l. 
26 
3. 
The actual hour at which each individual count was made. As 
mentioned before the morning hours proved entirely unsatis- 
factory. At night the best time appeared to be between 7:30 
and 9:00 P.M. Earlier in the evening the birds were not in 
_the air as consistently, while after 9 P.M. there was a marked 
drop in the numbers of the birds heard. 
Weather conditions. This was found to be an extremely important 
factor. Maximum counts were made on still clear nights, whereas 
adverse weather cut down the count materially. On May 2h it was 
partly cloudy, with a strong cold west wind, and but 7 birds were 
counted at the north end of the lake between 7:50 and 8:5 P.M. 
In contrast, the following night was clear, with no wind, and 16 
birds were recorded at the same stations, and at the same hour. 
On two occasions rain apparently discouraged the birds from fly- 
ing when the count was half completed, this resulting in a low 
count for the evening. 
Activities of the individual bird concerned. Although the male 
remained in the air for long intervals, he was noted from time 
to time dropping to the ground, where he would remain for an 
indefinite period. Consequently when no birds were heard at 
stations where on previous nights one had been noted, it is 
logical to assume that the individual in question was then feed- 
ing or merely resting. Obviously this reduced the count. Find- 
ing a bird in the air when a scheduled stop was made (and frequent~ 
ly 5 minutes or more were spent in careful listening) was apparent- 
ly a matter of arriving at an established station at an opportune 
moment. 
Breeding activities of individual pairs of snipe. A possible 
factor in an accurate count is the possibility that the males 
cease their "winnowing" flight when the young have hatched and 
demand the attention of both parents. The Wilson's Snipe ar- 
rived in numbers at Gray's Lake shortly after the middle of 
April, and if they nested at once their young would in many 
cases be out of the egg by the end of May. This was true of 
the Long-billed Curlew; it arrived at Gray's Lake at approximate- 
ly the same time as the Wilson's Snipe, and downy young were seen 
on May 25. At present writing no information is available con- 
cerning the activities of the Wilson's Snipe after the young have 
hatched, but it is felt that this point should be considered in 
evaluating the decrease noted in "winnowing" males during the 
course of this study. A total of 28 birds were noted in the air 
on May 21, whereas a week later the highest count, on May 26, 
was 17 birds. 
Sk 
