Issued Quarterlyby the

Western Bird-Banding Association

The Editors ResignNew Members: A Bigger and Better W.B.B.A.Banded GullsPioneer OI~ithologist - Joseph MailliardResults from Wildlife Service Files of

Banded RobinsBand-tailed Pigeons Nest in ColorudoBandlng Activities with Birds of Prey

in 1944 and 1945Dea.d Owls and Mou.rning DovesNot How Many but How RareCalifornia Blue Grosbeaks at PomonaAnnual Report - 1945Banders Who Reported for the Year 1945Notes on Colorado BirdsBanders at the MissionNest ParasitesBand Records LostTraps Made Available

Co-editors of the ~Mary M. Erickson, Santa Barbare'J Calif.Frank M. Erickson, Santa Barbara, Calif.

President of W.E.B.A --- F. G. Crawford2782 Glen Avenue, Altadena, California

Address all contributions to the ~ toMrs. M. C. Sargent, P. O. Box 109,

La Jolla, California

At the request of P~esident F. G. Crawfo~d and with due modesty, theEditors give place to the following statement:

"At its January meeting, the councillo!'s of W.E.B.A. extended to me theprivilege of voicing their gratitude for the faithful and excellent editorial workthat Dr. Mary M. Erickson and Dean Frank M. Erickson have devoted to the ~ forthe past five years. It is certain that the entire membership of the Associationjoins the Council in this appreciution. We deeply regret that the co-editors findit necessary to conclude their editorial duties with this issue.

"That the News hus continued to grow in quality is solely due to theefforts of our co-editors. We huve repeatedly received compliments, from withinour Association as well as from ornithologists in the east,.on the Ericksons I work.We hope th~t, in some way, they have been Gna will be partiQlly repaid for theirefforts in our behalf.

The new editor, Mrs. M. C. Sargent, who demonstrated her superior abil-ity as editor of the ~ in the years 1936'to 1940, will begin official dutieswith the June issue. To her the present editors extend most cordial greetings andb~st wishes.

In the September issue of the ~, we printed afew.lipes from "AutumnEveningll, a poem by Robinson Jeffers. The lines were used with the kind permissionof the Editor of Random House, Inc., publishers of The Selected Poetry of RobinsonJeffers, from which the quoted lines were taken. Mr. Jeffers is a Californiapoet residing on the Mont~rey coast.

The Western Bird~Banding Association is in need of new members to in-crease its strength in coritinuingits efforts toward the purposes for which it wasfounded; namely, to promote bird study by the banding method, to draw the pirdbanders of western North America into a community of in terests, to previde a m~d~iurnfor the exchange of "ideas and information among the bird banders and otherinterested bird students.

Now that the w~r is over, it is hoped that many more people can gratifytheir interests in bird banding; that present banders will become more active; that

new people will become banders; that all banders and all bird students in the Westwho are interested in banding will reaiize that the advantages to be gained frommembership in and participation in W.B.B.A. activities far outweigh the nominalcost involved in becoming a member. (see back cover). We request that all mem-bers, as well as non-member benders lose no opportunity to promote banding activ-ities in the Vlest,to the mutual advantage of the banding program in general andW.B.B.A. in particular.

Your Council will welcome suggestions for 'improving our organizationfrom every member. Please address your suggestions to the Secretary, H~rold Mich-ener, 4l8~orth Hudson Avenue, Pasadena, 4, California. Please send new member-ships and remittances to 'the Business Manager, Mrs. N. Edward Ayer, 1,300 HillcrestDrive, Pomona, Californi&.

Now that I tun back at triyoldstamping ground, I am ag!dn collecting mat-erial and records on color-banded gulls.

'With gas rationing over, and, many a bird enthusiast out of uniform again,how about some trips to gull colonies this summer, to look for color-banded adults?

Write - Mrs. Marst~l C. Sargent,Box 109, La Jolla, California. '

The following item about Joseph Mailliard, long an active member ofW.B.B.A., will be of interest to all readers of the'News. It appeared in the Oak-land Tribune, December 2,3, 1945. -,

,"Joseph Mailliard, who later 'became an ornithologist of int.ernational re-putation was 10 years o~d When, with his parents, he left New Jersey in 1868, fora ranch in Marin County. Many Californians, in his later life, knew him as CurE-tor Emeritus of the Department of Birds and Mammals at the California Academy ofSciences. Dr. Robert'C. Miller, director of the &cademy, tells me that "JosephMailliard's continuing reputation in his field is assured by the 160 scientific pa-pers he published and the fiJ}eco+leetionshe and his brother, John Ward Mailliard,gave the California Academy of Sciences." ,Dr. Miller lists the collection as com-posed of some 10,000 bird skins, a larger number o'feggs, rmd several hundred birdnests; Joseph Mailliard assisted in the preparetion of the John Ward Mailliard Mem-orial Collection of Birds of 'the Buy region which may be seen in North AmericanHall, Golden Gate Park, a tribute to his brother whowes'for many years a trusteeof the e.cademy. "Joseph Mailliard began his bird collection as So boy, and later,when engaging in ranching actiVities, he trained his COWboys to observe and collectbirds. His hobby of bird collecting was an absorbing in' terest in his life. Hemade an expedition to Chile in 1902, giving his collection to the academy. Thiswas destroyed in the great fire of 1906. But Mr. Mailliarci's Alaskan collection

is still in the academy archives. He was curator of birds and mammals at theacademy from 1919 to 1926, when he was appointed curator emeritus."

During the past year, two articles have been published which should en-courage all banders:, those who band few as well as those who b and many, to contin-ue to band as many birds as possible and to add the records of those birds tothe files of the Fish and Wildlife Service. Both articles are based upon recordsof banded Robins sent to those files by banders in the region north of the Miss-ouri and Ohio Rivers and north of the southern boundaries of Pennsylvania and NewJersey; thus the studies are limited to the northern race. Turdus migratoriusmigra torius.

Both articles require careful study if one wishes to understand the de-tails that were developed in making the analyses and to appreciate the wealth ofcomparisons with the results obtainedby' other workers, mostly European, on thesubjects at hand. However, each article has a concise summary which gives the re-sults detailed in the main 'text.

For both articles the prime assumption is that a group of birds of aspecies which were banded as young and SUbsequently recovered constitute a normalsample of the entire population of the species. Various aspects which might makethe sample under consideration differ from the population as a whole and theirpossible influence on resulting conclusions if they should be effective are dis-cussed.

& Groups and Longevity .in ~ American Robin, by Donald S. Farner.(Wilson Bulletin, 57, March 1945 : 56 - 74). For this study records were avail-able of 855 Robins which were banded before their first November 1 - and reportedas returns or recoveries after their first November 1; thus the robin year isfrom November 1 to October .31, inclusive, and the high mortality between the timeof banding and the first November 1, which cannot be determined accurately frombanding data, is eliminated from consideration, except as it is discussed on ahypothetical basis. These records extend through the period 1920 ....1940. It isassumed the population is stable, 1oe., on each successive November 1 the totalnumber is approximately the same and the proportion of the total in the various'age groups is the same. On this basis, «l any November 1, the number of birdsfor which this 1s their first November 1 is equal to the nwnber of birds thathave died during the previous year and this number, expressed as a percentage ofthe total population, is the mortality rate for the whole population. Likewise,the number of birds for which this is not their first November 1, i.e., the sumof the second-year, third-year, etc. birds expressed .as a percentage of the totalpopulation, is the survival rate. The sum of these two rates equals 100%. Asurvival rate of about 47% and a mortality rate of about 5.3%, for this sample of855 birds, are found. This also could be stated by saying that the populo.tion,as of November 1, is 5.3% birds that have arrived at their first November 1 and47% older birds.

