An Acre of Birds 231 
found, except those of five species, and all identified species, except one or 
two, have been seen from or within the house-yard, which contains less than 
an acre. The situation is six’miles in an air-line from the Mississippi river, 
and two miles from the western edge of the timber-belt that grows along the 
banks of that river. The trees of the village form a small arboreal oasis on 
the open prairie. In the yard the hand of the pruner is stayed, and, at present, 
about the place there are fifteen bird-boxes; aside from these conditions, the 
attractions for birds are no greater than most village yards of similar extent 
might offer, except that at the foot of our lots there stretches a very wet mea- 
dow, whose existence has added at least two breeding and possibly a dozen 
migrant species to the lists. Two nesting species, the Screech Owl and the 
Bluebird, have come because of the boxes that have been put up; all the 
others have found nesting-places without human aid, for one season at least. 
From the enumerations that follow, the English Sparrow is always elim- 
inated; in fact, no record of this avian rat is kept except on the pay-roll of 
the three small boys who scour the neighborhood for Sparrow nests to destroy. 
On our place, or flying overhead, 139 bird species have been identified. All 
of them, except one, have passed this way within the last four years, therefore, 
to this limit of four years are kept all references, except those relating to four 
or five of the nesting species. The number of species counted on the place 
each year ranges from 93 to 108. The average number of species visiting us 
in May is 75. The largest number upon one day was 48, but on two other 
days 47 have been seen. 
Absorbing is the subject of migrating birds, but it is the daily presence, 
month after month, that creates an abiding interest. For the months of May, 
June and July, roro, the average daily number of bird species that were 
observed from or on our grounds was 25. In August the number is apt to 
fall considerably below this figure, yet, in 1908, there was a daily average of 
22 species, the maximum number for one day being 31 and the minimum 
16. Our winters are so severe that few birds linger with us. No more than a 
dozen species have been seen in the winters of the four years under consider- 
ation. Five of them have come for food; a daily average of three or four is 
the highest one can hope to secure. 
The greatest opportunities offered by the place are those connected with 
the nest-life of the birds. Twenty-five species have nested upon our grounds, 
and two others, the Dickcissel and the Vesper Sparrow, may have done so 
without their nests having been found. Besides these, there are seven other 
species that breed just beyond our fences, on lands belonging to the neigh- 
bors, that may decide to locate here at some future time. The nesting species 
are: Sora, Bobwhite, Mourning Dove, Screech Owl, Flicker, Chimney Swift, 
Kingbird, Phoebe, Bobolink, Cowbird (in nests of Bobolink and Maryland 
Yellow-throat), Red-winged Blackbird, Meadowlark, Bronzed Grackle, Gold- 
finch, Chipping Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Barn Swallow White-rumped Shrike, 
