October 7, 1910] 



8GIENGE 



471 



birds back with me for presentation to the 

 Bronx Zoological Park, I found that they 

 could easily be transported if the large cage 

 were subdivided into small individual com- 

 partments. Each bird could be taken out and 

 fed and if it refused to eat could be forced to 

 eat. In carrying out further experiments, this 

 latter method alone will be adopted. If min- 

 nows can not be obtained in Key West for the 

 trip, the experiment will be abandoned. Indi- 

 vidual compartments and a good supply of 

 minnows will insure the healthy arrival of a 

 group of birds in New York, Galveston or 

 Mobile. Birds were conveyed to all these 

 places during the months of May and June, 

 but the above technique was not adopted and 

 none reached these ports in good condition. 

 The details of these releases will follow. 



Flight from Key West. — On May 18, twelve 

 noddies, twelve sooties and four man-of-war 

 birds were sent to Key West. It was origin- 

 ally intended to ship them to Galveston, but 

 connection was not made with the Galveston 

 boat. Accordingly all these birds were re- 

 leased in Key West harbor, 65^ miles due east 

 of Bird Key. The weather was stormy. They 

 were released at 2.30 p.m. All twelve of the 

 noddies returned, but the time varied from 

 174 hours to 2 days, 15 hours. Ten of the 

 twelve sooties returned. Three returned in 

 174 hours, approximately. Two required one 

 day, 204 hours, while the others required five, 

 six, eight, nine and eleven days, respectively. 

 Thus twenty-two out of twenty-four birds re- 

 turned, but the time was long. I am inclined 

 to think that the longer time required for the 

 sooties was due to the fact that their nesting- 

 neighbors would not allow them to approach 

 the nest (on account of the markings).. The 

 flight is interesting in showing that the re- 

 tention of nest locality and nest mate is still 

 perfect at the end of eleven days. It is of 

 further interest in showing such a large per- 

 centage of returns. Two of the four man-of- 

 war birds returned, but the time can not be 

 accurately stated. One was first seen at the 

 end of seven days, the other somewhat later. 

 Since the man-of-war bird does not nest on the 



island it is only by accident that a marked 

 bird can be singled out of the group of five 

 hundred which roost there. 



The Release in New Yorh Harhor and en 

 Route.— On the night of May 20 (10.30 p.m.) 

 the Mallory boat Concha left Key West carry- 

 ing two lots of birds in charge of Mr. Wilson. 

 One lot was to be released at an intermediate 

 distance between Key West and New York and 

 at night. The other lot was to be released in 

 New York harbor. The first lot contained 

 four sooties. They were released at 7.30 p.m., 

 365 miles from Bird Key. One bird returned 

 at the end of four days. A second one re- 

 turned at the end of about five weeks (Mr. 

 Wilson noted the return of this bird after I 

 left the island. He may have made some mis- 

 take in noting the bird. It is better to look 

 upon this return as only probable). The sec- 

 ond lot of birds containing five noddies and six 

 sooties were released in New York harbor at 

 4.30 P.M. in a fog. Since no minnows were 

 obtained for this long trip, the birds were in 

 very poor condition. All of the birds flew 

 about two hundred yards out from the ship 

 and alighted upon the water. This they never, 

 or rarely, do, naturally. In their weakened 

 condition I doubt if any ever arose from the 

 water. None returned to Bird Key. Even 

 had the birds been able to fly back into milder 

 waters (where they could have obtained food 

 probably for the first time) they would have 

 had to contend against adverse winds. 



Galveston and en Route. — Two lots were 

 sent out. The first to be released about 500 

 miles out, the second in Galveston harbor. 

 The birds were captured May 29. They were 

 sent in the laboratory launch Physalia to Key 

 West on May 30. They left (Mr. Wilson in 

 charge) in the Mallory boat Concha at twelve 

 noon June 1. The first lot of birds containing 

 three noddies — two having died in passage— 

 and four sooties were released Eriday, June 3, 

 at 4.45 A.M. in the open waters of the gulf. 

 The Concha was then 470 knots from Key 

 West. Bird Key is 60 knots to west of Key 

 West. This distance has to be subtracted, 

 leaving 410 knots, or approximately 460 

 miles. (The birds had really traveled nearly 



