340 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 19 3 2 



exhaustive inquiry into the local movements of the chickadee {Pen- 

 thestes atrica'pillus) and the white-breasted nuthatch {Sitta caro- 

 linensis) on the Cornell University campus and the nearby Louis 

 Agassiz Fuertes Bird Sanctuary. The study was begun in the 

 autumn of 1924 and continued (with interruptions of a few months 

 at a time) to 1929. During this period practically all of the chicka- 

 dees and nuthatches within the area were banded both with a num- 

 bered aluminum band and a colored celluloid band. 



It was found that during the winter season there were four or 

 five times as many chickadees present as during the breeding season, 

 which possibly indicates a migration of certain individuals, although 

 the breeding birds of the area were all, or nearly all, permanent^ 

 residents. The influx of birds from other regions occurred between 

 August and January 1, while most of these transients left in March 

 and April. Chickadees are known to wander in small flocks, but 

 it was ascertained that these were not, as might be otherwise ex- 

 pected, family parties. Nevertheless, the flocks behaved as semi- 

 permanent units and had definite restricted feeding territories of 

 from 40 to 70 acres. When nesting it was found that the birds 

 ranged about 100 yards from the nest, although most of the food 

 was obtained much nearer. When one member of a mated pair 

 suffered an accident or disappeared for any reason, the survivor 

 frequently obtained a new mate, and it was determined that the 

 fact of an adult raising a brood of young could not be accepted as 

 prima facie evidence that it was caring for its own offspring. In 

 this species at least, the young finally disperse widely from the 

 nest. 



In the case of the nuthatch Doctor Butts found that there was no 

 evidence of migration in the region of Ithaca, N. Y., and that the 

 birds he studied were permanent residents. These birds ranged in 

 both summer and winter over areas approximately equal in size, but 

 they showed no hesitation in changing the scene of their opera- 

 tions in the different seasons. In addition to mated pairs which have 

 established their territories, there are usually a number of wander- 

 ing unmated birds which may take the place of one member of a 

 pair if for any reason it disappears. It was also found that the 

 parents had little difficulty in finding ample food for their broods 

 close to the nests and Doctor Butts concluded that feeding the young 

 is not as severe a task as it is commonly supposed to be. 



A somewhat similar study has been made of the tufted titmouse 

 {Baeolophus hicolor) by Mrs. Mabel Gillespie (1930). Field ob- 

 servations, supplemented by banding data over a period of 12 years 

 in the vicinity of Glenolden, Pa., resulted in an important accumula- 

 tion of data. In recent years the possible influence of the sun-spot 



