Bird Studies in Lorain County, Ohio. 41 



That is not true of all the woodland, however. The courses 

 of the old lake beaches are untillable, in places, and in 

 such places are a wild tangle of trees, bushes and vines, 

 into many of which even the cattle are unable to penetrate. 

 Seeds, berries and grapes abound. These stony old beaches 

 vary in width from a few rods to many rods. 



The lake shore is bordered by high clay banks except 

 where the streams have cut an exit. The back water from 

 the lake has caused these channels, which seem to have been 

 considerably deeper in former times, to partially fill with 

 wash, thus forming bogs and swamps of various sizes and 

 considerable length, which are now largely overgrown with 

 wild rose, a species of water willow and alder bushes, in 

 some places forming impenetrable thickets. The annual 

 plants grow here in bewildering profusion and astonishing 

 rankness. This is the favorite winter retreat of Song Spar- 

 rows. The woods which border the swamp at Oak Point, 

 the mouth of Beaver Creek, harbor the most of our woods- 

 haunting winter species. It is second only to the stream 

 gorges in the richness of its population. 



The lake and its immediate shore furnish scarcely more 

 than the water birds. Usually the Short eared Owl may be 

 found hiding underneath the overhanging banks, and not in- 

 frequently Snowfiakes are found on the sand or upon the 

 railroad track which lies close by. An occasional Crow, and 

 one flock of seven Bob-whites are found here, making their 

 records in the sand. Late in the winter the lake shore is a 

 pretty frigid region, and a good deal of a wilderness. Its 

 ice-covered surface affords no feeding places for gulls and 

 ducks. 



The work of recording the species and individuals con- 

 sisted simply in walking over the same ground, time alter 

 time, recording the individuals of each species as they were 

 seen. It is usually possible to count the individuals. Even 

 the large companies of Tree Sparrows can be made to pass a 

 given point leisurely enough to make an accurate count pos- 

 sible. There is some complication, to be sure, when Jun- 



