ILLINOIS AUDUBON SOCIETY 



19 



minutes later Father Robin 57617 was caught in the same way, 

 so that now it is known that these two birds are a mated pair, 

 and their three youngsters will be known to the world as 

 18036, 18037, and 18038. 



After having been caught about a dozen times all told in six 

 different traps Father Robin 57617 must have had great faith 

 in people to have built his nest and raised his family within one 

 hundred feet of those traps. 



Now the Biological Survey is very anxious to hear from both 

 of these birds next year to find out if they are still living peace- 

 fully together and how long their youngsters will live. Let us 

 hope that Father Robin 57617 will be successful in piloting his 

 family to the southland and back again to this vicinity for the 

 season of 1922 so that more may be learned about his family 

 record. 



On June 21, 1920, a Brown Thrasher was trapped and band- 

 ed number 57632. The next day he brought his mate and she 

 was banded number 57633. Later the same day she came back 

 with a fledgling and took it into the trap and it was banded 

 57634. The next day the two old birds came and brought two 

 fledglings into the trap and they were numbered 57635 and 

 57636. On the following day another fledgling came and was 

 made known as 57638. That completed the numbering of the 

 Thrasher family. 



There they camped and became an absolute nuisance. 

 Thrashers, Thrashers, in the traps all the 

 time until the traps had to be abandoned in 

 order to make them go elsewhere for their 

 food. 



On April 24, 1921, the first bird trapped 

 this season proved to be number 57633, who 

 had returned to the old camping grounds. On 

 April 26 two Thrashers were observed feed- 

 ing very peacefully together. Gradually they 

 approached the trap, still feeding so peace- 

 fully together that it was certain that they 

 were a mated pair. They entered the trap 

 together and were captured. The female 

 57633 had returned, and the new male with 

 her was given L 92. Now the unanswered 

 question is, divorced or fickle? Grass or sod? 



William I. Lyon. 



Photo by Wm.LLyon Waukegan 