Some other results found are that the age-group composition of the RobinpopUlation is about as follows: 1st year birds, 5.3%, 2nd year 25%, 3rd year 14%,4th year 5%, 5th year 2%, 6th year 1%; that the age-group composition in thewintering-area population is similar to that in the breeding-area population, in-dicating ncdifferential mortality according to ages during spring migration; ..

that the average nat ural longevity is about 1.7 years, including a calculated .4year from hatching to the first November 1; that the turnover period, the time re-quired for the birds hatched in a single year to shrink in numbers to an insignif-icant portion of the population, is about six years; that the life expectancy fromthe first November 1 to the third November 1, and hence for about 90% of the popula-tion, i51.2 to 1.3 years, ,and within these limits is apparently independent of theage of the bird;, that life expectancy figures calculated from the number of birdsshot and from those killed by cats are similar to those for the total sample. "Deathin Robins. • • is appa~ently a matter of chance and largely independent of age oncethe birds have survived the critical fledgling period." (Note that the article con-siders that the fledgling period extends to the ftrst November 1.)

This article would have been more easily understood if ~ U16 age termsused had been listed and defined thus giving the reader a single place of ref6rencewhen he fails to keep in mind the precise meanings. It is suspected that such a listin front of the author, while working on the article, would have led to gre&ter clar-ity. The term "adultll is particularly troublesome and could better have been omittedbecause it is used throughout to indicate the birds that have passed their firstNovember 1, but is defined as those which have passed their second November 1. Thedefinition is incorrect for the purposes of this article. There are severalminor errors in the figures in the tables but they do not detrr.,ctfrom the value ofthe results except to add some confusion for the reader.

l'.h!. Return of Robins to their Birthplaces, by Donald S. Farner. (Bird-Banding, 16, July 1945: 81 - 99). For this s.rticle 428 records were available ofRobins which had been bllnded as young betweerl April 1 and September 1 &nd reportedas returns or recoveries during subsequent breedi.ng seasons. The major conclusionsthat there is a marked tendency for this race of Robins to return, as breeding birds,to their birthplaces is clearly shown on a diagram of concentric circles. It shows387 returns and recoveries within 25 miles of the center, the place of birth, 13between 25 and 50 miles, 10 between 50 and 100, 10 between 100 and 200, nnd 8 morethan 200 miles, 5 of which are considered to be doubtful breeding records. The25-mile-radius circle is solid black with its 387 records and the file data was notsufficiently precise to allow of accurate breakdown of this group. Those between25 and 200 miles are shown in distance and direction from their birthplaces.

The results of this analysis cannot be better stated thnn in Dr. Farner'ssummary; "There is a marked tendency among Robins, Turdus migratorius rnigratorius,to return, as breeding birds, to their birthplace or its immediate vicinity. Amongthe retrapped birds, 120 of 121 were taken at the station where they were banded,Although these data may exaggerate the tendency to return to the birthplace, theyShow definitely that there is no random dispersal among the first-year breedingbirds. The data from returns and recoveries other than those retrapped show thatthe absolute minimum estimate of bird~ whose breeding locatilies are within 25 milesof their birthplace is about 70 percent~ The actual rate is doubtless considerablyhigher, probably between 87 percent, the rate for non-trapped recoveries and returns,and 92peroent, the corrected rate for all recoveries and returns. It is obvioustherefore, that there is little interbreeding among Robins in different partw ofthe range of typical migratoriu8 although it may be sufficient to maintain t:l homo-geneous ~ace unless there are considerable variations in selective factors in var-ious parts of the range."

This last sentence, and the text paragraph which it summarizes, suggestintriguing possibilities in the development of races.

~ both articles, the author calls attention to several questions which

can be answered only by more data on banded Robins. Once there are enough recordsit will be extremely interesting to know what answers they will yield for the ques-tions mentioned, also for many other questions, such as the distribution of the pop-.-ulation in the various age groups throughout the year, and the accuracy of the pre-sent assumption that the records available for these two studies do constitute anormal sample of the Robin population. Many more Robins should be banded and itshould be emphasized that those banded as nestlings, fledglings and juveniles (seeHarold B. Wood, "Names of Age Groups of Young Birds", Bird-Banding, 17, January,1946: 27 - 33) are the ones that give really important dnta for these types ofstudies. Those banded as nesting adults are next in importance.

BAND-TAILED PIGEONS NEST IN COLORADOAll but seven of the birds banded du~ing the year were banded in/direct

connection with various research projects of this laboratory.My only banding of interest is that of two band-tailed pigeons. While

this species has long been known in Colorado, until 1945, no nest had ever been veri-fied by the taking of specimens or photographs though woodsmen had reported nests atvarious times. On August 22, 1945, I found the first nest (insofar as authenticatedrecords go) some fifty miles from Denver, end on August 31, R.J.Niedrach of the Col-orado Museum of Na turnl History, who ,ms photographing my nest, found another nearby.

The squabs from these two nests are the two Bnno-tailed pigeons reportedas banded, and as far as I know, these were the first bc~d-tails banded in Colorado.

A paper on the find and study of these nests authored by Niedrach and mewill appear in The Wilsen Bulletin early in 1946.

Johnson A. Neff,Wildlife Research Laboratory,546 Customhouse,Denver, 2, Colorudo.

Banding activities for 1944 were largely confined to birds of prey. WhileI was aiding my friend, Telford Work, with his efforts to obtain Kodachrome motionpictUres of the nesting birds of prey in california, I was able to band a few ofthe young birds. Most of the time was spent in the Mount Hamilton Range in SantaClara County. With the.aid of Al rlool, who has closely observed the predatorybirds of this region for many years, we were able to locate a considerable numberof nests, more than our rather meager banding reSults indicate. OUr banding re-cords show that we tagged the folloWing: Turkey Vulture, 3; Golden Eagle, 1;Red-tailed HaWk, 4; Sparrow Hawk, 11; Barn Owl, 4.

Banding in 1945 was about equally divided between birds of prey and waterbirds which were banded on several trips to some of the coastal islands. The preda-tor banding was again done largely in Santa Clara County. :F'ourCooper Hawks, 2 Red-tails, 3 Golden Eagles, 2 Sparrow Hawks, and 13 Barn Owls were banded in this area.at particular L~ terest were the Barn Owls. Three pair of these owl~ were nesting

at the same time in various parts of the Hoover Memorial War Library tower on thecampus of Stanford University. One nest was in the top dome within a few feet andfully exposed to the powerful dome light which burns every night. *

The most exciting banding adventure was along the picturesque and precip-I itous coast line of Monterey County where we finally discovered a Duck Hawk' So

eyrie. Unfortunately, only one young was raised in "this nest. Banding the youngbird while crouched on the narrow nest ledge 100 feet above the surf and hangingonto a rope at the same time was some fun!

Harold M. Hill,San Francisco, California

* Four or more owls were found dead at Stanford University, near the Univer-sity and Hoover Libraries. A janitor who examined them thought they died of starv-ation. They were young birds. Perhaps you have had a report from someone on thecampus.

Through the year, I saw only two or three mourning doves in this neigh-borhood. In previous years, I have seen as many as five pairs. However, the lastof December, we saw as many as 25 or 30 in a low part of Stanford University landused as a pasture, back of the University.

Mrs. H. H. Ward,937 Roble Ridge,Palo Alto, California.

We have not banded many birds this year, but have added fiv~ new speciesto our list, making a total of lOB species and sub-species banded. The new specieswere Brewer Sparrow, Western Wood Pewee, Black Brant, Red-tailed Ha.wk, and Slender-billed Nuthatch.

The Brewer Sparrow was our outstandi~g catch of tho year and will be re-ported in the Condor.

