All Day With the Birds. 127 



signed to some region where certain species are found, 

 working up that part of the list with great care. But by 

 such a method the possibilities for errors would be greatly 

 increased. With two or more working side by side the 

 record must satisfy all in order to be counted. 



The day was not an ideal one viewed from any stand- 

 point. At the start at 3:30 A. M. the temperature was 54 

 and did not go above 65 ° during the day. A brisk west- 

 south-west wind so roughened the lake that no ducks ap- 

 peared upon its surface, while the sky threatened rain sev- 

 eral times, with almost no clearing until late in the day. 

 The weather had been so wet on the two preceeding days 

 that wheeling was not considered advisable. Accordingly 

 the morning was spent in the South Woods, a mile south 

 of Oberlin. Before we had left the confines of the village 

 Pine Siskins and a hoary old Osprey gave us hopes of the 

 greatest record yet made. These two species are rarely 

 seen at this time of year with us. 



It is significant that before leaving Oberlin at 9 o'clock 

 our record had almost reached 90 species, in spite of the 

 lowering heavens and chill air. An hour spent in the 

 Black River gorge below Elyria added but three species to 

 the list, two of which were not seen elsewhere during the 

 day. We were obliged to waste an hour in the marsh at 

 Lorain before taking the 12:30 car for Oak Point. To be 

 sure a visit to the lake front added two species and the 

 marsh one, but these would have been seen elsewhere with 

 less expenditure of time and effort. 



At Oak Point not more than seven species were added 

 in three hours of pretty hard work. With only four water- 

 birds, five swamp-birds and but three shore-birds the out- 

 look was certainly gloomy. Had the lake been quiet and 

 the air warmer there is no question but in these three 

 groups there would have been at least double the numbers 

 recorded. 



Leaving Oak Point for the three mile walk to North 

 Amherst to catch the 5 140 car for Elyria proved not so bad 



