Washington, D. C. October 16, 1924 
RETURNS FROM BANDED BIRDS, 1920 to 1923 
By Freperick C. Lincoun, Associate Biologist, Division of Biological 
Investigations, Bureau of Biological Survey 
CONTENTS 
Page Page 
NAR EOCHCHION 2 RO YS 8 Eo ip iexplanation of tabless 42-6 hls se a 5 
Organized activities in bird banding___-____ Paes OF ROLES ==. a Sere ne Se eee 6 
Regional banding associations____________- Sy Vindex enc Pe. tax Pyrite a a Pere ele 54 
Returns reported to the Biological Survey _____ 4 
INTRODUCTION 
The marking of birds by means of numbered aluminum bands is 
resulting in the accumulation of information that will be valuable in 
solving many problems in ornithology. ‘The experiment of Audubon, 
as long ago as 1803,1 in banding a brood of phoebes is now well 
known, while the interesting and valuable results obtained by Dr. 
Paul Bartsch, in 1902, in his work with black-crowned night herons 
in the District of Columbia,’ and by Dr. John B. Watson, in 1907, 
with sooty and noddy terns at Dry Tortugas, Fla.,? have also been 
detailed in full. 
ORGANIZED ACTIVITIES IN BIRD BANDING 
Yor the credit of conceiving a broader scope for the banding method 
credit must be given in this country to P. A. Taverner and Dr. Leon 
J. Cole. Mr. Taverner, in 1908, pl batee to interested persons a 
number of hand-made bands bearing the legend NOTIFY THE AUK NY, 
and a serial number. Comparatively few birds were thus banded, 
and only one return appears to have been recorded. Through 
the efforts of Doctor Cole, the New Haven Bird Club in 1908 
issued a comparatively small series of bands, bearing the legend 
BOX Z. YALE STA. NEW HAVEN, CONN.; in 1909, the legend was changed 
to read NOTIFY THE AUK NEW yYorRK. The bands used by the New 
1 Audubon, John James. Ornithological biography, vol. 2, p. 126, 1834. 
2 Bartsch, Paul. Notes on the herons of the District of Columbia: Smiths. Mise. Col., vol. 45, pub no. 
1419, quart. issue, vol. 1, pts. 1 and 2, pp. 104-111, pls. 32-38, 1904. 
3 Watson, John B. The behavior of noddy and sooty terns: Pub. 103, Carnegie Inst. Washington, 
paper 7, pp. 187-225, pls. 1-11, March, 1909. 
4The Auk, vol. 23, p. 232, April, 1906. 
94052°—24¢——1 
