142 Cole, The Tagging of Wild Birds. [£$1 



and migration periods could hardly fail to yield valuable results. 

 If a bird previously banded were trapped, the record could be 

 made and the bird again released. 



Birds which nest in large colonies, such as the gulls, terns, herons, 

 etc., offer especial advantages for banding and making subsequent 

 observations, and excellent work can be done by anyone who has 

 an opportunity to carry on the work at one of their breeding places. 



Finally, as to the scheme of cooperation which is proposed. 

 Last winter the New Haven Bird Club decided to undertake the 

 banding of birds upon a small local scale. A committee was 

 appointed for the purpose of organizing the work, bands were 

 secured, and a plan of records drawn up. The plan is very simple. 

 Upon the top half of a card approximately 5X8 inches in size, 

 is a printed blank form for recording the data of banding, number 

 of band, species of bird, locality, date, and similar facts. On the 

 lower half is a similar form for recording the data in connection 

 with the return of the band, in case it ever comes back. Small 

 booklets containing perforated detachable slips bearing the same 

 form as the upper part of the card are supplied to those who propose 

 to do banding, and when a bird is banded the data are recorded in 

 this book. In the fall the books and all the surplus bands are 

 called in, and the records are then transferred to the permanent 

 cards. Since the numbers on the cards corresponding to those of 

 the bands are arranged consecutively, the record for any band can 

 be turned to directly. A separate index of species is all that is 

 needed to make the system complete. 



As to the bands themselves, it was the idea of the Committee 

 at first to use closed or seamless bands whenever possible, and to 

 use open bands only in the case of adult birds. The bands are of 

 aluminum, and are stamped "Box Z, YaleSta., New Haven, Conn.," 

 in addition to the number. For several practical reasons it will 

 probably be better, as Mr. Taverner has done, to use long open 

 bands, which can be clipped off to make them the proper size, 

 and it is also probable that the "return" address used by him will 

 be adopted. 



It was found that the number of birds tagged this year was rather 

 disappointingly small, and it seemed desirable to enlist the help, 

 when possible, of persons outside the Club who were in a position 



