114 
THE WILSON BULLETIN— June,. 1922 
the time when we shall have a series of permanent stations either under 
the direct supervision of the Bureau of Biological Survey, or perhaps 
better, connected with our Agricultural Experiment Stations, Agricul- 
tural Colleges, Universities, or other institutions of learning, and coop- 
erating with the Bureau. Such stations should have enough of a per- 
manent organization and staff to insure a continuous regular routine of 
trapping and banding of migrants, and they could in addition undertake 
the study of such local problems as seemed desirable. Such a system 
of definitely located stations would in a way be comparable with the dis- 
tribution of local weather bureaus and would serve a similar purpose, 
that is, they would form a network of outposts for the accumulation of 
records. If there were a station at each of the Agricultural Colleges and 
Universities, to say nothing of smaller colleges, in a great migration 
route like the Mississippi Valley, they could not fail in a number of 
years to accumulate information of the greatest significance in the study 
of migration. I may add that steps are being taken looking toward the 
foundation of a bird-banding station at the University of Wisconsin, and 
if this effort is successful it is to be hoped that this may be merely the 
first of a large number of similar stations. 
The great advances in scientific knowledge have for the most part 
followed the development of some new method of delving into Nature’s 
secrets. Bird-banding as a method of bird study is in its infancy and 
we may confidently look for significant results from its further appli- 
cation. 
FLAT TRAPS 
When the birds begin to sit on their eggs the trappers must be very 
careful or they will cause the loss of many sets of eggs by keeping the 
old birds awmy from the nest too long. This was the reason for making 
the flat or box shaped traps at Waukegan, 111. 
The spaiTow type trap is only used nights and mornings. When you 
arrive home just close the doors, put in fresh feed, and you are ready 
for the evening’s trapping; but be sure to make the rounds the last thing 
before dark to make sure that no birds are left in over night, as a cold 
rain or rats or owls may prove to be fatal before morning. 
After the morning’s trapping is over, open the doors of all the Gov- 
ernment sparrow type traps so the birds may go in to feed and get out 
again. They soon loose fear and eventually you will catch them, but the 
flat trap seems to be far better at such times, for the birds will go under 
to feed without the fear that they show in entering a small opening; then 
there are no doors to close as they are always ready, — just pull the string. 
If you fail to go home some evening then there is no worry about the 
birds that you are responsible for being locked in a cage, which spoils 
your evening or makes you hurry home to release them. 
The first ones were made with sides of four-inch boards one inch 
thick, but they were too heavy; then wire frames were made and covered 
with netting, but they were also heavy; finally, with aid of an expert 
metal worker, who is now making them for sale, a neat trap was made 
with folded seams and a smooth door, leaving no rough edges and sharp 
