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  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1927 
  

  

  the 
  brilliant 
  efforts 
  of 
  these 
  scholars, 
  replete 
  though 
  they 
  are 
  with 
  

   copious 
  information 
  assembled 
  for 
  the 
  first 
  time, 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  observed 
  

   that 
  all 
  are 
  lacking 
  in 
  detailed 
  accounts 
  of 
  the 
  movements 
  or 
  actions 
  

   of 
  individual 
  birds. 
  Heretofore 
  necessity 
  has 
  required 
  that 
  such 
  

   studies 
  should 
  treat 
  species 
  en 
  masse, 
  for 
  obviously 
  no 
  other 
  course 
  

   was 
  possible. 
  In 
  this 
  respect 
  the 
  anatomist, 
  osteologist, 
  and 
  system- 
  

   atist, 
  with 
  their 
  unchanging 
  material 
  ready 
  before 
  them, 
  possess 
  an 
  

   enormous 
  advantage 
  over 
  the 
  student 
  of 
  the 
  occult 
  phases 
  of 
  the 
  

   science. 
  It 
  is 
  evident, 
  however, 
  that 
  through 
  the 
  introduction 
  of 
  the 
  

   banding 
  or 
  marking 
  method 
  systematic 
  studies 
  of 
  these 
  subjects 
  may 
  

   be 
  carried 
  on 
  with 
  a 
  great 
  degree 
  of 
  precision. 
  It 
  is, 
  in 
  fact, 
  now 
  

   possible 
  to 
  study 
  birds 
  as 
  individuals, 
  possessed 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  traits 
  and 
  

   mannerisms 
  that 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  expected 
  when 
  the 
  unit 
  is 
  separated 
  from 
  

   the 
  group. 
  

  

  HISTORICAL 
  

  

  The 
  widespread 
  interest 
  that 
  has 
  been 
  developed 
  in 
  this 
  subject 
  

   during 
  recent 
  years 
  has 
  caused 
  many 
  to 
  believe 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  merely 
  a 
  

   " 
  new 
  fad 
  " 
  that 
  would 
  soon 
  wane 
  as 
  such. 
  Bird 
  banding, 
  however, 
  

   has 
  already 
  demonstrated 
  its 
  worth 
  and 
  claims 
  a 
  place 
  with 
  the 
  shot- 
  

   gun, 
  field 
  glass, 
  scalpel, 
  and 
  microscope, 
  as 
  a 
  means 
  of 
  acquiring 
  

   precise 
  information 
  relative 
  to 
  the 
  birds 
  around 
  us. 
  Furthermore, 
  

   it 
  is 
  not 
  an 
  entirely 
  new 
  method 
  even 
  in 
  America, 
  for 
  an 
  examina- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  literature 
  reveals 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  marking 
  birds 
  for 
  a 
  defi- 
  

   nite 
  purpose 
  was 
  tried 
  as 
  long 
  ago 
  as 
  1803 
  when 
  Audubon 
  used 
  silver 
  

   wire 
  to 
  band 
  a 
  brood 
  of 
  phoebes 
  {Sayornis 
  phcehe) 
  and 
  was 
  fortunate 
  

   in 
  obtaining 
  two 
  returns. 
  

  

  To 
  Dr. 
  Leon 
  J. 
  Cole 
  must 
  go 
  the 
  credit, 
  however, 
  for 
  bringing 
  the 
  

   advantages 
  of 
  the 
  method 
  to 
  the 
  attention 
  of 
  American 
  ornithologists, 
  

   which 
  he 
  did 
  in 
  a 
  short 
  paper 
  printed 
  in 
  the 
  Third 
  Report 
  of 
  the 
  

   Michigan 
  Academy 
  of 
  Sciences 
  (1902). 
  Following 
  this 
  came 
  the 
  

   work 
  of 
  Dr. 
  Paul 
  Bartsch, 
  Avho 
  in 
  1902 
  and 
  1903 
  banded 
  black- 
  

   crowned 
  night 
  herons 
  {Nycticorax 
  n. 
  naevius), 
  in 
  the 
  District 
  of 
  

   Columbia, 
  with 
  bands 
  (PL 
  1; 
  m.) 
  that 
  carried 
  the 
  address 
  of 
  the 
  Smith- 
  

   sonian 
  Institution 
  (1904), 
  from 
  which 
  he 
  received 
  several 
  interesting 
  

   return 
  records. 
  The 
  records 
  from 
  these 
  birds 
  are 
  apparently 
  the 
  first 
  

   returns 
  in 
  modern 
  times 
  to 
  be 
  obtained 
  from 
  American 
  birds, 
  banded 
  

   with 
  the 
  deliberate 
  intent 
  to 
  learn 
  something 
  of 
  their 
  travels. 
  About 
  

   this 
  time 
  P. 
  A. 
  Taverner 
  announced 
  through 
  the 
  pages 
  of 
  The 
  Auk 
  

   (1904) 
  that 
  he 
  proposed 
  to 
  take 
  up 
  this 
  work 
  and 
  had 
  had 
  made 
  alumi- 
  

   num 
  bands 
  inscribed 
  with 
  the 
  legend 
  " 
  Notify 
  The 
  Auk, 
  N. 
  Y.' 
  (PL 
  

   1, 
  a.) 
  Some 
  of 
  these 
  bands 
  were 
  actually 
  attached 
  to 
  birds, 
  J. 
  H. 
  

   Fleming, 
  of 
  Toronto, 
  Ontario, 
  placing 
  " 
  Number 
  1 
  " 
  on 
  a 
  robin, 
  on 
  

   September 
  24, 
  1905. 
  A 
  few 
  return 
  records 
  also 
  were 
  obtained, 
  the 
  

  

  