RELATIVE ABUNDANCE, 5 
patient search. Additions to this list would’ be gladly re- 
ceived. 
RELATIVE ABUNDANCE. 
In speaking of the relative abundance in Ohio of the sev- 
eral species of this catalaogue I have made use of the more 
than threescore reports contributed by bird students scat- 
tered over most of the state. None of these reports give 
evidence of any more system in determining the relative 
abundance than Dr. Wheaton’s and his colaborers’ work 
shows, hence the comparisons drawn will seem fair. It is 
to be hoped that some system for the determination of the 
relative abundance of birds may soon be brought forward; 
until that is done we cannot hope for accurate results in this 
field of knowledge. Dr. Wheaton’s observations and those 
of the persons on whom he relied for information covered 
only a small fraction of the state, to be sure, but the regions 
covered may be assumed to have been representative of most 
of the state at least. It will appear in the discussion of this 
interesting subject that the author has often quoted him- 
self without the mention of others. Where that is the case 
the reports received from observers have been too conflict- 
ing to be of use, and he has been driven from the unknown 
to the known. The necessary differences prevailing among 
bird students as regards the time spent in study, the time 
of ‘day when the observations are made and the topography 
covered, furnish no means of comparison unless these ele- 
ments are known. Field work done at noon only will fail 
to discover such birds as are quiet during that time. Field 
work which does not cover certain regions will result in 
omitting such species as resort only to such regions. Unfa- 
miliarity with notes and songs will often result in the failure 
to discover certain secretive species, or will fail to notice 
more than a few where there may be great numbers. Thus 
it is that only where pretty general agreement obtains, or 
where there is an evident gradation from one region to an- 
other at some distance, that these reports can be wholly re- 
lied upon. This does not mean that the accuracy of any ob- 
