Can it be said that because 25 percent to 31 percent of the doves 
were being heard during the one-man call count all three times the 
absolute census was made at station number 8 that the breeding popula- 
tion at every one of the other stations can be estimated by multiplying 
the average number heard per month by h? McClure (in letter) warns 
against giving an area interpretation to calling counts and adds that 
calling counts are just an indication of abundance from year to year. 
Foote (in letter) says that it is unimportant to know the total number 
of doves, that trends may be interpreted from the calling counts. 
In the writer's opinion if an attempt is made to evaluate the 
breeding population of doves from call counts, more stations wild have 
to be censused in the absolute manner, and the results compared with the 
call count that is then in progress. If an evaluation of the breeding 
population is made in this manner the percentage established will work 
only for that one person. It will not apply to the five two-man crew 
or to another call counter unless his hearing is the same as the person 
who established the percentage. 
Summary 
One~man call counts were run one morning and one afternoon a week 
over a route of twenty stations one mile apart beginning in April and 
continuing through August in 1951. Five two-man crew counts were run 
one morning and one afternoon over this same route once during each of 
the months of April, June and August. Both of these counts were made 
in accordance with specifications set up umder the Cooperative Mourning 
Dove Project,in an attempt to estimate the relative abundance of the 
breeding population of the Mourning Dove. An effort was made to find 
what percentage of breeding doves was being herd during the one-man 
call counts and the five-man call counts by taking an absolute census 
of the calling birds within 3/8 of a mile of station number 8. These 
absolute censuses were made during the months of June, July, and August. 
There was-no close agreement between the average number of doves 
heard during comparable one-man counts and five-crew counts either at 
station number 8 or any of the other stations, although the peaks and 
depressions tend to follow the same pattern (Figures 8, 9, 10). During 
the five-crew counts the percentage of doves heard on the censused area 
varied from 1 percent in June to 2h percent in August for the morning 
counts. A more consistent percentage of the breeding doves present in 
the area was heard during the one-man counts. These percentages ranged 
from 25 percent in June and July to 31 percent in August for morning 
counts. 
The writer is of the opinion that several more of the stations 
on the route would have to be censused before a conclusion could be 
reached on what percentage of the total number of breeding doves in an 
area was being heard during a one-man call count. The percentage es- 
tablished would be reliable only for the one person because of the 
variation in human hearing. 
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