'^^''iQi?'""^] Recent Literature. 83 



RECENT LITERATURE. 



Watson and Lashley on Homing and Related Activities of Birds.' 



— In 1907, Dr. J. B. Watson made some investigations on the homing of 

 Noddy and Sooty Terns at Bu-d Key, Tortugas, Florida, which were 

 pubUshed as ' PubUcation 103 ' of the Carnegie Institution of Washington^ 

 and formed probably the most noteworthy contribution to the subject of 

 bird migration that has appeared in recent years. He demonstrated among, 

 other things that two incubating Sooty Terns taken from their nests on. 

 Bird Key and liberated off Cape Hatteras returned to their nests in five 

 days covering a distance (by water) of approximately 1081 statute miles, 

 most of it over areas where Sooty Terns do not normally occur and where 

 these birds had had no previous experience. 



The present publication describes the continuation of this investigation, 

 carried on during 1910, 1912 and 1913. In order to meet a possible ex- 

 planation of the Hatteras flight on the ground that the birds followed the 

 coast hne southward, experiments were made by Uberating birds at Gal- 

 veston and at various intermediate stations in the open waters of the Gulf 

 of Mexico. From all of these trials birds retm'ned safely to their nests. 

 This disposed entirely of the coasting theory. A fm-ther suggestion has 

 however been offered that the birds followed a well-marked water-current 

 which sweeps across the gulf from Texas to Tortugas and which differs in 

 color from the surrounding water. This is also disposed of by the fact 

 that a number of the returning birds were liberated at night and passed 

 through rain, haze and cloudy weather when the difference in the water 

 would not be noticeable — if indeed it is at any time, from the position of 

 the flying birds. 



Therefore as Dr. Watson says the fact has now been established that 

 Noddy and Sooty Terns can return, from distances up to 1000 7niles in the 

 absence of all landmarks. This materially simplifies the problem of homing 

 and what we now need is experimental work of a definite kind to determine 

 the sensory mechanism by means of which the birds accomplish their 

 return flights. 



This present paper contains valuable preUminary contributions along 

 these lines. Mr. Lashley gives an account of his studies of the nesting 

 activities of the terns in which he proves that orientation in the neighbor- 

 hood of the nesting place — i. e. return to nest, or young, or mate ^ is 

 based largely upon visual habits, placing these activities in a different 

 category from distant orientation. 



' Homing amd Related Activities of Birds. By J. B. Watson and K. S. Lasliley. 

 The Acquisition of Skill in Archery. By K. S. Lashley. Papers from the Depart- 

 ment of Marine Biology of the Carnegie Institute of Washington. Alfred G. 

 Mayer, Director. Volume VII. Publication No. 211. [Distributed July, 1915. t 

 pp. 1-128 