The Black Brant was found at Huntington Beach slightly wounded and wusreleased after its recovery. We are hoping that it might produce an interestingrecord.

C. V. ,and J. V • Duff,1922 Tamarind Avenue,~ollywood, 28, California.

I do not find any other references to the Black Brant in the files ofthe News. Grinnell and Miller say of them: "Winter visitant. • • still abundantlocally." They cite Pitelka (Condor, 43, 1941:29/+) Occa~5iona.lbirds in poor con-dition remain through SunIDleralong the seacoast. (Editor)

7. (Vol. 21 : 7, March, 1946)CALIFORNIA BLUE GROSBEAKS AT POMONA

Grinnell and Miller say or'the blue grosbeak -- "summer residents; ••••fairly common to common locally in int,erior and in southern California; rare in cen-tral coastal district." Yet in twenty years of'i'l.B.B.A.banding but 15 birds havebeen reported as banded, the lest of these in 1934 when 4 were banded in californiaand 1 on the "Colorado Desert." In 1936, their presence was reported on the "flatsback of Newport Beach", Ca.lifornia. (Editor's note.)

Among the many pleasurable aspects of bird-banding, not the least of themis the realization tha.t at any time one may find a new and interesting bird in thetrap. Such was my good fortune on May 18, 1945, when I found an entirely unfamil-iar bird in the Brenckle water trap. At first glance, I thought the bill resembledthat of a grosbeak, and as I removed the bird from the trap, a sharp and painfulnip from that same bill confirmed this opinion. I placed the bird in another trapfor consideration, and after consulting various authorities, identified the birdas a female California blue grosbeak.

The next day, I followed up an unfamiliar song from the eucalyptus treeon our front lawn, and it appeared to be coming from a female blue grosbeak. Itwas not-until later, after having read further on the subject, that I learned thatit sometimes requires four years for a male blue grosbeak to acquire full adultplumage. Later on in the day, I saw the pair, and saw that the song was beinggiven by the unhanded male.

Thcst.Jtwo bird.s were seen and hea.rd daily until May 26th, then I did notsee them again UIltil July 4th, when they became very active, and it was evidentthat they were n0stlng, for he sang daily from the top of the sage bushes whichcovered the hillside, while she was seen only occasiomdly. I tried to find thenest, but unfortunately did not succeed, although I went to the exact clump ofbushes to which she flew, and made Bn extended search there.

On July 15th, thref;:lyoung birds appeared in the eucalyptus tree, and thelittle family of five were seen daily, the male still singing constantly, until July25th. On that d.ay one young bird was trappod and banded, in the same trap in whichhis mother had been captured, but after that duy they disappeared, never to return.

It wa.s interesting that as time went on, the blue on the head of the malewas becoming much more apparent.

Of course, blue grosbeaks arc not uncommon birds in Southern Co.liforni£..,but apparently they arc seldom found far from water, preferring to nest in "lowthick vegetation in the vicinity of water," and as Hoffman says, "dwellers in .•••••foothill country rarely see it." The nearest water to us Puddingstone Luke, anartificial lo.keabout three miles from hel'e, so this pair evidently were the excep-tion to the rule.

I did look forwurd to the possibility of their returning this year, butunfortlwately, the hillside where they nested ha.s been burned over, and is being"improYed" for dwelling sites; improvements v:hich will not be appreciated, I sus-pect, by blue grosbeaks.

Mrs. N. Edward Ayer,1300 Hillcrest Drive,Pomona, California.

Eared GrebeBrandt's CormorantGreat Blue HeronBrewster's EgretAnthony Green HeronCanada GooseBlack BrantWhite-fronted GooseMallardGadwallBaldpateAmerican PintailGreen-winged TealBlue-winged TealShovellerRedheadCanvas-backLesser ScaupMile-headRuddy DuckCalifornia CondorWhite-tailed KiteSharp-shinrled HawkCooper's HawkRed-tailed HawkSwainson' s HawkGolden EagleDuck HawkSparrow HawkCalifornia QuailGambel QuailFlorida GallinuleCootBlack Qyster-CatcherKilldeerWilson SnipeLong-billed CurlewSpotted SandpiperWestern WilletLesser Yellow-legsBaird's sandpiperLeast SandpiperMarbled GodwitAvo~etWestc-rn Gullnr.lifo:-:-ninGullRing-billed GullSho~t-~illed GullCommon Tern

ANNUAL REPORT 1945I

35I'

1015613

6011

47527719779965

428122

182

393I,6!

~Iil5!215'114

78586 5

45 122 2

16 10251 23~ I 2 I

Ii 1 I59? I 599 I27~! 273 I500 126 : I2'8!-Ll_

278

97526

3359

5

62269

90188

28428

63132

39315

Caspian Tern 1 1California Murre 1 1P1geonC~illemot 2 2Cassin's Auklet 1 1 ,Band-tailed Pigeon .3 1 2 IWestern Mourning Dove 90 9 61 18 2Chinese Spotted Dove 24 24Ringed Turtle Dove 22 22Vfuite-winged Dove 8 8Mexicun Ground Dove 4 4 IInca. Dove 126 126

I'Barn Owl 16 16Screech Owl 6 6Horned Owl ~ 2Kingfisher 5 5Red~shnfted Flicker

I9 9

Gila Woodpecker 8 8 ,,Red-headed Woodpecker 1 1Downey Woodpecker I 1 1 IWhite-headed Woodpecker 1 1 I IArkansas Kingbird I 7 7Cassin's Kingbird I 1 11

Ash-throated Flycatcher 1 1Black Phoebe

l~ I 10 6Traill's Flycatcher .3Western Flycatcher 16 16Western Wood Pewee 1 1Violet-green Swallo~ 2 2Tree Swallow 4 4Steller's Jay 11 5 .3 3California Ja.y 69 67 2Black-billed Magpie 1 1Raven 5 5 .

Black-capped Chickadee 10 10Mountain Chickadee 41 41Plain Titmouse 28 28Bush-tit 17 , 17White-breasted Nuthatch 6 6Red-breasted Nuthatch 5 4 1Wren-tit 38 .38Western House Wren 18 17 1Bewick Wren 19 19Cactus Wren 8 8'Mockingbird 169 165 4Catbird :2 2Brown Thrasher .3 .3Bendire Thrasher -. 7 7Curve-billed Thrasher 16 16

I,

I I I:

I I,: ~l ,'M 0' II:: ~ I ~j f.ol •.s.. r:J b.O :IS

;.j. ,{J) 0 I:: d' "l § 1::. I:: +' ror'-I <H 0 r.. I d -M I 'M r..'"Cl ~~ti 'M t'l o I r.., w -'= {;51 a co u [11

.p r'-I 'M r'-I ..01 Q) cd 0 ~g ,j

0 ro ,.. o Q)i ,.. +> ,oj I ~ ~E-! u « o :z: 0 :::> ::= :>I

California Thrasher 50 50 IRobin 126 61 38 11 1 9 6Varied Thrush 15 I 15Hermit Thrush 62 62

I 11Russet-backed Thrush 21 20 I

I I IWestern (Mexican) Bluebird 4 4 I II I

Townsend Solitaire 1 1 I II I

Ruqy-crowned Kinglet 16 16I I j

American Pipit 39 39 . ICedar Waxwing , 486 486 I I

I I

Phainopepla 2 2 II I i

I ILoggerhead Shrike 3 2 1 I ,I flfutton's Vireo 3 3 j I ICassin '·sVireo 1 1

II IWestern Warbling Vireo 5 5 IOrange-crowned Warbler 35 29 6, ICalaveras Warbler 3 3 I I I

Yellow Warbler 3 3 I I,IMyrtle vvarbler I 2 2 j I !

