BIRD BANDING LINCOLN 339 



remarkably large percentage of these birds returning to winter in 

 the same place. For example, of 13 birds banded in February, 6, or 

 46.1 per cent, returned the following year. Data obtained at Fargo, 

 N. Dak., indicated that the southward migration of the adults is more 

 rapid than that of the immatures. In 1928, 38 adults stayed in the 

 vicinity of the banding station for an average of only 2.4 days, while 

 the immature birds made stop-overs averaging 8.7 days. 



The return to exact winter quarters of certain birds has been dem- 

 onstrated on several occasions, perhaps the best example being a 

 small group of banded white-throated sparrows that returned year 

 after year to a patch of ornamental shrubbery on a plantation at 

 Thomasville, Ga. (Cf. Baldwin, 1922.) Other stations have had 

 similar experience with juncos, chipping sparrows, and other finches. 

 This habit appears to be fairly well established for several birds, 

 but it also appears that all individuals may not make the same stops 

 while on their migratory journeys. The best evidence of this comes 

 from a banding station at Waukegan, 111., where more than 6,000 

 white-throated sparrows have been banded. A few return records 

 for these birds have been reported from other points, but up to the 

 present time (July, 1932) the operator of this station has not recap- 

 tured in a successive season a single banded white-throat. 



Studies at handing stations. — Among the published reports of the 

 past few years there are intimate studies dealing with local move- 

 ments and other habits of certain birds, some of which are usually 

 considered to be more or less resident in their respective areas. It 

 is in investigations of this kind that the individual station operator 

 comes " into his own," as it is practical for him to work out his 

 entire problem without the necessity for access to data from other 

 points. To be sure, before the results obtained in one area can be 

 considered as being applicable to the species over its entire range, 

 a certain amount of repetition must take place in other sections, but 

 this in no way militates against the completion by a single worker of 

 a definite piece of research. 



The species that have been accorded this treatment include the 

 song sparrow, the house wren, the white-breasted nuthatch, the 

 tufted titmouse, and the chickadee. In some of these studies the 

 permanent registration of the numbered aluminum band has been 

 supplemented by second bands of colored celluloid which enabled the 

 investigator to keep individual birds under more or less continuous 

 observation, without the necessity for frequent retrapping. 



Dr. Wilbur K, Butts (1930 and 1931), after much experimental 



work involving the use of stains, dyes, and enamels, devised a method 



for the manufacture of small celluloid bands. These are now stocked 



regularly by the Biological Survey. Doctor Butts conducted an 



149571—33 23 



