BIRD NEWS 



light to take and will drink out of 

 their bath tubs, no matter what you 

 do, keep these clean and fresh, and 

 no bad effects will follow. Large 

 shallow one and one-half-inch in 

 depth, glazed earthenware pans 

 make the best water baths. Food and 

 special treatment at breeding and 

 moulting seasons must be considered 

 in another bulletin. 



Enter your aviary quietly, salute 

 the inmates with a chirp, or a whis- 

 tle, move about quietly, do no stunts, 

 and your birds will soon learn to 

 know you, welcome your presence 

 and repay in a thousandfold all the 

 care and attention you have be- 

 stowed upon them. The little people 

 of the sunshine, humbly claim a kin- 

 ship, with him, who is of more value 

 than many sparrows, deny it not, and 

 you will in no wise lose your reward. 



BIRD MIGRATION 



By the courtesy of the Geographi- 

 cal Society of California we are per- 

 mitted to quote from bulletin of the 

 Royal Geographical Society of Lon- 

 don. 



"Interesting experiments with a 

 view of throwing light on bird migra- 

 tion have lately been carried out by 

 the authorities at the 'Vogelwarte' at 

 Rossitten, on the Kurische Nehrung, 

 in East Prussia. Young half-fledged 

 storks have for some time been mark- 

 ed by means of an aluminium foot- 

 ring, the number so treated reached 

 a total of some 1800 (Deutsches Kol- 

 onialblatt, September 15, 19 08). Two 

 such marked birds have been report- 

 ed from v/idely separated parts of Af- 

 rica, the first, which commenced its 

 southward, flight in August, 1906, 

 having been captured by natives on 

 northern shore of Lake Fittri, in Wa- 

 dai, October of same year. The ring- 

 ed foot came into the possession of 

 a French officer, Lieut. Loisy, by 

 whom it was forwarded to Rossitten. 



The second bird has accomplished a 

 far longer flight. Its ring had been 

 attached in July, 1907, near Gross- 

 Mollen, in Pohierania, and it started 

 south on the 25th of the following 

 month. On December 9, 1907, it was 

 shot by natives near Fort Jameson, in 

 Rhodesia, thus affording a proof that 

 these birds cross the equator into 

 southern latitudes while on their 

 southward flight. Other birds have 

 also been marked, and some of these 

 have likewise been reported — one 

 from Tunis. It is hoped that when 

 the fact of these experiments becomes 

 more widely known, more of the birds 

 may be heard of, and the director of 

 the Vogelwart makes an appeal to 

 all who may become possessed of any 

 marked birds to send them intact to 

 the address given on the ring, de- 

 precating at the same time any sys- 

 tematic war on the birds, with a view 

 to obtaining marked specimens. 



AN EXPERIMENT UNDER 

 NEW CONDITIONS 



Rev. Father H. Eummelin says of 

 the reclaimed El Centro, Imperial 

 Valley: " The valley is rapidly being 

 transformed into an agricultural 

 area. The everlasting irrigation 

 and new vegetable life, produces end- 

 less seeds and bugs. The valley it- 

 self is surrounded by bleak sand 

 hills, which keep the birds out. I 

 propose to enclose a cultivated tract; 

 stock it with native birds, feed and 

 care for them until they rear a num- 

 ber of young, then liberate old and 

 young, caring, however, for them 

 until they become established." 



Many individual birds are hyster- 

 ical and will start a panic in a mo- 

 ment, especially at night, with se'-i • 

 CU3 if not fatal injuries to thei.' 

 companions. Separate such. 



