﻿BIRD 
  BANDING 
  LINCOLN 
  335 
  

  

  opes 
  bearing 
  such 
  enigmatical 
  addresses 
  as: 
  "Mr. 
  Biol. 
  Surv., 
  23171, 
  

   Wash. 
  D. 
  C"; 
  "Biol. 
  Survey 
  Co., 
  Wash. 
  D. 
  C"; 
  and 
  "Boil 
  Service, 
  

   Wash. 
  D. 
  C." 
  The 
  word 
  " 
  boil 
  " 
  in 
  the 
  last 
  example 
  was 
  due 
  to 
  a 
  

   curious 
  misprint 
  in 
  one 
  lot 
  of 
  bands 
  whereby 
  the 
  " 
  o 
  " 
  and 
  " 
  i 
  " 
  were 
  

   transposed. 
  In 
  addition 
  to 
  complicating 
  matters 
  for 
  postal 
  em- 
  

   ployees, 
  this 
  error 
  caused 
  many 
  humorous 
  comments 
  from 
  bird-band- 
  

   ing 
  coojDerators, 
  one 
  of 
  whom 
  was 
  fearful 
  that 
  the 
  legend 
  would 
  be 
  

   misunderstood 
  as 
  cooking 
  instructions, 
  since 
  the 
  bands 
  plainly 
  stated 
  : 
  

   "wash, 
  boil, 
  and 
  serve." 
  

  

  As 
  the 
  services 
  of 
  volunteer 
  observers 
  had 
  been 
  already 
  suc- 
  

   cessfully 
  utilized 
  by 
  the 
  bureau 
  in 
  other 
  lines 
  of 
  work, 
  it 
  was 
  

   decided 
  to 
  extend 
  the 
  system 
  and 
  to 
  offer 
  to 
  the 
  bird 
  students 
  of 
  the 
  

   United 
  States 
  and 
  Canada 
  this 
  new 
  form 
  of 
  research 
  according 
  to 
  

   basic 
  plans 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  Biological 
  Survey. 
  Since, 
  however, 
  nearly 
  

   nil 
  American 
  birds 
  are 
  protected 
  by 
  both 
  Federal 
  and 
  State 
  laws, 
  

   it 
  was 
  apparent 
  that 
  prospective 
  cooperators 
  must 
  comply 
  with 
  

   certain 
  requirements. 
  It 
  was 
  not 
  proposed 
  to 
  have 
  bird 
  banding 
  an 
  

   excuse 
  for 
  indiscriminate 
  nest 
  hunting 
  by 
  school 
  classes, 
  Boy 
  Scout 
  

   troops, 
  or 
  other 
  juvenile 
  organizations, 
  but 
  to 
  make 
  it 
  a 
  method 
  of 
  

   study 
  to 
  be 
  pursued 
  only 
  along 
  lines 
  that 
  would 
  make 
  of 
  unques- 
  

   tioned 
  value 
  the 
  information 
  obtained. 
  Properly 
  qualified 
  per- 
  

   sons 
  are 
  accordingly 
  supplied 
  with 
  special 
  Federal 
  permits 
  (fig. 
  1), 
  

   permits 
  that 
  usually 
  are 
  supplemented 
  by 
  additional 
  State 
  authority. 
  

   Through 
  the 
  cooperation 
  of 
  the 
  Canadian 
  National 
  Parks 
  Branch 
  

   similar 
  permits 
  are 
  granted 
  to 
  persons 
  residing 
  in 
  Canada, 
  and 
  a 
  

   foundation 
  is 
  laid 
  for 
  chains 
  for 
  bird-banding 
  stations 
  to 
  cover 
  the 
  

   most 
  populated 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  continent 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  Rio 
  Grande. 
  

  

  It 
  will 
  be 
  at 
  once 
  apparent 
  that 
  American 
  students 
  of 
  this 
  means 
  

   of 
  research 
  possess 
  an 
  enormous 
  advantage 
  over 
  their 
  coworkers 
  

   in 
  Europe. 
  Not 
  only 
  are 
  many 
  species 
  common 
  to 
  both 
  the 
  United 
  

   States 
  and 
  to 
  Canada, 
  but 
  there 
  is 
  also 
  the 
  added 
  benefit 
  of 
  two 
  

   large 
  adjoining 
  countries 
  extending 
  from 
  the 
  Tropics 
  to 
  the 
  

   Arctic 
  with 
  a 
  common 
  language, 
  while 
  even 
  in 
  the 
  Latin-American 
  

   countries 
  American 
  influence 
  renders 
  reasonably 
  certain 
  a 
  large 
  

   number 
  of 
  return 
  records. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  over 
  1,200 
  persons 
  have 
  been 
  supplied 
  with 
  

   bands, 
  most 
  of 
  whom 
  operate 
  stations 
  (pi. 
  2, 
  fig. 
  1) 
  where 
  birds 
  are 
  

   systematically 
  trapped 
  and 
  banded 
  throughout 
  the 
  year. 
  Most 
  of 
  

   these 
  station 
  operators 
  are 
  well-informed 
  amateurs, 
  it 
  being 
  obvious 
  

   that 
  the 
  majority 
  of 
  the 
  trained 
  ornithologists 
  are 
  so 
  occupied 
  by 
  

   their 
  life 
  work 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  unable 
  to 
  devote 
  much 
  time 
  to 
  bird 
  

   banding. 
  It 
  is 
  nevertheless 
  a 
  pleasure 
  to 
  record 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  almost 
  

   all 
  workers 
  in 
  the 
  science 
  have 
  given 
  their 
  full 
  approval 
  of 
  the 
  

   work, 
  many 
  of 
  them 
  are 
  serving 
  as 
  regional 
  advisers 
  or 
  councilors, 
  

  

  