99 Miscellaneous Circular 18, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. 
RELEASING BIRDS. 
The simplest way to release a banded bird is merely to open the 
hand and let the bird fly when it wants to. Do not throw it into 
air, or frighten it into flight, as this will only add to the difficulty 
of retrapping. Frequently, a bird will he quietly after the hand is 
opened, not seeming to realize that it is free (see figs. 25 and 26), 
and it may even permit gentle stroking or the spreading of a wing. 
Such occurrences are interesting bits of life history information, and 
should be watched for and encouraged, and also reported in detail. 
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Fic. 24.—Holder for flat adjustable bands. The inverted U that passes between the lock- 
ing nibs should be about a half inch higher than the other. 
REPORTS. 
The Bureau of Biological Survey is the central agency for the 
bird-banding work, and all cooperators are expected to conform to 
the regulations prescribed. Cooperative regional associations are 
rendering efficient assistance by coordinating the activities of opera- 
tors in different geographic areas, and it may be the desire of their 
officers to have certain reports made by their members. There is no 
objection to this, provided these reports are made supplementary to 
the ones forwarded to the central office. 
Report banded birds frequently. Figure 27 shows a record card 
properly made out. Extensive files are required for this work, and 
it is of the utmost importance that they be at all times as up-to-date 
as possible. This can be achieved only by individual operators send- 
