The Possibilities of Bird-Marking. 209 



Meanwhile some progress had been made in this country. Several years ago 

 Mr Eichard Tomlinson began marking Starlings at Musselburgh, near Edin- 

 burgh. In 1904, Mr J. H. Gurney marked a number of young Gannets on 

 the Bass Eock (Firth of Forth) with rings inscribed " Bass Eock, 1904." 

 In 1905, Mr John Hamilton, of Baron's Court, Co. Tyrone, Ireland, began 

 marking Woodcock with rings inscribed " B. C", and with the year in figures. 

 Other proprietors have also marked Woodcock, for instance, Lord Ardilaun at 

 Cong, Galway (rings inscribed " A. Cong "). Sir Eichard Graham has used 

 rings inscribed " E. G," for various species of Duck (mostly hand-reared) at 

 Netherby, Cumberland. 



In 1908 Dr C. B. Ticehurst, following Mr Mortensen's methods, started 

 marking various birds in the south of England with rings inscribed " Ticehurst, 

 Tenterden." Various other inquiries on a smaller scale have been set on foot. 



In 1909, the first efforts at bird-marking on a large scale in the British 

 Isles were made, two large inquiries being started independently and almost 

 simultaneously. The first in order of announcement was the Aberdeen 

 University Inquiry, which took Eossitten for a model. A few weeks later 

 came Mr H. F. Witherby's scheme in connection with the magazine British 

 Birds, and following Mr Mortensen and Dr Ticehurst : about 8000 birds have 

 already 1 been marked. In the same season a marking scheme was started by 

 the journal Country Life. It may also be noted that some of the earlier 

 markers merged their work with the new schemes, as Mr Tomlinson did his 

 with the Aberdeen University scheme, and Dr Ticehurst his with the British 

 Birds scheme ; the work is only profitable if undertaken on a very large scale. 



III. Some Eesults. 



The possibilities of bird-marking, however, cannot be better estimated 

 than by a consideration of some of the results which have already been 

 achieved, and a few illustrative cases may appropriately be cited here. 

 Undoubtedly the finest example is the case of the White Stork (Ciconia alba). 

 The bird- marking data concerning this species, we owe principally to the 

 Eossitten Inquiry, but Mr Mortensen and the scientists of the Hungarian 

 bureau have also contributed to it. Their combined results may be 

 summarised as follows : — 



First of all we have the autumnal migration, taking place in a south- 

 easterly direction — the direction of Asia Minor. This is shown by the 

 records of Storks marked as nestlings and obtained early in the same 



1 I.e., in seasons 1909 and 1910. 