Audubon Warbler I 130 I 119 11 I IBlack-throated Gray Warbler I 61 6 I ITolmie Warbler 81 7 11 ! I I I

Yellow Throat 61 6 I j I I I,I i

ILong-tailed Chat 21 2· IPileolated Warbler 39 39. I IWestern Meadowlark 1 11 ! IRed-winged Blackbird 1 1 IArizona Hooded oriole 31 30 1 I ! IBullock·s Oriole 13 10 3 I I

IBrewer Blackbird 25 22 .3 I

Common Cowbird 5 4 11 I IWestern Tanager 21 21 I ICardinal 19 19

1

! IIBlack-headed Grosbeak 85 82 1 2 I

Blue Grosbeak 2 2 I ILazuli Bunting 14 13 I 1California Purple Finch 152 130 I I 22House l;'1nch 1,163 1047 115

11

IGray-crowned Rosy Finch 2 2 ,

I,

Black Rosy Finch .3 3 !Common Goldfinch 404 404 I IGreen-backed Goldfinch 157 157 I t I

! ILawrence Goldfinch .3 3 • !; IGreen-tailed Towhee 1 1 I

Spotted Towhee 177 171 1 I 5Brown Towhee 246 246Abert Towhee 71 71Savannah Sparrow 53 21 I I 32Lark Sparrow 24 24 I II ! I I

cti g..-l~ 0 ., to ..J.- III rlj ~ tu) cti

tI) 0 ~ ro tI) g ~ ~ ~ I.'d a:I....• ~ 0 J.- a:I ,"" ."" J.-rlj ~cti ..-l t>3 0 ,.. tu)

~ 't3 a Q.l ro ll)

~ ....• ..-l ....• .0 Q.l 0 .o§ ro0 lIS ~ 0 Q.l ,.. ~ ~ ~ ~o ~E-4 U U :z; 0 :::>

Rufous-crowned Sparrow 2 2Slate-colored Junco 4 1 3Oregon Junco, 368 152 3 73 137 3Pink-sided Junco 42 42-Gray-headed Junco 75 75Chipping Sparrow 42- 30 8 2 2Brewer's Sparrow 1 1Ha.rris Sparrow 1 1White-crowned Sparrow 913 683 198 3 7 15 7Golden-crowned Sparrow 382 378 2 2Fox Sparrow 42 25 17Song Sparrow 259 244 10 5Lincoln Sparrow 34 32 2

-Totals 11,344 6583 770 688 9 218 132] 3i 33 165.3 66

-

. . . . . ......SUMMARY BY STATES

Birds Banders· Species

Alaska 6i:J 1 10Alberta 1653 1 23Arizona 770 2 29California 658.3 21 107Colorado 688 2 27Nebraska 9 1* 5Oregon 218 2 12utah 1.321 2 12Washington .3 1 1Wyoming 33 -1. J11.344 .33 158

633*** ..it. 6211977 37 164**

* Duplicate.** Duplicates omitted.*** Four reports were received after the tabulation by species

had been completed and put in shape for the "printer". Thefour reports, however, are included in the totals.

Six species, which are not included in the original list, appear in thesefour reports. They are: Wandering Tattler, Marsh Hawk, Chestnut-backed Chickadee,Hoary Redpoll, White-throated Sparrow, Snow Bunting.

(Vol. 21 : 12, March 1946) 12.BANDERS WHO REPORTED FOR THE YEAR 1945

With Addresses and Individual ScoresIf no state is given in the address, California is understood. The fig-

ures in the first column give the number of birds banded; in the second column, thenumber of species.

Allen , Walter I.Ayer~ Mrs. N. Edward

(Baumann, Fr. Severin, O.F •M.(Glaas, Fr.Norman, O.F.M.Crawford, Franklin G.Dixon, Ralph E.Duff, C. V. and J. V.Erickson, F. M. and H. S.F..'rickson,Mary M.Graham, HatchHenderson, Mrs. R. N.Hill, Dr. Harold M.Kinsey, Eric C.Linsdale, Jean M.Mack, W. E.McMurry, Frank B.Michener, Harold & JosephinePeterson, James G.Rich, Charles SelwynRogers, Ir1Stoner, Emerson A.Thompson, Charles G.Van Huizen, Peter J.Ward, Mrs. H. H. and W. V.

and W. P.Birchett, Mrs. Jos. T.Stannard, CarlosGuild, Captain E. R.Neff, Johnson A.McNab, James ArthurRichardson, CarlBear' River Migratory Bird

RefugeBehle, William H.

1751 Pepper Drive1300 Hillcrest DriveOld Mission2782 Glen AvenueStar Route #3571922 Tamarind Avenue165 Foothill Road

.165 Foothill Road10300 VirettaLane392,2 Broadway3625 Jackson StreetP. O.Box 76Jamesburg RouteRoute 2, Box 172P. O. Box 1032418 N. Hudson AvenueRoute 1, Box 197114 Champion Place402 Alturas Avenue149 East L Street587 ArlingtonSacramento Wildlife

Refuge

202 E. 7th StreetRoute 7, Box 1178Box 548546 Customhouse

P. O. Box 603University of utah600 Weatherly Bldg.1607 Chestnut st.

AltadenaPomonaSanta BarbaraAltadenaEscondidoHollywood 28Santa Barbarasanta BarbaraLos Angeles 24SacrsmentoSan l'ranciscoManorMontereyHealdsburgYuma, Arb. *PasadenaSan JoseAlh£,mbra.ModestoBeneciaBerkeley 7

Tempe, ArizonaPhoenix, Ariz.

246916

1329417

1270

1335840

45333445856718

1057336

1801356

68171

7

406364

Glenwood Springs 243Denver, Colo. 454McMinnville, Ore. 4Trail, Oregon 214

Brigham, Utah 816Salt Lake City 505

Rand'•.ll; Thomas E. Dickson,Alberta 1653 23Salt, W. Ray Mt. Royal Co11bge Culg~ry,Alberta. 9 4

* Banding in California ** BP~ding in Washington

Kyllingstad, Henry C.Williams, Ralph B.

Mt. VillageBox 2354

Alaska 159Juneau, Alaska 66

A glance through the notebook: "The Red-breasted Nuthatch, the tiniestbird I ever held - except for "Gadget" the hummingbird. Sparrow Hawkstruck one. ofthe traps with a Junco in it; he must be a renegade. Mamaand Papa Bu~lpck's Orioleare 061. ting suet on the apple tree; Mamaseldom cameback after being banded, butPapa did not let it in terfere with his gastronomic pleasure; he will burst if hekeeps it up."

"It rained wormsfrom a Robin's nest in the big Lombardypoplar; thatbrood has sloppy table manners. AnOlive-backed Thrust sang all evening along theRoaring ~"ork. The apple tree was filled with gray mice this morning ("mice" areLead-colored Bushtits). TwoMagpies were on Country Boy (horse), one pecking atsomething on his rump, the other fixing his front hoof; Country Boy seemed to likeit, lifting his hoof in a. co-operative way."

"My pardner (wife) banded a Harris' Sparrow while I was away--rare in Col-orado, especially the Western slope. In Western Kansas and Eastern Colorado alongU. S. 40, December17, I drove thrOUghn veritable cloud of Horned Larks for over ahundred miles. They averaged 100 per mile, sometimes in flocks of 300 or morethat makes 10,000 Horned Larks feeding along a. lOO-mile stretch of road."

This is the last report that Fr. Normanand I will send you from the OldMission. I have been transferred to. the Seminary, as a professor. ~ new dutiestake up my time most completely so that I have very little time to devote to birdbanding. I hope to be able to band a few birds. However, if the past six monthsis any indication, it looks as if I will band less than even a few.

