THE OBSERVATION BLIND 



11 



explained. If you wish to make a record of some length concerning a 

 certain species, place a cross or asterisk in its square. This refers to 

 your journal of the same date which is entered on the horizontally 

 ruled sheets following those used for the roll-call. 



Read from left to right, such a roll-call gives in a graphic, condensed 

 form the standing of a species during the period of observation. Read 

 from the top to the bottom of the page, it gives, in an easily comparable 

 way, the complete record of each day, and, at the same time, it becomes 

 an index to the bird-notes in the journal, which follows. 



To prevent needlessly multiplying these roll-call sheets, the series 

 of birds' names should be made to last at least during an entire season. 

 To this end do not completely fill the right-hand page, but when you 

 have used all of it but a space equal in width to the space occupied by 

 the column of birds' names on the left side of the left page, cut this 

 part of the page the extreme right off; the part remaining will, 

 when turned over to the left, just meet the column of names, and the 

 lines of this column and of the new page will thus run continuously. As 

 before remarked, the roll-book should be attended to immediately on 

 returning from the field, while your impressions are fresh. The journal 

 may if necessary wait, when a reference to the roll-call will aid in 

 recalling the day's experiences. Only 

 one cover, with clasps for the reten- 

 tion of the perforated sheets, will be 

 needed, and at the end of a trip or 

 season the sheets may be removed and 

 bound. This is essentially the method 

 of note-keeping described in the first 

 edition of the "Handbook" and which, 

 after seventeen years' additional use, 

 I still unreservedly recommend. 



The Observation Blind. The ob- 

 servation blind which, during the past 

 ten years, has met the demands of 

 many and varied situations, is in brief 

 an umbrella opened within a bag 

 long enough to conceal one. It is 

 described in my "Camps and Cruises 

 of an Ornithologist" (p. xiii) as 

 follows : 



"The umbrella employed in mak- 

 ing an observation blind is known to 

 the trade as a 'sign' umbrella. It 

 agrees with the normal variety in size 

 but differs from it in having a large 

 hole in the center. This permits a 

 current of air to pass through the 



ur j f ,1 r- L FIG. 3. The umbrella and supporting 



blind a matter of the first import- ro ds of the umbrella blind. 



