Bird Banding Department 
113 
It was Mr. Baldwin, however, who really demonstrated the possibili- 
ties of the trapping method combined with banding, and one pregnant 
paragraph in his fascinating report® emphasizes the new field opened up 
“ While this report includes only the ‘ Returns ’ of birds taken from 
one year to another, it is evident that not less important, to a person 
v/ho operates traps at the same place all of a season, or all of a year, 
is the opportunity, by this method, of keeping in touch with the daily 
life of birds living in the vicinity; of knowing just when they come; 
just when young leave the nest; just how long they remain in the vicinity; 
and when they leave; and watching the exact movements of individual 
birds during migration. Indeed, the careful observer, in a fixed location, 
may obtain facts of greater scientific value on the daily records than 
fiom year to year.” 
The remaining history of bird-banding in this country is recent his- 
tory, and is still in the making. In 1920 the work of the American 
Bird Banding Association was taken over by the U. S. Bureau of Biolog- 
ical Survey, and the Association, after a life of intermittent activity ex- 
tending over a period of ten years, came to an end. While it did not 
accomplish all it might have, it nevertheless played its part as a pioneer 
in bringing to the attention of ornithologists, and to the public to a lim- 
ited extent, the value and possibilities of bird-banding; and it fostered 
the movement until the time was ripe for it to be taken over by an 
agency with facilities for its proper supeiwision and advancement. Those 
of us who have watched and helped in its growTh may congratulate our- 
selves that it is now in such good hands, particularly under the able and 
eiithusiastic guidance of Dr. Oberholser and Mr. Lincoln.® 
In closing, I cannot forego a word as to the future, which certainly 
holds out bright prospects for results from bird banding. A host of vol- 
unteer trappers and banders is taking up the work; local associations, 
such as the New England Bird Banding Association, are being formed; 
and results of the greatest value and interest are sure to accrue. I think 
it is safe to predict that these results will not only be of theoretical in- 
terest, but that much of practical importance will come out of them as 
well. The Biological Survey is already stressing the importance of the 
work in relation to the administration of the Migratory Bird Act, and many 
other practical applications are sure to follow. In general the results 
will be of two kinds; those relating to the larger migratory movements, 
and those pertainng to more local life-history studies. In the first of 
these a large series of banding stations, strategically located, is of the 
utmost importance; for the second, in order to obtain the highest type 
of results, it is necessary that much of this work be done by thoroughly 
trained experimenters. In both cases it is important that the stations 
have a greater permanency than can be assured on the basis of purely 
voluntary cooperation. I would in no way belittle the value of the 
seiwices of the independent individual observer; but I look forward to 
® Baldwin, B. Prentiss, Bird-banding by means of systematic trap- 
ping. Proc. Linn. Soc. N. Y., No. 31, 1919, pp. 23-56. 
for bird study. This paragraph is well worth quoting: 
® See Lincoln, P. C., Instructions for bird banding. U. 8. Bept. Agr., 
Cnc. 170, 1921; also Auk, Vol. XXXVIII, 1921, pp. 217-228. 
