Since the early 1980's, the number of drilling rigs in the United States has tumbled from nearly 4,700 to about 1,500 today.

The numbers tumble from the auctioneer's lips, until the nod of a bidder's head puts the moment out of its misery: $50 for the lot.

He said the number of films produced by film studios for release had tumbled to 46 in the first half of this year from 65 in the same period last year.

A number of emotions tumbled across Chakotay's bemused face as he scanned the padd's contents.

The number of Americans filing new claims for state unemployment benefits tumbled last week, but economists said today that the sharp drop did not signal any drastic improvement in the labor market.

Now, as the electronic numbers tumbled upward, a smile broke out on his face: 240 pounds.

The number has since tumbled: last year, 226 companies gave their top executives more than the average grant.

The number of people visiting unemployment offices for the first time tumbled last week to the lowest point since mid-summer, another of several recent signs that the labor market continues to tighten.

The number of jobs, as determined by the Labor Department's survey of business payrolls, tumbled 267,000, a fall that was more than triple many private estimates.

That number could tumble even further, these officials said, because some of the 35,000 were holdovers from the previous year.