proves to be the case, the optimum time for the census index count | 
would be the period between the migration peak and the hatching peak. 
The discovery, reported by Sheldon, of a peculiar midsummer- 
evening concentration flight of wodcock to a certain burned-over 
area in Massachusetts was interesting. It was suggested that if a 
certain type of habitat is required by woodcock for these summer 
flights the amount of this habitat available might te a limiting 
factor in wodcock abundance. 
This year we had a total of 212 woodcock breeding ground counts 
as follows: Canada, 38; Central Northern States, 37; Northeastern 
States, 86; and Central Eastern States, 51. These are summarized by 
states in table 1. The details for each count appear in the reports 
for those regions. Because of the lack of wmiformity in most areas 
during the past 2 years, no effort has been made to make an over-all 
estimate of the change in woodcock abundance. 
One of the most interesting situations disclosed by the woodcock 
count was the extraordinary abundance of birds in one area in central- 
northern Ohio. The count for this route at the Resthaven Wildlife 
Sanctuary near Castalia, Ohio, averaged almost six birds per stop. In 
reply to my letter inquiring about this remarkably high count, Roger H, 
McElroy, Refuge Manager of the Resthaven Wildlife Sanctuary, gave (in 
letter) a very interesting explanation: The area is covered with an 
extensive marl deposit which has been actively strip-mined for the 
- past 50 years. it is a low area, wet except in late summer. Since 
‘being made a sanctuary in 190 there has been no farming, and the 
vegetation is of the natural prairie type of that region. For many 
years the area was used as a dumping ground for corncobs, and in many 
places the cob piles are acres in extent and from 2 to 8 feet deep. 
These decomposing cobs have produced a habitat that is ideal for earth- 
worms and thus is attractive to woodcock. Mr. McElroy believes that the 
number of woodcock recorded in his breeding-ground count is in excess 
of the actual nesting population because of the attractiveness of the 
feeding ground which may have drawn in birds from a wider area or caused 
the late migrants to pile up there. Whatever the situation may be, it 
is of sufficient interest to warrant considerable more investigation. 
What an ideal situation it would be for a banding operation! 
Most of the wintering-ground studies of woodeock have been centered 
in Louisiana and rightly so, since probably the greatest winter concen- 
trations of these birds are in that state. Leslie L. Glasgow of 
Louisiana State University continued his ecological and banding studies 
in the vicinity of Baton Rouge. He gave a paper summarizing this work, 
which has been progressing since 199, at the conference of Southeastern 
Game and Fish Commissioners at Chattanooga, Tenn., in October. Copies 
of this paper were distributed to those in attendance. Vincent H. Reid 
and Phil Goodrum of the U. 5S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted wood- 
cock counts in west-central Iouisiana for the fourth consecutive winter 
by means of bird dogs. Their findings are reported here. 
nN 
