188 Bird- Lore
some other direction, and at last gets just where you want him; you snap the shutter, and when you develop the plate find, very likely, that just as you made the exposure the bird had turned its head, though keeping the body perfectly still. I have had numbers of exposures spoiled that way It is certainly very aggravating to develop a plate and find perfect, sharp detail on body, wings, tail and legs, and the head a shapeless blur. The birds must think their pictures are being taken for the Rogue's Gallery!
The birds have several difierent notes, most of them of a distinct Jay character, but beyond me to reduce to writing, lyly ears are not sharp enough for that. There is also one note which sounds extremely like the call of the Red-tailed Hawk. '50 strong is the resemblance that I often have to look to see which bird it is uttering the call. .-\fter all, I don’t think we western folks have such a spite against Whiskey John as the woodsmen of Maine and Canada seem to cherish He is a jolly, good» natured sort of fellow, and, if you don't have too many small things lying about loose, does not do very much harm.
Bird-Lore’s Christmas Bird Census
and IQOI, prompts us again to invite our readers to join in this
modern development of the ‘Side Hunt,‘ on December 25, [902. Reference to the February, [901, or 1902 numbers of BIRD—LURE will acquaint one with the nature of the report of the day's hunt which we de- sire: but to those to whom ‘neither of these issues are available we may ex- plain that such reports should be headed by a brief statement of the character of the weather, whether clear, cloudy, raining, etct, whether the ground is bare or snow-covered, the direction and force of the wind, the temperature at the time of starting, the hour of starting and of returning. Then should be given. in the order of the. A. O. U. ‘Check-List,’ a list of the species seen, with exactly, or approximately, the number of individual: of each species recorded. A record should read, therefore, as follows:
THE interest aroused by BIRD~LORE'S Christmas Bird Census in 1900
Yonkers, N. \’., Time s [L M. to 12 M. Clear; ground bare; wind west. light; temperature 38“. Herring Gull. 75: etc, Total. — species.7 individualS.—JAMES GATES.
These records will be published in the February issue of BIRD-Lona. and it is particularly requested that they be sent the editor (at Englcwood, N. J.) not later than December 28.