Fl'. Normanhas also been transferred from the Mission to Oakland where hewill have little time and no opportunity to band birds. So the prospects for ourbanding station at Santa Barbara are very poor.

I have little news to report that maybe of in t erest to other banders.Fromthe records, I see that Fr. Normancaught three savannah Sparrows which is abit unusual. During myfour year sta.y at. the Mission, I never saw s. single sav-annah Sparrow and I kePimyeyes open for every different species. Another bird thatI never saw at the Mission, and which Fr. Normancaught is the Green-tailed Towhee.I was familiar with this bird at San Luis P~y, and I h&venot seen it since.

,Dr. Carlton M. Herman, Bureau of Game Conservation, Division of Fish and

Ge~e, strawberry Canyon, University of California, Berkeley 4, California is inter-ested in the par~sites thutoccur in birds' nests in California. He would like tohave nests sent to him in tight containers, from which the parasites cannot escape,as soon after the young have left the nest as possible and preferably not over sixweeks after til&t time. The bird that occupied the nest must be identified for thenest to be of <lIlY value. Particulars as to collector's name, species, location(both nca.r(~stto\m and height above ground, whether in tree or on wilding, endsi.milar pertinent data), etc. should be enclosed with each nest.

V~o has or hus used these bands? Apparently they were issued to someono,from the Emergency &upply, previous to the inventory of September, 1942, and werenot entered in the records. A. bird has been trapped wearing one of these bands.Ba.nder plea.se notify Mr. Httrold Michener, Custodian of the :E1nergencySupply of Bands,418 North Hudson Avenue, Pasc.denr,4, C£.lifornia.

Mr. Irl Rogers, 402 Alturus Avenue, Modesto, California, has agreed tomake and distribute l!for the geod ot' the orderlt the traps listed on the back cover.These traps are mnde o.t' 1/2" mesh hardware cloth. Many blUlders are already fam-iliar with them. Mr. Rogers designed both of these traps and he takes the pride ofan originatGr in making sure that each trap is in perfect working condition beforeit is shipped. Orders should be sent directly to Mr. Rogers, with remittances pay-able to him, and they should show the serial number of the Federal Bird-Banding Per-mit of the person sending the order, or a.statement of that person's right to trapbirds, in order to avoid any delay while Mr. Rogers checks this point.

In undertaking to supply these traps, Mr. Rogers is truly doing a greatservice "for the good of the order", as he states it. At the prices he has set,there is for him nothing remotely resembling an adequate wage or personal profit,and to balance his books, he Vlill have to cha.rgemost of his time to his "love ofthe cause" account.

NEWS FROM THE BIRD BANDERSWestern Bird-Banding Ass'n

Mailed from418 North Hudson Avenue,Pasadena (4), California

Send orders and remittances to Mr. Irl Rogers, 402 Alturas Avenue, Modesto,California. Show on order Federal Bird-Banding permit number or a statement of:4right to use traps, to avoid possible delay in checking this point. //

f:6J3.TRAPS PRICES (:1 ! p)

Non-Members Member.s of W.B.B.A.Rogers 2-V-Cell, 7~" x 7~" x 71", Door 511 wide. $3.00 $2.50Improved Modesto Funnel, 2411 x 24" X 8" 4.50 4.00

These traps are made of i" mesh hardware cloth. Many banders are a.lreadyfamilia.r with them. Improved entrnnce funnels of Modesto traps make it more diffi-cult for even the smart birds to find their way out. See Page 14.

For EMERGENCY SUPPLY OF BANDS andinformntion in regard to banded birds found, address

Mr. Harold Michener, 418 No. Hudson Avenue, Pasadena 4, California

For MEMBERSHIP AND DUES, addressMrs. N. Edward Ayer, Business Manager, 1300 Hillcrest Drive, Pomona, California

W.B.B.A. and CooperOrnithological Club

;

Associate • • • • • • •Active ••• • •Sustaining • • • • • • •Life (Total, not yearly).

• • • • • $1.00• • • • •• 1.00

. . .. 5.00• ••• 50.00

3.503.507.50

125.00

Members outside the United States, add twenty-five cents to the firstthree items of the last column for additional postage on The Condor.

If C.O.C. dues of $3.00 have been paid direct, remit difference to W.B.B.A.Members are urged to suhs.;n-ibeto the quarterly journc:.lBird-Banding pub-

lished by the"Northeastern, Eastern and Inla.'1dBird-Bal1di.ngAssociations. Thisarmual subscription, normally $2.50, can be h~d 'qy wembers for $2.00 in addition toallY of the E'bDV8 stated dues. Pleas€; order directly from Charles B. Floyd,TCf-~St'l'er,;:'10 South Streot, Boston, Massachusetts.

Issued Quarterlyby the

Western Bird-Banding Association

Editor of the ~Grace Sargent, La Jolla, California

President of W.B.B.A. --- F. G. Crawford2782 Glen Aven~e, Altadena, Cal~fornia

Address all contributions to the ~ toMrs. M. C. Sargent, P. O. Box 109,

La Jolla, California

Looking out my window, I see red hibiscus, green lawns, and the blue Paci-fic. The familiar melodies of mockers ring in my ears. My daughter Jean Anne ishappily in kindergarten. The exacting pressure of the war years in "'ashington, D.C.seem far behind. The world seems at peace.

But the radio and tho newspapers say differently, and my weekly lettersfrom my husband (Lt. Commander USNR) addressed from Bikini Atoll are urgent testi-mony that the days when scientists lived in an ivory tower are past. Now will,y-nilly, we are all a.pa.rt of the dramatic and dangerous era of the present. A worldthat wants to unite but doesn It quite know how •••

Even we bird banders can no longer scatter. stale bread at traps or feed-ing stations with a clear conscience. The faces of hungry children in other landsrise to haunt us. But fortunately, 8.S in our own diet, plenty of substitutes inother grains and fruits are available.

This new book is se.id to be the first book in English on the birds of thewide, island dotted area between Fiji, New Caledonia, and Micronesia. I sent a copyto my husband at Bikini, but haven't seen the book myself. Anyone feel competent toreview it?

Looking over the issues of the News for the pIlst five years, I realizeagain what a good job Dean Frank M. Erickson and Dr. Mary M. Erickson have done forus. nord from Mr. Cra.wford tells that Dean Erickson has offered to mail the formsand compile the Annual Reportsf or the \'t. B.B.A. This is a large and exacting joball by itself and the new editor is duly grateful. He hope also that the Ericksonswill contribute frequently to the ~ in the future, and are glad for Dean Erick-son's article in this issue.

In a 20 acre area are situated several ponds of an average dimension of75 by 150 yards. The ponds are separated by low levees 10 to 25 feet wide, andin their seusens, a variety of shorebirds feed on these ponds. In the fall nndwinter are Least Sandpipers, the most nUlneroue. Killdeer, ~ilson Snipe, SpottedSandpipers, and in the spring l"estern Sandpipers. These are the birds most e13.silytrapped. Other birds present in varJing number.s and seasons are stilts, Avocets,Yellowlegs, Phalaropes, Coots and Puddle Ducks, not susceptible to trapping as Ido it. Other water loving birds trapped are Pipits, Savanna Sparrows, Lincoln

When the rainfall t.otalsup to four inches, usually about the middle ofDecember, these birds scatter to fields and lowlands and, until the surfa.ce freezes--rare--or dries out, the season is over.

