Thorough processing of large samples of birds killed accidentally is time-consuming. We were fortunate in having considerable assistance; even so, all desirable data could not be obtained from the 1090 birds of the present sample. As aids to others conducting studies of this kind we should mention a few points which may be of assistance.

Birds should be picked up as soon as possible after death, certainly by the end of the day after the accident and preferably much sooner. They should be weighed as soon as possible after collection (weights decrease rapidly, even under refrigeration), and the weights (in grams, to one tenth of a gram) written on tags attached to a leg of each specimen. The sample should then be sorted by species or groups of species of approximately equal size (to avoid crushing of smaller birds by larger ones), placed in boxes, paper bags, or better, air-tight containers clearly marked with date, locality, and other necessary particulars, and relegated to a deep-freeze compartment. For all but the smallest samples, such freezing units are indispensable to complete study. Once frozen, the birds may be selected for study at leisure, but time is still important, as, even when frozen, gonads may eventually deteriorate, and birds eventually become desiccated which is a disadvantage if skins are to be made.

In the cases of large kills, or limited manpower, or both, it may be impossible to process all birds, however desirable this might be. If possible, however, all should be collected, identified, the numbers and species recorded, and rarities saved. Further, partial analysis, or more properly, complete analysis of a partial sample, can be made. Analyses which for any reason require randomness of sample pose a special problem. We think that in very large kills the best way to solve this problem is probably to make one or more transects across the area where dead birds are found. These transects should cross both the areas of greatest and least density (to allow for fast and slow flying species). Their width may be adjusted to give the desired number of birds, that is, the number that can be adequately processed. Another alternative would be to decide to study certain abundant species and pick up all of these. There are other possibilities, but in any event the method of sampling should be thoroughly described wherever all birds have not been processed.