A SECOND BIRD CENSUS. 

 By J. B. Cleland, M.D. 

 [Read 31st May, 1922L] 



I have previously in the Emu (Birds of the Pilliga Scrub, sviii., 1919, p. 

 272) described the method I have adopted for obtaining a fair general idea 

 of the actual numbers of our native birds. This consists in noting dovfu, much 

 as one scores the inins at cricket, the numbers of each kind of bird as one sees 

 them whilst motoring, driving or walking. The reliability of the method de- 

 pends on the ease with which any particular species can be seen, flushed or 

 otherwise recognised. The distance on each side of the track over which they 

 can be identified ■ will also vary much, both with the species of bird and the 

 type of country. Large birds, such as hawks, in open country may be seen on 

 each side, say, for a quarter of a mile, small birds keeping to cover perhaps for 

 only a chain or so, whilst in dense scrub only the birds immediately beside ■ the 

 road can be counted. Nevertheless, with such imperfections, the method seems 

 sufSciently reliable to be worth placing the results on record, and these results 

 should give us some idea at least of the actual numbers of certain species over 

 certain areas. Perhaps 50 or 100 years hence, some one may cover again the 

 same ground — and in this hope the details of the journeys taken are given, with 

 the time of year, weather notes and present appearance of the country — and 

 compare his results with those of to-day. A first Census, covering nearly the 

 same distance as the present one but along different routes, has been submitted 

 to "The Emu" for publication, but is appearing in such a reduced form that 

 much of its value to the bird-observer of the future will be lost. The bird 

 names and numbers are taken from the Cheek-List in Vol. xii. of "The Emu." 



The area covered by the present census has been divided into sis districts 

 (A, B, etc.) and comprises the birds seen on 49 journeys, usually by motor car 

 but occasionally whilst walking or driving in a coach. Some of the journeys 

 cover the same gTound as previous ones, usually representing the return. Such 

 further covering of the same tract is indicated by the letters a, b, c, etc., after 

 the number. These later trips along the same road may be considered as equi- 

 valent to parallel traverses. They also act as a check on the reliability of this 

 method of census-taking and indicate to a certain extent the fluctuations of the 

 bird population and the degree of variation that may be found along one track. 



The distance traversed was approximately 1318 miles, the number of species 

 of native birds seen was about 140 and the individuals of these counted was 



