8 THE! AU DU BOONES U LiL bala 
The Christmas Bird Census — 1957 
By PAuL H. LoBIK 
THE WINTER HOLIDAYS are almost upon us, and once again it is time to 
plan our Christmas Bird Censuses, We would like our cooperators to follow 
the procedure of the past few years and observe the rules and methods of 
the National Audubon Society in taking our counts. Each participating 
group should obtain Census Forms and instructions from Miss Elizabeth 
Manning, % National Audubon Society, 1130 Fifth Avenue, New York 28, 
N.Y. Original Census Forms are free; extra copies may be purchased at 
the same time for 10c each. Your Editor would prefer that you obtain at 
least two forms, use the original for the National Society, and send the 
duplicate to the Illinois Audubon Society. 
Miss Manning will send you a copy of the “Christmas Bird Count Rules,” 
the two-page Census Form, a remittance sheet for the census takers, and 
a list to be filled in with the names and addresses of all participants. The 
Census Form has spaces for the name of the group, the area covered, time, 
temperature, weather, number of observers, number of parties, and total 
party-hours and party-miles on foot or by car. Next the form lists all Ameri- 
can birds in A.O.U. order, with spaces for the numbers of each species ob- 
served; the totals by species and individuals; and spaces for notes and the 
names of the observers. 
IMPORTANT: If you want your census to be published in the Illinois 
Audubon Bulletin, you must send a copy to the Illinois Audubon Society, 
Paul H. Lobik, Editor, 4835 Wabansia Ave., Chicago 39, Ill. Do not send 
your reports to the Chicago Natural History Museum. If you do not want 
to use the Census Form of the National Society, but still want to have your 
report published in this Bulletin, please type the information, double spaced, 
on 842 x11 paper, in the same manner as shown in our Christmas Census 
in the March, 1957 issue, and send your report to the Editor. 
For the benefit of those who do not use the Census Form, here is a digest 
of the “Bird Count Rules:” (1) the count area must fill or fit within a 
circle 15 miles in diameter; (2) the count may cover only one calendar day 
in the period from December 21, 1957 through January 5, 1958; (38) the 
count should cover dawn to dusk, or at least 8 daylight hours; (4) details 
of unusual species or observations should be given, with names of observers; 
(5) census areas may not overlap, and established counts have priority; 
(6) deadline for sending in reports is January 15, 1958. 
As always, the Chicago Ornithological Society invites birders from the 
Chicago area to participate in its Christmas Census at the Morton Arbore- 
tum on Sunday, Dec. 29, 1957, beginning at 9:00 a.m. The Arboretum is 
25 miles. west of Chicago on Highway 53, one mile north of Lisle, Illinois. 
For non-motorists, the Burlington train leaving Chicago’s Union Station 
just after 8:00 a.m. will arrive in Lisle in time to meet the drivers. The 
observers start from the main parking lot just inside the east entrance. 
Bring your lunch, and dress warmly. 
_ Other Christmas Censuses are scheduled by the Evanston Bird Club, the 
Bureau Valley Audubon Club, the Decatur Audubon Society, the Ridgway 
