154 Cole, The Tagging of Wild Birds. [^"^Ij 



small scale during one season (1908) by a committee acting under 

 the authorization of the New Haven Bird Club. This committee 

 consisted of Dr. Louis B. Bishop and Mr. Clifford H. Pangburn 

 of New Haven, with the writer as chairman. Owing to the fact 

 that comparatively little actual field work could be expected from 

 local members, it was decided to broaden the scope of the banding 

 work, making it, if possible, of a national character. With this in 

 mind, it was brought before the ornithologists at Cambridge, as 

 stated. The proposition appeared to incite interest and to meet 

 with considerable favor from those present at the meetings, and a 

 sufficient number agreed to help in the work to make it appear 

 advisable to proceed on the plans outlined. The present report is 

 a brief summary of what has so far been accomplished. 



First, however, it may be well to make some mention of similar 

 work in this and other countries. Mention was made last year of 

 Audubon's experiment of placing silver wire on the legs of a brood 

 of young Phcebes, two of which were found nesting in the same 

 locality the following season; also of Taverner's work, which was 

 very similar in its plan to that proposed, and which resulted in the 

 taking in Louisiana of a Flicker banded the previous summer in 

 Iowa. The capture of two ducks wearing bands of unknown 

 source was also mentioned. The writer was unaware at that time, 

 however, of the interesting investigations in this line made by Dr. 

 Paul Bartsch in the heron rookeries near Washington, D. C, as 

 well as of the excellent progress that has been made in two or three 

 countries in Europe. Dr. Bartsch's results will be discussed later 

 in connection with those of this season on the banding of Night 

 Herons. The European experiments deserve mention at this 

 time, the following account of them being taken largely from a 

 letter from Herr Jakob Schenk, adjunct of the Royal Hungarian 

 Central Bureau for Ornithology, and dated at Budapest, April 20, 

 1909. 



In 1899 Mr. Christian Mortensen of Viborg, began marking birds 

 with aluminum rings, first Starlings, then later. Storks, Ducks 

 and the larger Birds of Prey. His results were published in 'Dansk. 

 Ornithologisk Vereeniging Tidskift,' Vol. I. 



In 1903, the bird observatory at Rossitten, Germany, started 

 marking, chiefly Corvus comix, but later large numbers of Storks 



