BEHAVIOR OF TRAPPED AND BANDED BIRDS 
227 
with its very strong bill. Indeed it employed this weapon so 
effectively as almost to draw blood on the back of my hand. 
When forcibly induced to let go it made every effort to pinch and 
when once it grasped my finger or the fleshy part of the hand it 
could be made to release its hold only with difficulty. During 
the banding operation it struggled, keeping up at intervals its 
chirping. When released the bird flew away easily, alighting in 
a small bush near by. In a few seconds it left the premises. 
As might have been expected, a house wren (No. 47428) proved 
to be an irritable, nervous and extremely active bit of feathered 
energy. It made strenuous efforts to escape from the trap and 
when the observer approached it uttered low, sharp trills in a 
continuous series. While being banded it fought and struggled, 
at the same time uttering a weak trill. When the hand was 
opened for its release it remained quiet for a moment before 
departing. 
An almost fully fledged catbird about ready to leave the nest 
and banded July 30 (No. 51276). threw a perfect fit of rage and 
exhibited a decidedly pugnacious temper when attempt was made 
to band it. It squealed and fought more than any bird that I have 
yet handled for banding. All the strength, vitality and vivacity 
as well as the characteristic alarm notes of the adult were ex- 
hibited by this young bird, all of which of course aroused con- 
siderably the members of its immediate family as well as other 
birds of the vicinity. 
I can not here forego a word regarding the European house 
sparrow as illustrating its adaptability and the rapidity with which 
it adjusts itself to new situations, both of which qualities are 
accountable, I think, for the remarkable success of this species in 
America. 
When my traps were first placed and baited the sparrows 
approached cautiously, from time to time darting down for a 
peck at the food offered. In a few days they became bolder, 
even taking food partly covered by the first funnel. Two or 
three of the less discreet ones were caught. Familiarity has bred 
contempt; for a while an occasional sparrow was taken and one 
day eight of these scavengers found their way into the second 
compartment of the trap. However, I have not caught a single 
sparrow for several months although they eat more of the bait 
than all the native birds which visit the vicinity of the traps. 
The sparrows now walk nonchalantly under the first funnel and 