The traps used are each one foot high, two feet wide and three feet long.In one corner is an L shaped compartment, or funnel, the entrance to which is sixinches wide and the height of the trap. The insideleg of the L, which also is about six inches wideand the height of thl'!trap and oval in shape, isclosed at the end except for an opening 2i incheswide and 4 inches high through which the birds passinto the trap. A 2 x 4 foot site is leveled off onthe levee on pond shore at the water's edge and thetrap is set so that the funnel is just above the wa-ter level but in mud thfit is of a.consistency forprobing for food. There is no baiting. A wing is ~__ _, .extended into water too deep for wading. A piece o--f~--------W8--t-e-r-----hardware cloth 8 inches wide and 3 or 4 feet long issufficient here. A similar wing on the shore side,6 or 8 foet long, discourages them from walking a-round tha.t side. Comparatively few Vlil1 fly over.. These wings are set at a 25 de-gree angle if terrain permits.

When a pond is drained u different arrangoment is required. As the watergoes down small islands are scattered about and these make sites for the traps, whichare set, if possible, fad.ng each other in a z:l gza.g line with the wings connectingthe traps in a series of Vs, the wings of one trap ex.tending to the two traps facingit left and right, and so on. As the water recedes further, these islands becomedry land and useless. A good motto is "Never in the water, always in the mud." Itis desirable to tip the trap so the rear end of it will be dry enough that the birdswill not become bedraggled.

For reasons of their own, Sandpipers will find spots where they prefer toprobe for food, whether it is in a muddy flat or along a shoreline, and when you h8v~set the trap in his path the bird will work up to the wing and on to the trap. To ttSandpiper, an obstacle is just an obstacle to be gone through Qr around, and this oneis easier to go through than around.

Drop door traps are inefficient for Least and Western Sandpipers. They willstep over a single wire treadle, wandering in and out of a multiple cell trap withoutever dropping a door. Wilson Snipe, Killdeer and Pipits are inclined to be territor···ial, hence will attack a trapped bird of their own species, making a drop door trapas good as any for them. Str~ight wire traps should. be avoided for all shore birds.Their long narrow wings are easily entangled and broken in these traps. All my trapsare made of hardware cloth.

Returns are erratic. Some may come back the next year and others skip ayear or two. In past years it has been possible to take 50 to 75 per cent of a flockin a day and two or three days of intensive trapping would give a large number ofrepeats and a close check on returns. But in 1945, a pond had been allowed to dryup and then flood e.gain without cleaning, and at the beginning of the banding season,more than half of it was covered b,y a flo~ting mass dense enough to sustain theweight of a Sandpiper, Or' Wilson Snipe, or even a tra.p, but not an operator. Thissrot proved very attractive to the birds, a~d though the daily catch was little lessthan average, the flock w(.<.slarger than usual, und the daily percentage was low, cut--ting down on repeats and IDaking returns later in showing up.

Least Sandpipers come in as early as late August and leave generally afterthe first heavy rains, while Western Sandpipers arrive about April 25 and ar~ goneby about May 10. In the fall of 1941, a small flock of Westerns came in ahead of theLeasts and for a few days, I was taking both species. It is not uncommon but alwayssurprising to have a peep stick up a black leg to be banded in the fall, or a yellowone in the spring.

Pipits and Wilson Snipe are at my station from october until April. A dryweather population of 30 to 40 will dwindle to 3 or 4 after a rain storm.

Spotted Sandpipers are at this station from late summer until late spring.Killdeer, of course, are here the year round and nest allover tho place.In checking my report to the W.B.B.A. against the consolidated report as

published in the News, I find that I band almost all that are reported of five ofthe species mentioned above, and that shouldn't be so. Coastal mud flats have thou-sands to my hundreds of these birds and there must be some place where they are get-

.at-able; and inland every puddle has its birds - and therE: are puddles all about.

Ret. &Recv.

7837

171...l.2.

ll9

S ecies TotalLeast Sandpipers 2,102Western Sandpipers 1,363Spotted Sandpipers 7 28Wilson Snipe 1 5 56 213Killdeer 5 3 30 112Pipits - - -1. ..1l - 129

90 75 352 756 150 4,041

559

40"

Wilson Snipe- - - -Returns - - - -'39 '40 '41 '43 '45

2* 2 3 11* 2 1

11" 2

Year Bdd.1937 841938 671939 3811940 4501941 4581943 632

Least Sandpipers- - - - Returns - - - - - -'32 '40 '41 '42 '43 '4512*1" 6

Year Bdd.1939 511940 631941 371943 56

Spotted Sandpipers1939 5 1 11940 6 11941 61942 41943 7 2* Recoveries" Banded in January, retaken in fall of same year.

5

Pipits1 1939 64 1* 2 21 1940 11

1941 20 41943 31 3" 1

Western Sandpipers -- Of 530 banded in 1940, one returned in 1941, one in 1942; of256 banded in 1941, one returned in 1942.Of 112 banded there has been one return. Banded in 1939, itwas retaken in 1943.

11."1 Rogers402 Alturas AvenueModesto, California

(Vol. 21 : 18, june, 1946) 18.PACIFICGtJItLCOLOR- BANDINQPROJECT1946 - 1946

Tile war years were difficult ones for the Gull Project. The summerof 1942,Dr. Tanner' at utah Lake, and Dr. Woodburyand Dr. Sugden at Egg Island, Great SaltLake were able to continue their intensive banding studies of the California gull asplanned. But the abrupt departure. of the Chairmanfrom La Jolla the fall of 1942,and wartime restrictions on both colored and aluminumbands, halted all banding in194.3.

The summerof 194.3, the chairman, now in Arlington, Virginia was able toget out a little publicity on the Project, and to check on records at the U. S. Fishand Wildlife banding files at Patuxent, Maryland.

In 1944, Dr. Tanner banded a few gulls at utah Lake. Dr. Woodburyand Dr.Behle shifted banding operations to Farmington Bay in 1944, and continued bundingthere in 1945 and 1946.' '

Nestling Western gulls were also banded on four small islands off the cen-tral coast of California in 1944 and 1945. Tilis is an area in which the chairman hadlong wanted Westerns banded, as a link in the banding chain between the N. CoronadoIsland, Mexico colony (off San Di'ego) and the lWystack Rock and Three Arch Island,Oregon colonies of Mr. Reed Ferris. Dr. Harold M. Hill and Telford Workdid thisbanding, and Dr. Hill hopes to band in July '46 for the second year at the ,:FaraUo.nIslands. Dr. Hill is nowLieutenant (jg) at the U. S. Naval Hospital, Oakland 14,California.

On February 9, 1946, five days before ret.urning to California, the chair-manmade a second -visit to the Patuxent, Maryland Refuge. (On e, slippery, sleetyday, with a lively five year old daughter for,comp:1ny). Thanks are due to Mr. Lin-coln, for permission to study the files, and to his assistants, MayThatcher Cookeand her co-worker, for their courtesy and aid L~ checking the gull records.

The original 7 nesting colonies marked in 1938 have been increased to 15(not counting Santa Cruz Island). Total nestling gulls color banded 1942-1945 were2,482. In addit-ion 520 were aluminumbanded only. The 1,000 California nestlingsaluminumbanded in 1946 at Fa:rmingtonBay, Utah, brings this to 1,520.

F~r the years 19.38-1945, the number of nestling gulls of three speciesmarked with two color and one aluminumband stands at 14,11.3. In addition (in-cluding 1,000 Californias in 1946) 2,168 nestlings were markedwith aluminumbandsonly. This makes the overall total of nestling gulls bl:nded 16,281.

