Bird-Lore's Twenty-third Christmas Bird Census 



BIRD-LORE'S Annual Bird Census will be taken as usual on Christmas 

 Day, or as near that date as circumstances will permit; in no case should 

 it be earlier than December 2j or later than the 2yth — in the Rocky Moun- 

 tains and westward, December 20 to 25. Without wishing to appear ungrateful 

 to those contributors who have assisted in making the Census so remarkably 

 successful, lack of space compels us to ask each census taker to send only one 

 census. Furthermore, much as we should like to print all the records sent, the 

 number received has grown so large that we shall have to exclude those that do 

 not appear to give a fair representation of the winter bird-life of the locality in 

 which they were made. Lists of the comparatively few species that come to 

 feeding-stations and those seen on walks of but an hour or two are usually very 

 far from representative. A census-walk should last/owr hours at the very least, 

 and an all-day one is far preferable, as one can then cover more of the different 

 t}^es of country in his vicinity, and thus secure a list more indicative of the 

 birds present. Each report must cover one day only, that all the censuses may 

 be comparable. 



Bird clubs taking part are requested to compile the various lists obtained 

 by their members and send the result as one census, with a statement of the 

 number of separate ones it embraces. It should be signed by all observers 

 who have contributed to it. When two or more names are signed to a report, 

 it should be stated whether the workers hunted together or separately. Only 

 censuses that cover areas that are contiguous and with a total diameter not 

 exceeding 15 miles should be combined into one census. 



Each unusual record should be accompanied by a brief statement as to the 

 identification. When such a record occurs in the combined list of parties that 

 hunted separately, the names of those responsible for the record should be 

 given. Reference to the February numbers of Bird-Lore, 1921-22, will 

 acquaint one with the nature of the report that we desire, but those to whom 

 none of these issues is available may follow the form given below. The date is 

 important, and the species should be given, in the order of the A. 0. U. 'Check- 

 List' (which is followed by most standard bird-books) , with, as exactly as prac- 

 ticable, the number of individuals of each species recorded. 



Yonkers, N. Y. (to Bronxville and Tuckhoe and back). — Dec. 25; 8 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. 

 Clear; 5 in. of snow; wind west, light; temp. 38° at start, 42° at return. Eleven miles on foot 

 Observers together. Herring Gull, 75; Bob-white, 12 (one covey); (Sharp-shinned?) Hawk, 

 i; . . . Lapland Longspur i. Total, 27 species, about 470 individuals. The Longspur was 

 studied with 8-power glasses at 30 ft.; eye-ring, absence of head-stripes and other points 

 noted. — ^James Gates and John Rand. 



These records will be published in the February issue of Bird-Lore, and 

 it is particularly requested that they be sent to the Editor (at the American 

 Museum of Natural History, New York City) by the first possible mail. It will 

 save the Editor much clerical labor if the model here given and the order of the 

 A. O. U. 'Check-List' be closely followed.- — J. T. Nichols. 



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