November, 1920] 



The Canadian Field-Natukalist 



159 



near Lake Erie, Essex Co., Ontario, have been 

 taken on the Atlantic Coast from New Jersey to 

 North Carolina and along the east shore of James 

 and Hudson Bay. He has had returns also from 

 ducks from Louisiana and the Gulf States, north to 

 Sault Ste. Marie and west as far as Alberta. These 

 irregular (?) migration routes are of special inter- 

 est in confirmation of the soundness of the view that 

 proper protection of migratory game is an inter- 

 provincial problem more than a local one and well 

 within the logical field of federal authority. 



The systematic trapping done by Mr. S. Prentis 

 Baldwin mentioned by Dr. Nelson is a development 

 of these activities and has opened up unlimited pos- 

 sibilities to the work. Normally Su* very few land 

 birds banded are ever heard of again. In the work 

 cited some surprising and valuable results have re 

 suited from constant and systematic trapping of 

 small birds within a limited area. A box trap made 

 of fine meshed poultry wire is used which captures 

 the birds without injury and from which they can 

 be removed, banded and released, without other 

 damage than a little passing fright. To show how 

 evanescent this is Mr. Baldwin says that many in- 

 dividuals acquire what he calls "the trap habit" 

 and return again and again, even many times a day, 

 to the annoyance of the trapper, for the easily se- 

 cured food supplies offered by the bait and they 

 even wait patiently for the apparently expected 

 liberation. All told he has so handled some five 

 thousand birds in this manner and amongst the most 

 interesting facts that the work has brought out are 

 the following, — 



Many birds do return to the same locality year 

 after year but not always to the same spot. The 

 chances seem to be about one in five, that at least 

 one of a pair will return to the previous year's 

 nesting site and about one in twenty-five that both 

 will. In some cases birds that seemed to be the 

 same as last season's friends proved to be entire 

 strangers whilst the old marked ones were found 

 nesting at some little distance. 



The martial tie is somewhat looser in some cases 

 than had been expected and not only do some birds 

 often change mates from season to season but even 

 for successive broods during the same season. A 

 second brood in a nesting box was found to have 

 one new parent whilst the jilted one was discovered 

 helping to care for another family nearby. 



It is also shown that as soon as the young arc out 

 of the nest they are usually taken immediately quite 

 away from the vicinity. A family of young Wrens 

 were found at the end of the first day some three 

 hundred yards distant from their natal home. 



The average daily range of many birds is sur- 

 prisingly restricted. With traps set one hundred 

 yards apart "repeaters," birds returning again and 

 again to the trap, were rarely taken more than one 

 trap away from their usual station. 



Not only do birds return annually to their summer 

 homes but to their winter ones as well and even 

 along the way between follow the same locality 

 stations year after year. Migrants merely passing 

 through, have been taken on successive years, up to 

 three, under the same bush. 



Another bit of interesting evidence is on the ac- 

 tual mechanics of migration. It seems that the 

 species studied do not pass along on their vernal 

 and autumnal passages doing daily stints of travel, 

 but pause for a while here and there where food is 

 good and while the weather is fine, to pass on with, 

 or just before, the storm that brings others of their 

 kinds along. 



All this is most interesting and valuable work 

 and is such that many of otherwise limited oppor- 

 tunity can follow and, whilst indulging in a pur- 

 suit, fascinating in itself, amass a large amount of 

 information of great popular, economic and scien- 

 tific value. It is well that such important work is 

 being directed by the experienced Bureau of the 

 Biological Survey and that steps will be taken to 

 extend its scope and correlate its results. 



P. A. Taverner. 



The jaeger at sylvan u\ke, alta. — While 

 living at Sylvan Lake, Alberta, this summer, I was 

 fortunate enough in September, to observe a fine 

 Jaeger attacking a Common Tern. This gave me 

 a splendid opportunity to observe this unusual visi- 

 tor. When finally the Tern escaped, the Jaeger 

 settled on the water, and with my prism binoculars 

 I was able to note its every feature. The upper 

 parts were very dark while the throat underparts 

 appeared to be a creamy white. 



This is the second time I have seen this species 

 at Sylvan Lake. In June, 1916, hearing an unusual 

 note above the din of a large flock of Franklin 

 gulls feeding in the bay, I saw what for the 

 moment I took to be a fish hawk swooping about 

 amongst the gulls, but as it poised above them for 

 a second I was amazed to see the long middle tail 

 feathers. Shortly after it settled on the water, and 

 I watched it for a long time with my binoculars. I 

 did not report this occurrence outside my own circle 

 of friends, thinking I would not be believed, but, 

 now with the advent of the second one I am glad 

 to report this record for Alberta. — Elsie Cassels. 



