BIRD BANDING, THE TELLTALE OF MIGRATORY FLIGHT 



93 



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© E. H, Matern 

 IJKB ALIv GOOD SAII^ORS, THIS GUIX HAS A CHOICE VOCABUI^ARY 



When there is no garbage about to be picked up, tlie Herring Gulls feed largely on small 

 shellfish, sometimes breaking open the shells by carrying them well up into the air and then 

 dropping them on the rocks. This operation has frequently to be repeated several times before 

 the desired result is obtained. 



eastern Asia and the Alaskan mainland 

 tliat have been found there. 



SYSTEMATIC BIRD BANDING IS A MODERN 

 DEVELOPMENT 



Systematic marking of birds, each prop- 

 erly recorded for the purpose of studying 

 movements and habits, has developed in 

 Europe and the United States within the 

 past 30 years. The greatest advance has 

 been since 1920 and it is now becoming a 

 well-recognized line of research. 



Investigators familiar with the bird life 

 of their districts capture the birds, alive 

 and unharmed, with many ingenious traps, 

 and place a numbered aluminum band or 

 ring on the leg of each. Each band bears 

 a central address, so that whenever the 

 bird is retaken, alive or dead, the finder 

 may forward either the band or the num- 

 ber on it. 



The use of l)irds as messengers by man 

 began in the dim past. Perhaps the earli- 

 est record is that of Noah, who is said to 



