The Possibilities of Bird-Marking;. 215 



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us an estimate of the rings of various sizes which he expects to be able to use 

 during the season. Eings are sent out by us accordingly, or at any other time 

 that they are specially asked for. 1 Along with the rings we send out 

 schedules (with stamped return envelopes) on which the data about all birds 

 marked are filled in. The following information is asked for, each item in a 

 separate column: (1) Number on ring; (2) Species of bird; (3) Date of 

 marking and release ; (4) Locality of same ; (5) How obtained (" As young," 

 etc.) ; (6) Sex and age so far as certain ; and any other remarks, including 

 bracketing together members of the same brood, etc., with word to that effect. 

 The marker's name is filled in at the top, and we give each schedule a 

 reference number as it comes in. 



Each schedule holds the data of about seven marked birds, and is sent 

 in as soon as it is complete, or when any record in it is a month old, which- 

 ever happens first. The data are transcribed into a large ledger, in which the 

 entries are arranged according to the ring numbers. This ledger is provided 

 with five columns corresponding to those of the data schedules, with additional 

 columns for the marker's name, the schedule's reference number, and also for 

 the size of the ring. A final column is left blank for the purpose of entering 

 a reference to the page in the separate " return " book in which such records 

 are entered as they come in. 



From this description of methods we may turn to consider a few of the 

 results which have already been obtained at this early stage of the work. It 

 need hardly be said that we make no attempt at drawing conclusions 

 at present, but it may be pointed out that the " returns " here enumerated 

 are selected from the few which have a certain degree of individual interest. 

 The majority of the other results are trivial if taken alone, but will, I am 

 confident, prove interesting enough when they become sufficiently numerous 

 to be classified and correlated. 



A brood of five Wigeon ducklings (Mareca penelope) was marked by 

 Mr Francis G-unnis on Loch Brora, eastern Sutherland, Scotland, on 19th 

 June 1909. One of these (A.U. 2052) was caught on 3rd September 1909, 

 in a duck-decoy at Westpolder, Llrurn, province of Groningen, north- 

 eastern Holland, as reported by Mr H. J. Louwes of that place. A second 

 member of the brood (A.U. 2050) was shot early in January 1911 on the river 

 Trent, about four miles above Gainsborough, where it forms the boundary 

 between the English counties of Lincoln and Nottingham ; it was reported 

 by Mr John Allison, Eetford. This emphasises the conclusion which we may 

 draw from Mr Mortensen's experiments with Teal, that a very high percentage 

 of " returns " of great interest may be looked for in the case of marked Duck. 



1 The numbers, sizes, and destinations of all rings sent out are carefully noted, and all 

 " returns " of marked birds are checked by these. 



