158 Cole, The Tagging of Wild Birds. [^^^ 



Results of the Season's Work. 



The actual number of records that have been returned to date^ is 

 911. It is safe to say, however, that if all the records of birds that 

 have been banded were in, the number would easily reach the 1000 

 ma^k, since several who did banding have not as yet, for one reason 

 or another, been able to send in all their blanks. The number of 

 returns from banded birds that have been received is also encourag- 

 ing, but it is more difficult to say just how many of these there are, 

 since a "return" may be for a bird which is perhaps found dead in 

 the same locality soon after banding (there are several such cases 

 due to one cause or another), or for one not taken for a long time, 

 and then at an entirely diflt'erent place. Record is made of all such 

 cases which come to notice, and there are now in the file 31 of the 

 red slips, which shows that slightly over 3 per cent, of the birds 

 banded have been heard from since. This should not be taken as 

 indicating actually the degree of efficiency of the system, since it 

 must be remembered that there is a chance of hearing from the 

 other 97 per cent, for a number of years yet — for as long, in fact, as 

 the span of life of the birds. 



As to the kinds of birds banded, these were of great variety, 

 especially as banding was done in all sections of the northern United 

 States. As would be expected, however, perhaps the species most 

 often banded, with the exception of those which live in colonies, 

 was the Robin, and the first good return record was from a bird of 

 this species. I wish it were possible to mention individually all 

 those who have helped in the work, but the list would be too long. 

 I cannot refrain, however, from naming a few of those who have 

 rendered most signal service. Messrs. Leonard W. Pearson and 

 Alfred C. Redfield of Wayne, Pa., members of the Delaware Valley 

 Ornithological Club, sent in altogether 219 records, nearly 200 of 

 which w^ere for Black-crowned Night Herons banded at Barnstable, 

 Mass. Prof. S. A. Courtis, of Detroit, banded 99 birds, mostly 

 Common Terns, at the St. Clair Flats. Mr. Charles W. Miller, 

 director of the Worthington Society for the Study of Bird Life, 

 Shawnee-on-Delaware, Pa., caught many birds, especially Orioles 



1 December 1, 1910. 



