208 ) 



THE " BRITISH BIRDS " MARKING SCHEME.* 



PROGRESS FOR 1920. 



BY 

 H. F. WITHERBY. 



It will be seen from the figures given below that the number 

 of birds ringed in 1920, which was the twelfth year of the 

 " British Birds " Marking Scheme, was very satisfactory and 

 the total shows that there is still plenty of interest in it. 

 The Reports which I have recently published of results 

 under the headings of various speciesf have demonstrated 

 its value, and show that by persistent effort in ringing and 

 the accumulation of records we may expect to gain a know- 

 ledge of the movements of individual birds, which will 

 throw a flood of light on such questions as the dispersal of 

 the young, whether the same winter quarters as well as the 

 same breeding quarters are resorted to each year, whether 

 young of the same brood reach the same place, at what age 

 certain birds breed or attain their full plumage, the move- 

 ments of partial migrants, and so on. 



In 



Mr. Mayall again heads the list of " ringers," as he did in 

 1919, but his total this year of twelve hundred and two is 



* For previous Reports see Vol. III., pp. 179-182, for 1909; 



Vol. IV., pp. 204-207, for 1910 ; Vol. V., pp. 158-162, for 1911 ; 



Vol. VI., pp. 177-183, for 1912 ; Vol. VII., pp. igo-195, for 1913 ; 



Vol. VIII., pp. 161-168, for 1914 ; Vol. IX., pp. 222-229, for 1915 ; 



Vol. X., pp. 150-156, for igi6 ; Vol. XI., pp. 272-276, for 1917 ; 



Vol. XIII., pp. 96-100, for 1918 ; Vol. XIII., pp. 237-240 for 1919. 



f See \'ol. XIII., pp. 269-271, 292-296, 307-312. 



