Instructions for Banding Birds. 91 
Fic. 22.—Tools used for attaching bands. A, Pair of pliers with 2-inch jaws about one- 
eighth of an inch across the tips; used to attach lock bands. B, “Stiletto”? set in a 
hardwood handle and used to open small ring bands. ©, The best type of pliers for 
closing the smaller bands; they have smooth pointed jaws and may be obtained from 
dealers in optician’s supplies. 
BAND HOLDERS. 
It is an advantage to have the bands arranged on a holder in nu- 
merical order. Figure 23 shows a holder that has proved satisfactory 
for the ring bands, particularly the smaller sizes. It is simply a 
large, blunt-pointed safety pin, and is easily made from a piece of 
galvanized iron wire. A similar device, made to hold stitches when 
knitting, may be purchased from stores that handle such supplies. 
Or, the large safety pins commonly used on horse blankets may be 
used for this purpose. 
Us 
Fic. 23.—Holder on which ring bands are placed in reverse order. Made of galvanized 
iron wire and long enough to hold at least 25 of the smaller bands (about 6 inches). 
The flat adjustable bands are best carried in racks, such as shown 
in Figure 24. The vertical inverted U-shaped holders are made of 
galvanized iron wire, one standing about a half inch higher than 
the other. The bands are held in place by an elastic band, the legs 
of the higher U passing between the locking nibs. The elastic holds 
them tightly together while the operator is going to and from the 
trapping ground, but it is removed when he is engaged in banding. 
By lifting one side of the top band it is easily taken from the rack. 
