﻿340 
  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1927 
  

  

  record. 
  It 
  will 
  be 
  recalled 
  that 
  with 
  nongame 
  species 
  returns 
  are 
  

   secured 
  mainly 
  through 
  retrapping 
  by 
  station 
  operators, 
  and 
  thus 
  far 
  

   satisfactory 
  methods 
  have 
  been 
  devised 
  for 
  trapping 
  only 
  a 
  rela- 
  

   tively 
  small 
  number 
  of 
  species. 
  Accordingly, 
  the 
  206 
  species 
  for 
  

   which 
  no 
  returns 
  have 
  been 
  received 
  represent 
  those 
  banded 
  largely 
  

   or 
  solely 
  as 
  nestlings. 
  Such 
  negative 
  results 
  are 
  as 
  expected, 
  and 
  it 
  

   is 
  axiomatic 
  that 
  marking 
  such 
  birds 
  is 
  not 
  likely 
  to 
  be 
  productive 
  of 
  

   important 
  results 
  (except 
  over 
  a 
  very 
  long 
  period 
  of 
  time), 
  if 
  depend- 
  

   ence 
  for 
  their 
  recovery 
  is 
  placed 
  solely 
  upon 
  the 
  uncertain 
  element 
  

   of 
  chance. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  therefore 
  apparent 
  that 
  the 
  best 
  prospects 
  for 
  early 
  results 
  

   lie 
  in 
  certain 
  definite 
  directions 
  and 
  that 
  diversion 
  of 
  effort 
  into 
  

   minor 
  channels 
  is 
  likely 
  to 
  diminish 
  or 
  delay 
  them. 
  With 
  this 
  in 
  

   mind 
  campaigns 
  have 
  been 
  carried 
  on 
  through 
  the 
  regional 
  associa- 
  

   tions 
  which 
  have 
  resulted 
  in 
  the 
  banding 
  of 
  large 
  numbers 
  of 
  certain 
  

   groups 
  of 
  birds 
  such 
  as 
  gulls, 
  terns, 
  herons, 
  swifts, 
  swallows, 
  and 
  

   others. 
  Invariably 
  such 
  efforts 
  have 
  yielded 
  an 
  increased 
  percentage 
  

   of 
  data. 
  

  

  MIGRATION 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  safe 
  to 
  say 
  that 
  the 
  underlying 
  reason 
  for 
  all 
  banding 
  work 
  

   has 
  been 
  the 
  growing 
  desire 
  for 
  more 
  knowledge 
  concerning 
  the 
  

   migrations 
  of 
  birds. 
  Comprehensive 
  reports 
  on 
  this 
  subject 
  can 
  not 
  

   be 
  prepared 
  by 
  the 
  individual 
  worker, 
  for 
  it 
  is 
  only 
  by 
  the 
  study 
  

   and 
  correlation 
  of 
  a 
  mass 
  of 
  data 
  from 
  many 
  different 
  points 
  that 
  

   the 
  subject 
  can 
  be 
  satisfactorily 
  treated. 
  Dr. 
  Witmer 
  Stone 
  (1908) 
  

   has 
  stated 
  this 
  condition 
  with 
  his 
  usual 
  precision. 
  He 
  says, 
  in 
  part 
  : 
  

  

  The 
  meagerness 
  of 
  tlie 
  data 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  possible 
  for 
  one 
  individual 
  to 
  gather 
  

   on 
  bird 
  migration, 
  compared 
  with 
  the 
  magnitude 
  of 
  the 
  phenomenon, 
  must 
  

   be 
  apparent 
  to 
  all, 
  and 
  yet 
  we 
  are 
  constantly 
  attempting 
  all 
  sorts 
  of 
  esti- 
  

   mates 
  — 
  as 
  to 
  rapidity 
  of 
  flight, 
  the 
  relation 
  of 
  fluctuation 
  of 
  migration 
  to 
  

   temperature 
  variation, 
  etc. 
  — 
  based 
  for 
  the 
  most 
  part 
  upon 
  the 
  records 
  of 
  

   individual 
  observers. 
  

  

  These 
  statements 
  apply 
  equally 
  to 
  the 
  returns 
  from 
  banded 
  birds 
  

   which 
  can 
  be 
  analyzed 
  only 
  by 
  the 
  worker 
  who 
  has 
  access 
  to 
  all 
  

   similar 
  data 
  and 
  who 
  is 
  in 
  a 
  position 
  to 
  treat 
  them 
  with 
  reference 
  

   to 
  other 
  existing 
  material. 
  It 
  is 
  true, 
  however, 
  that 
  we 
  are 
  being 
  

   placed 
  rapidly 
  in 
  possession 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  records 
  for 
  certain 
  

   species 
  from 
  which 
  it 
  appears 
  that 
  the 
  time 
  is 
  not 
  far 
  distant 
  when 
  

   it 
  will 
  be 
  possible 
  to 
  prepare 
  detailed 
  reports 
  on 
  their 
  migrations 
  

   based 
  largely 
  upon 
  banding 
  data. 
  

  

  For 
  reasons 
  already 
  stated 
  it 
  is 
  impossible 
  in 
  a 
  paper 
  of 
  this 
  kind 
  

   to 
  do 
  more 
  than 
  briefly 
  summarize 
  for 
  a 
  few 
  species 
  the 
  informa- 
  

   tion 
  now 
  available. 
  

  

  Caspian 
  Tern. 
  — 
  The 
  Caspian 
  tern 
  {Sterna 
  caspia) 
  has 
  been 
  banded 
  

   in 
  large 
  numbers 
  at 
  colonies 
  in 
  Lake 
  Michigan 
  and 
  to 
  a 
  lesser 
  degree 
  

  

  