10 THEA UD UsBsO°Ne SB U DE Eee 
Cooperative Migration Study — Fall, 1959 
By JAMES H. ZIMMERMAN 
For THE FIFTH TIME we are calling upon all members of the Illinois Audu- 
bon Society to report observations of bird migration in the fall. We will 
send free standard report forms to anyone who keeps regular records of 
bird movements. It is necessary only to write in the arrival date of a given 
species, the dates and total counts of peak movements, and the date on which 
the species was last seen. 
Just as last year, we are seeking records of the 22 most common species, 
as listed on the tabular report form — Canada Goose, Mallard, Mourning 
Dove, Nighthawk, Catbird, Redwing, Grackle, Slate-colored Junco, and so 
on. Old records for prior years (1958-58), if not previously reported, are 
still welcome. If you can persuade other active birders that you know to 
send in their records, you will also be providing a service. The report forms 
will be sent to you or to other persons you designate. To obtain these forms, 
please write to Mr. Chandler S. Robbins, Fish and Wildlife Service, Patuxent 
Research Refuge, Laurel, Maryland. 
We are now receiving reports from 44 states and 5 Canadian provinces. 
Only a few records are coming in for Illinois. The completed reports should 
be sent to Mr. Robbins. Fulfillment of this project will enable us to inter- 
pret bird migration on a continental scale. Won’t you help? 
2114 Van Hise Avenue, Madison 5, Wisconsin 
ft ft Fl 
Bird Conservation in the Future 
CONSERVATION OF THE wholesome things which bird life contributes to human 
environment necessitates wise, long-range planning by ornithologists. The 
problems connected with planning for bird conservation are discussed in an 
article entitled, ‘The Ornithologist’s Responsibility to the Future,” by Dr. 
Thomas G. Scott, game specialist and head of the wildlife research section 
of the Illinois Natural History Survey, in the Feb. 10, 1959, issue of the 
Wilson Bulletin, pp. 385-398. It is designated as a contribution from the 
Wilson Ornithological Society Conservation Committee. 
Dr. Scott says that the well-being of birds will be most affected where 
rapidly increasing human population necessitates permanent changes in 
bird habitat. The problem resolves itself into whether more than 220 million 
people can live in the continental United States without causing a major 
adjustment in bird populations. Birds and people must eventually come to 
terms within the limitations of their environment. 
In speaking of the need for stepping up the acquisition of land to com- 
plete the national waterfowl refuge system, Dr. Scott points out: “Com- 
petition for land is becoming increasingly severe. Land prices and conflict 
of interest may reach a point where purchases of land for wildlife refuges 
will become prohibitive.” The author states that the most marked adjust- 
ments to bird populations will take place on lands used for agriculture, on 
which the great majority of birds live. 
“Cultivated fields undoubtedly support greater numbers of birds now than 
