HISTORICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF HOMING. 



47 



attempting to alight on its nest. On account of the mate having formed new "affiliations" 

 this was not permitted, and I immediately lost track of the bird. I have httle doubt that 

 the other noddies also returned to the island, but hkewise were not permitted to return to 

 their nests. 



The distance from Hatteras to Bird Key in a straight line is approximately 1,367.9 km. 

 (850 statute miles). The alongshore route, which is the one in all probability chosen by 

 the birds on their return, since they were gone several nights, is approximately 1,739.6 km. 

 (1,081 statute miles). 



Experiment III. 



On Monday, July 8, two noddies and two sooties were captured and marked and given 

 into the charge of Dr. Robert Hartmeyer, who was returning to Germany by way of Havana. 

 The birds were in such poor condition, owing to the enormous strain of several days' feeding 

 of their then quite large young, that we decided to release them at Havana instead of taking 

 them farther out. On the 9th the birds were carried by Dr. Hartmeyer on board the gov- 

 ernment tug and taken to Key West, where they spent the night and part of the following 

 day, the 10th. They were carried in Dr. Hartmeyer's stateroom to Havana on the night 

 of the 10th. Early in the morning of the 11th the birds were released in Havana Harbor. 

 All returned to Bird Key on the 12th. Since they had had to spend 3 days without food 

 or water, they were in poor physical condition. They probably spent one day and night 

 around the shores of Cuba, leaving there early in the morning of the following day. The 

 noddies were observed on their nests at 7 a. m. while the sooties were noted for the first 

 time at &' 30° p. m. of the same day. 



The distance in a straight line from Havana to Bird Key is approximately 173.8 km. 

 (108 statute miles). 



RECORD OF EXPERIMENTAL WORK ON HOMING IN 1910 AND 1913. 



THE FLIGHT FROM KEY WEST. 



On May 16, 1910, 12 noddies, 12 sooties, and 4 man-o'-war birds were cap- 

 tured and marked individually as described below. We had intended to ship 

 these birds to Key West on the 17th in order to send them to Galveston on the 



Table 8. — Flight of Jioddies from Key West. 



'These birds probably returned afternoon of day before, i. e., same day released. All the 

 birds had a strong northeast wind with them. 



18th by Dr. J. F. McClendon.* On the 17th a heavy storm set in and the naval 

 tug could not leave Tortugas. On the 18th, since there was still a chance to 

 catch the Galveston boat, they were carried by Dr. McClendon to Key West. 

 The tug arrived too late to connect with the Galveston boat and the birds were 

 accordingly released May 18 at 2^ 30"" p. m. in Key West Harbor, 65.4 knots 



♦I am very grateful to Dr. McClendon for his help in this experiment. 



