86 THE WILSON BULLETIN— June, 1921 



be employed to advantage. These bands are of thin pressed 

 aluminum and each bears a number stamped in the metal. 

 This number is registered in the files of the Biological 

 Survey. 



When the baud is about to be placed the smallest sized 

 band that will close around the tarsus of the bird without 

 binding or chafing should be selected. The band should not 

 hang loosely, since grasses, twigs or thorns might catch 

 beneath it and cause inconvenience or even death to the 

 bird, thereby frustrating the very thing for which the 

 banding- was done. It is often convenient to lap over the 

 ends of the band instead of haviug the ends meet. Where 

 this is done care should be taken to see that the edges of 

 the lap are smooth and that the band does not pinch or 

 bind. A pair of small round-nosed pliers or a pair of 

 heavy tweezers is the best instrument for manipulating 

 the bands. 



Before placing the band the number that it bears should 

 be carefully noted (do not trust to memory for this) along 

 with the name of the species banded, tbe localitj'^ in detail, 

 date, approximate age of the bird, name of the person doing 

 the banding and any other remarks pertinent to the occas- 

 ion. These data should be transferred to a book or card 

 system maintained by the bander and in addition they must 

 be transferred to ia special sheet or schedule furnished by 

 the Biological Survey; this should be sent in about every 

 two to four weeks during the banding season. 

 Banding at the Michigan Biological station. 



One of the most 'feasible means of securing birds for 

 banding is to detail the young birds, before they are ready 

 to leave the nest, as bearers of these aluminum legends. 

 Birds which are just hatched or which are only a few <lays 

 old should not be banded. In our ex})erience, we found it 

 much better to wait until the birds were fully fledged. 

 Although the tarsi of birds in this stage are more or less 

 fleshy, they do not become larger so that allowance need not 

 be made for increase in size. 



This method of securing birds to be banded was pursued 

 by the writer at the University of Michigan Biological 



