2^oofe Ji^etusi anil Hebietujf 



Instructions for Bird Banding. By 

 Frederick C. Lincoln, Asst. Biologis, 

 Dept. Circular 170, U. S. Dept. of Agri- 

 culture. April, 1891. 8vo. 19 pages, 12 ills. 



The problems that can be solved by bird- 

 banding are stated in this manual on the sub- 

 ject as follows: 



1 . How fast do the individuals of any spe- 

 cies travel on their periodic migrations; that 

 is, how many miles per day will any one bird 

 average during these Journeys and what is the 

 total time consumed in a trip? 



2. Does any one flock continue in the van 

 or is the advance made by successive flocks 

 passing one over the other in alternate periods 

 of rest and flight? 



3. Do individuals of any species always 

 follow the same route, and is it identical for 

 both spring and fall flights? 



4. Do migrating birds make the same stop- 

 overs every year to feed? 



5. How long do birds remain in one locality 

 during the migration, the breeding, or the 

 winter seasons? 



6. What is the relation between the breed- 

 ing and the wintering grounds of individuals; 

 that is, do those birds that breed farthest 

 north winter farthest south, thus jumping 

 over those that occupy the intermediate zone, 

 or do they merely replace the latter individ- 

 duals as winter residents? 



7. Do birds adopt the same nesting area, 

 nest-site, and winter quarters during succes- 

 sive seasons? 



8. For how many broods will one pair 

 remain mated, and which bird, if not both, is 

 attracted next year to the old nesting site? 



9. To what extent do males of a species 

 assist in incubation and brooding? 



10. How far from their nests do birds 

 forage for food, and after the young have left 

 the nest, will the parent birds bring them to 

 the feeding and trapping station? 



11. To what region do the birds go, par- 

 ticularly the young, that do not return to the 

 vicinity of their original nests? 



12. How long do birds live? 

 Birds may be banded before they can fly 



or they may be trapped, banded, and re- 



leased. The making of the trap and all the 

 details of banding, recording, etc., are fully 

 described in this publication, a copy of which 

 should be in the hands of every one who pro- 

 poses to become a bird-bander. It may be 

 procured from the Superintendent of Docu- 

 ments in the Government Printing Office at 

 Washington at the nominal price of five 

 cents.— F. M. C. 



Bird Stories. By Edith M. Patch. With 

 Illustrations by Robert J. Sim. Atlantic 

 Monthly Press, Boston. 12 mo. 211 pages; 

 29 line-cuts. 



This is a book for young people and its 

 general character is well indicated by its 

 title. Life histories of the Chickadee, Her- 

 ring Gull, Spotted Sandpiper, Loon, and 

 eight other birds are presented in a manner 

 well designed to interest the audience the 

 author addresses. A bibliography gives the 

 sources of information on which the book is 

 based (a plan which might be adapted with 

 credit by what we may term transmuting 

 writers) and also enables the reader to pursue 

 the subject further. Special mention should 

 be made of Mr. Sim's pen-and-ink drawings 

 which exhibit a highly developed technique, 

 are artistic and accurate. — F. M. C. 



The Ornithological Magazines 



The Auk. — Three articles in the Apri 

 number are devoted to bird-banding. Two of 

 them, by S. P. Baldwin, cover somewhat the 

 same ground as a paper by the same author 

 in the 'Abstract of Proceedings', Linneean 

 Society of New York for 1919, but with addi- 

 tional data, those concerning the House Wren 

 and its habit of changing mates being worked 

 out in detail. These papers show what re- 

 sults may be expected from systematic trap- 

 ping and banding of birds, and will repay 

 careful reading for interesting habit details 

 probably obtainable in no other manner. 

 The third article, by F. C. Lincoln, gives an 

 admirable resume of the history and purposes 

 of bird-banding. 



A monographic account of the Dickcissel 



(211) 



