THE AUDUBON BULLETIN 9 



advantage and my catch covered such birds as: Redbird, 

 Mourning Dove, Brown Thrasher, Song Sparrow, Mocking 

 Birds, Towhee, Quail, Blue Jay, Red-bellied Woodpecker and 

 others. 



Many people asked what the advantage of Bird Banding 

 is. The close study which the observer can make of individ- 

 ual birds, allows him to get an absolute knowledge of the 

 colors of live birds. Eventually, when Bird Banding stations 

 are maintained over the entire country, we shall be able to 

 tell absolutely the course of their yearly migration. Many 

 diseases of birds will be identified, the length of life can be 

 determined ; whether birds mate for life or change partners 

 each year has in a great many cases already been discovered ; 

 and the speed with which they fly can be easily estimated. 



This last year a hunter in Georgia killed a Mourning Dove. 

 The bird was kept by the United States Game Warden, who 

 arrested the hunter for shooting migratory birds. The lawyer 

 for the defendant nearly cleared the culprit by saying that 

 Mourning Doves do not migrate, that they are born, raised, 

 and remain twelve months of the year in Georgia. Luckily 

 the Game Warden had in his possession the band, taken from 

 a Mourning Dove, killed in Georgia which had been originally 

 banded in Canada. The little strip of metal secured a con- 

 viction. 



The work is very new and many people ask me, "Do you 

 ever catch the same bird twice? Do the birds get badly 

 scared?" In answer to this I might say that the Towhee 

 which is one of the most retiring of our bush birds, enters the 

 traps freely and eats the food greedily. I caught one such 

 bird eight times in one day. This bird sang while I held it in 

 my hand and I believe I could have captured it dozens of 

 times had I run my trap that often. I placed a Chipping 

 Sparrow in the hands of one of the guests, who had come to 

 witness the banding experiment, and much to her surprise the 

 bird lay there for nearly three minutes before flying, and then 

 she had to toss it out into the air to make it fly. 



When we continue to capture birds in trap D less than one 

 block away, imagine everybody's surprise, except mine, at 

 finding the same bird waiting for us in the next trap. As this 

 is a regular occurrence it shows very conclusively that what 

 fear the birds have is quickly forgotten when handled proper- 

 ly and scientifically by the observer. 



It is hoped that this great study and sport will be taken up 

 by a large number of Illinois State Bird enthusiasts. In prose- 

 cuting this work, you will not only increase your own knowl- 

 edge of birds, but your efforts will be of great value to science 

 and consequently we should all do our best to be of service. 



T. E. Musselman, Quincy, Illinois. 