Dr. Tanner, of BrighamYoungUniversity, P~ovo, Utah, writes: "OnJune27, 1942, we banded California Gulls for the third year. Our banding was not quiteas extensive as the .twoprevious years since we onl.v captured and placed bands on.300 gulls. On the right leg, we placed yellow ~~ds above the survey bands, whileon the left leg, we placed a red band. In 194.3, we did not band any gulls, but onJuly 8, 1944, we Vlereable to visit the island and place aluminumbands on 16 younggulls. Weplaced the aluminumbunds 1/'fitha red color band on the right leg, and onthe left leg, we placed a yellow band.

"In 1945 and again this year, Rock Island used by the gulls, was almostcompletely inundated because of the high water of the lake. This year the gullshave chosen a new nesting area m;lar the lake - that of a dyke in the cooling reser·,,·voir at the Geneva Steel Plant. I am enclosing a picture of the qyke and the guJ.lsnesting there. I have been in the colony of gulls once this spring and found themto be rather tame. I was able to observe the color bands on manyof the specimens.

In fact, I found color bands on twenty-three of the birds • • Further observationson these gulls may throw additional infermation Qn the time and location of the band-ing. We are. going to keep II. close watch on-them." (See footnote, Page 24)Egg Island, Great Salt Lake 1942 - Dr. A. M. Woodbury

Dr. Woodbury and Dr. J. W. Sugden of the University of Utah, Salt LakeCity, banded 1,500 nestling California gulls on June 6, 1942 with red on right leg,yellow over aluminum on left leg.

An article on results of the Egg Island banding, by Drs. Woodbury, Behle'and Sugden, is now in press for the University of Utah Biological Series.

As Dr. William H. Behle wrote in the September 1945 News, this artificiallyformed area about 20 miles southeast of Egg Island had become a popular nesting placefor the California gulls, and since it was much more accessible than Egg Island, bf!Ild·-ing operations were continued here. on June 9, 1944, 283 nestlings were color-bandedaluminum on right leg, red over yellow on left. In addition, 17 birds were bandedwith aluminum only.

On June 16, 1945, 100 nestlings were color~banded yellow on right leg,aluminum over red on left. In addition, 400 nestlings were banded with aluminumonly.

For the 1946 banding, Mr. Lincoln ha.d thought he would be able to obtaincolored bands, but was unable to do so in time. Dr. Behle reports 1,000 young gullsbanded with aluminum only on June 1, 1946.Point Lobos, California - 1944 - Harold M. Hill and Telford Work

In two trips to Point Lobos June 18 and July 2, 1944, Dr. Hill and Mr. Workcolor banded 92 nestling Western gulls with the combination blue over aluminum overwhite on right leg. In addition, 21 nestlings were aluminum banded only. Becauseof state park regulations, no further banding could be done here.Santa Cruz Island. California - 1945 - Hill and Work

On June 19, 1945, 6 nestlings Westerns were banded with aluminum only here.The nest rocks were being used as a bomb target b,y the air force, so no further bend-ing was possible.

On July 15, 1945, 17 nestling Western gulls were color-banded with blackover aluminum on right leg, black band on left leg.

Special Federal permits were necessary to band here. On June 25, 1945,174 nestling Western gulls were color-banded white over green on right leg, aluminurnion left leg. In addition, 82 nestlings were alQ~inum banded only.

Dr. Hill hoped to band here in JUly, 1946 also, and Mr. Lincoln thought necould furnish colored bands.

Dr. Hill reports that most of the gulls banded were in an area apart fromthe nesting murres and cormorants, so that the latter species were not disturbed.

Beautiful kodochrome movies of the banding were obtained at each of theislands visited.

A s the records come in - on both young and adult gulls - our picture ofthe movement of the birds is filling out. The chairman now has a complete card cat-alogue by number of all survey records received on the project. Sight records aretabulated chronologically. Large scale maps are in preparation for charting of therecords.

CONTINUE TO WATCH FOR BANDED GULLS. REPORT TO - Mr. M. C. SargentChairman, Pacific Gull

ProjectBox 109,La Jolla, California

It was by mere chance that "Florida Gal" and I met. She is a rare bird inthese parts, althOUgh her country cousins, the Mud Hens, are very plentiful. "FloridaGal", as we named her, is short for Florida Gallinule, which means Little Hen. Icame by her through a real estate man who is also interested in birds and who knewthat I kept a bird hospital. She had been carried or lost on her way from the river,which was not far away. She did not appear to be ill, but was very tired and verylight in weight.

I kept her in a large 6 x 6 x 6 foot wire cage that I use as a water trapin my bird banding. I had to hand feed her and she was a very dainty eater. Herthroat was long and slender, so she was able to take only the smallest of morsels.I fed her pellets of hamburger, sometimes mixed with a few Millet seeds; I did thisabout every hour. At first, she would claw me with her long sharp clalls, but shesoon learned not to bite the hand that fed her.

She became the most docile of birdsjshe was very shy ~J nature and habits;in the cage, she was alvTa.ystrying to hide from me behind any little bit e.fweedsor grass that she could find. .I finally took a wide board and made a lean-tc againstthe wall of the cage and she used this &5 her retreat and was perfectly happy there.She was strictly a wading bird; we would put her in our fish pool, and she would wad"upon the lily pads but would eventually hide among the reeds and iris. She used h~Jrneedlelike claws to climb up banks and over debris.

She stood about ten or twelve inches tall and walked like a turkey. Shehad a mediurrtlong neck and a VCIJ' &lort rotmd tail. Her feet were like n chicken's,but her legs were more slender and graceful. The feet have a long slender claw,which is very sharp on each toe, and these seem to be her only means of defense, andhow she could use them! She is a bird of beautifu.l color contrasts and gradation ofcolor. Her back was a ve~J dark greenish brown; her wings were black outlined onthe edge with white; underneath the wings wel'e a fev.'black and white streaked feather:::,somewhat like the feathers under the Gambel Quails wing; these feathers were usuallyconcealed. Her head, neck and breast were black.

The most unusual and striking, as well as interestir.g thing about her, wrsthe very brilliant red bill which exter.ded.back and up to form a high shieldlikefrontal piece or high forehead, all of which was of the sl1.mebrilliant color and.t.hesame bonelike texture of the bill; this bill and forehead piece were one.

Her bill was mediumheavy and mediumlong. The red bill was finished offwith a half inch of lovely chartreuse or lime color. Aboveeach knee joint, 'Wherethe feathers start, was a band or garter of the red and chartreuse combination ofcoloring to match her bill. The long, slender legs were a lovely soft olive green.She made one think of the tropics.

She had her picture taken manyti~~s and was exibited frequently in mybird talks. Needless to say, she always attracted attention with her unusual color-ing. The children loved her and she becamevery docile.

Wekept her six weeks, banded her, then took her to the river where sheslipped in amongthe tulies and was out of sight in a matter of seconds. Wemissedher greatly for some time, at least until we had another bird to take her pltl.ce, whic::'is never very long at our house.

Guess E. Birchett202 E. 7th StreetTempe, Arizona

Wehave had 6. part of this place since 1900, but not until "Pearl Harbor"have I been able to 11'le here. Then I bought more land until I nowhave 240 acreswith about a 20 acre clearing. This land is on a bench about 500 feet above theRogueRiver and about a mile south of the IlRogueRiver" Crater Lake-Medfordhighway.To the south of the ranch is a mountain that shades us part of the de.y, especiallyin winter time. This place is in the transition ZOnEJ &..nd is a Douglas Fir countrywith somemadrone for Varied Thrushes rtlld Robins.

In Klamath Falls, I banded in 1930, ']1 and '32, 1,000 California Gullswith &i1rvey(amuminum)bands. I also teok part in the gull color-banding project.I want to write about banding in Klamath County sometime, Gulls, Owls, Blackbirds,Terns, etc. I banded several hundred Brewer Blackbirds but never had a return soI quit banding them.

