84 THE WILSON BULLETIN— June, 1921 



vor and within approximately the next eight months 5,000 

 bands were issned of which about 1,000 were placed and 

 from which 30 return records were obtained by December, 

 1909. 



A more definite organization now seemed advisable and 

 accordingly at a meeting of the American Oraithologists^ 

 Union held in New York City jon December 8, 1909, the 

 American Bird Banding Association was formed. How- 

 ever, owing t'o various difficulties, little was accomplished 

 by this organization and late in 1911 the Linnaean Society 

 of New York offered to come to the rescue. A committee 

 of five was appointed to arouse interest and raise funds 

 both of which were done with gratifying results. Tn the 

 spring of 1912, 4,173 bands were distributed among forty- 

 four persons in widely separated parts of the country. 

 800 of the bands were placed on seventy-three species of 

 birds. 



Since 1912 it again seems that the bird banding work 

 was continued only by an occasional enthusiast here and 

 there, but with the announcement of Mr. E. JW. Nelson, 

 Chief of the United States Biological Survey, in May, 1920, 

 that that organization would henceforth conduct this work, 

 banding has taken on a new lease of life. Under the di- 

 rection and guidance of the Biological Survey definite and 

 valuable results should soon be fortlicoming. In spite of 

 the numerous handicaps encountered by the Survey in tak- 

 ing over this work it has succeeded in interesting to date 

 about one hundred observers to whom approximately 5,000 

 bands have been issued. 



Since the work of banding is encouraged among all 

 persons and organizations interested in birds it is desirable 

 that only a limited number of styles of bands be used in 

 order to avoid confusion and that the work of distribution 

 and recording of the bands and returns be done most ef- 

 fectively by this responsible central organization. Accord- 

 ingly the experience of earlier investigators has been drawn 

 upon and this more or less mechanical part of the work 

 has been elaborated and standardized and a system of 

 recording has been carefully worked out. 



