, 

 it must depend wholly on voluntary 

 observers. A supply of report blanks 

 will be furnished on request. Requests 

 for these should be addressed to Chief, 

 Bureau of Biological Survey, U. S. De- 

 partment of Agriculture, Washington, 

 D. C. 



BEAR PROTECTION FAVORED. 



It is reported that interest iu black bear 

 protection is always increased at the time 

 of a blackleg epidemic in that the bears 

 can be depended upon to eat up cattle 

 which have died from blackleg, thus help- 

 ing to prevent the spread of disease. 

 Residents of Tuolumne County in past 

 years have been wide awake to this benefit 

 conferred by the black bear. 



