Announcement 



A DECORATION DAY BIRD 



CENSUS. 



We have for a long time favored the idea of a 

 spring or summer bird census, which should be con- 

 ducted along the lines of Bird-Lore's Christmas 

 Census and our interest in the subject has been re- 

 newed by the plan set forth in the editorial of the 

 March issue of "The Wilson Bulletin." We are sure 

 all ornithologists would be grateful to them for con- 

 ducting such a census, Avhich we assume they would 

 make country-wide. However in the meantime we 

 propose to inaugurate a Decoration Day Bird 

 Census, to be secured as near the 30th of May as is 

 possible and to limit it to Northern New Jersey or 

 possibly neighboring parts of adjoining states. That 

 is, what we are after is a series of lists, representing as 

 nearly as is possible the true condition of North 

 Jersey bird life at the time the census is taken. 



Our reason for taking Decoration Day is that it 

 seems to us a better date than either of those sug- 

 gested in the "Wilson Bulletin," viz. April 1st and 

 May 15th. If two censuses were to be compiled un- 

 doubtedly one of these dates would be ideal. Per- 

 sonally we should prefer the former. However, we 

 believe that a census made near Decoration Day will 

 give not only a complete list of the summer visitants, 

 but also will give any late records of transients, which 

 will be of more value than to have recorded those 

 transients at the height of migration, that is, at a time 



