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ON SOME RESULTS OE RINGING CERTAIN 

 SPECIES OF BIRDS.* 



BY 



H. F. WITHERBY. 



The following summaries of some of the results achieved by 

 the British Birds Marking Scheme concern chiefly those 

 species of birds of which comparatively few individuals have 

 been recovered. Although it would be a great mistake to 

 draw any very definite conclusions from such records, never- 

 theless it will be agreed that they are of great interest. Many 

 of these summaries show that we cannot as a rule expect 

 quick results from ringing birds, but they also show that an 

 accumulation of such records would have immense value. 

 For this reason I am certain that the scheme is well worth 

 pursuing even with those species which have hitherto been 

 least productive of results and I feel sure that all those 

 interested in ringing will agree with this and will continue to 

 ring as many birds as they possibly can. 



In compiling these summaries I have to acknowledge great 

 assistance from my former secretary Mrs. G. Birt, who has 

 always taken the greatest trouble to keep the records carefully 

 and has extracted and tabulated the recoveries upon which 

 these summaries are based. Recoveries made a very short 

 time after the birds were ringed and those which have no 

 significance have been ignored in giving these results. 



Greenfinch {Chloris ch. chloris). 

 Ringed as Nestlings. 



Recovered at home. — -Six ringed in Stirlingshire, one in 

 Lancashire and one in Hampshire were recovered at or near 

 the same place : — four in the following winter (Dec. to Feb.), 

 one in January three and a half years after ringing, one in 

 March two years after, one in May of the following year, one 

 in May two years after, and one in August two years after 

 ringing. 



Recovered away. — One ringed in Staffordshire was recovered 

 in the following April at Le Catelet, Aisne, France. One 

 ringed in Stirlingshire was found near Aberdeen in December 

 of the same year and one ringed in Lancashire was reported 

 from Gloucestershire in October of the same year. 



* For previous summaries see Vol. VIII, pp. 209-218 (Black-headed 

 Gull), Vol. X., pp. 215-220 (Song-Thrush, Blackbird, Lapwing, 

 Woodcock). 