Here at "Cold Spring Ranch", I have been banding a little ever since Vie

came. I work out most of the title and have somefarm work at home. Also, I am t,ry-ing to collect n few birds. A 11 of these activities take some of mytime. In myback yard is & cluster of willows that the warblers and other birds love, Dnd I hsyoEi. seat near where I can watch the warblers and collect s()methat I need. I hlive coJ.··lected in one day five different warblers; Eastern Orange-crowned, Calaveras, Tc.'lomic.•Audubonand Lutescent. I have a few traps and amhaving fun banding JunC0S, SonRSpa.rrows, Fox Sparrows, Golden-crownedSparrows, GambelSparrows, Purple Finches und.Spotted Towhees in W.B.B.A. traps; Crested Jays and Varied Thrushes in figure-fourtraps; and House Wrens, Violet-green Swallows and Tree Swallows in nest-box traps.I am building, and hope to hnve Viorkingthis fnll, a house trap, a government spurrowtrap (modified) and some trip-doorstep traps. Last winter I was able to band someVaried Thrushes and Purple FinChes, but this year they did not comenear the traps.

I was looking over my records back to 1925. Here and at Prospect, I hadbanded Golden-crowned Spurrows in the fall but not i11the spring, so I was about totell the world about it. This spring they began coming to mytraps lmd I bandedroo""€: of them than of any other sparrow.

Carl Richa.rdsonTrail, Oregon

(Vol. 21 : 22, June, 1946) 22.NEW BANDING PERMITS. STILL RESTRICTED

At the suggestion of Harold M. Hill, the editor wrote to Mr. Lincoln tofind out the present policy of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service in regard toissuance of new banding permits. Mr. Lincoln's reply on April 12, 1946 was asfollows:

"I regret to report that the policy of the Service continues to restrictthe issuance of new banding permits. Shortages of bands are no longer particularlytroublesome, but we are seriously handicapped b.Y a shortage of personnel which makesit impossible for us to take on the added volume of work that wauld result from anygreatly increased number of stations.

"The restriction is not iron-clad, however, and exceptions are made whena prospective cooperator has some particular·project that appears to be worth inves-tigating, or is in a ~articularly favorable position to establish a productive station

Frederick C. Lincoln, In ChargeDistribution and Migration of BirdsDivision of Wildlife ResearchU. S. Department of the Interior

MRS. MARGARET M. NICE. CORRESPONDS WITH THE LOS ANGELES CHAPTER(from the minutes of the secretary, Mr. Harold Michener)

Mrs. Nice, in her letter of December 1, 1945, told of some of her effortstoward getting international scientific exchange under way again. She also encloseda letter which Professor Nibe Tinbergen of the Zoological Laboratory, University ofLeiden, Holland, had written to her last June. He has done much work and publisheda great deal on bird behavior. This letter told of their rejoicing at being liber-ated from the Germans, their hardships under Nazi domination, the resistance of theprofessors to the point of refusing to carry on their functions in order to preventthe Nazification of their university, their being held as hostages, and some beingshot; of the ornithological work that some of them carried on in spite of the occu-pation and in some cases in spite of being confined in hostage camps. ProfessorTinbergen, while in the hostage camp, prepared for publication a little book on ani-mal sociology and several illustrated books for children of four to ten years; theselatter were written and sent as letters to his own children, one page a week. Oneon the Herring Gull is to be published in English, preferably in this country.

In spite of all that they have suffered, Professor Tinbergen is planninf,for the re-establishment of international collaboration of scientists, especiallythose intere~ted in bird behavior. He says collaboration with the German scientistswill have to wait until it is Y~oYm whether there will be a revival of German scienceand e~en then, the German scientists who sponsored Nazi ideals must be excluded, notfrom a feeling of revenge, but because it is psychologically impossible for the Al-lied scientists, who have suffered so much at the hands of the Nazis, to meet withthem. That he is making progress toward collaboration is indicated by Mrs. Nice'sstatement that Professor Tinbergen is to start a new lnternation journal, "ActaEthologica".

en May 4, 1946, Mrs. Nice vlt'otefrom North Little Rock, Arkansas, vihereshe was visiting her friend, Mrs. Rowland Thomas: "•• This 1s the most wonderfulplace to study and enjoy· birds. So many birds are banded and so many are historiccharacters - 4,5,6, and even 10 years old. It would have been fescinating to studythe color-banded tits, whose fluffy babes left yesterday, or cld crip (10 year oldthrasher with a crippled wing) with his J year old mate, or the Bewick wrens with

seven babies, or the bluebirds with two. Also a new Bewick male has just moved inand yesterday started building a nest. • • in one hour he carried eighty-four loadsbesides having two great chases with Whitey, the father of the seven •• But I amresisting temptation and am watching only the Carolina wrens - A ncient and his bridein the basket on the porch. She came a week ago yesterday and now she has three eggs.They did most of their building on Sunday from 8 - 10, Bride brought 104 loads andAncient 205, the fastest wilding I Ive ever known "

In her letter, Mrs. Nice said in regard to the duck conservation question,that she had been encouraging people to write to Mr. Day, Director of the Fish andWildlife Service, praising him for this stand, and assuring him of support, and alsoto Senators and Representatives telling them of the perilous condition of the water-fowl and the necessity for curtailment of hunting.

With the above title, the January, 1946 number of'IDJ:£ Banding ca.rries animportant article by Dr. Harold B. Wood, President of the Eastern Bird Banding Associ-ation. Recognizing the value of the article, with Dr. Wood's cooperation, WE: printa condensation of this article, in order that it may come to the attention of birdbanders who may not have easy access to his fuller treatment of the subject.

. The need of standard dE'ifinitions of the commonly used group names of youngbirds has long been recognized •. 'These terms, "nestling", "fledglingn, "juvenile" and\'immature", have often been so loosely or carelessly used that it is often a question~f what was intended to describe the age or development of a young bird. A nestlingis not just "a bird in u nest" or "n bird taken out of u nest" - neither of Which quotedexpression relates to its ugo or development. Nor docs the dictionar,y definition ofa fledgling, "a bird fully feathered", mean anything. Nor, as has been written, is"e. juvenal is a bird banded in the nest". Banders and ornithologists should use age-group terms to mean something "TCry definite 'in the age of the young bird.

The present tendency of writing of the age of a banded bird is to estimatefractions of a year. If the bander simply states it was banded when young, the esti-mate may be a yea.r off schedule. A nestling is but a few days old, a fledgling only 11

few weeks at most, a juvenile may be several months" and an immature f'rom one to a fewyears, according to the proposed nomenclature. Dr. John W. Aldrich, of the Fish andWildlife Service, writing for Mr. Lincoln and himself, stated; "We heartily approve·ofany attempt to standardize nomenclature of age groups among bird banders, because wehave had occasion to wish that such had been the case long ago. The data which wenow have in our files would be much more valuable if this had been the case."

Dr. Wood perhaps has succeeded in solving the diff'icu1t1~s by. suggestingstandard definitions which will include the development of both alt~icial and preco-cial birds. Dwight's groupings, founded upon plumages a.lone, were considered andfound adequate for museum collections where series areconsiQered, but for the in-dividual bird trapped for banding, its habits and ability to care for itself deserveconsiderathm. Dr. ~vood has theref'orf:offered the following definitions for the ugegroup names of young birds: -

Nestlulg - A young bird within and not rea~r to leave the nest.Fledgling - A young bird normally ready or physica.lly able to leave the

nest and survive, and still being .:::aredfor by its parents.Juvenile - A young bird out of the nest and ablo to te.ke care of itself,

but has not completed the post-juvenal molt.Immature - A bird after completing the post-juvenal molt, but has not

acquired the complete adult plumage.Young - A generaliz~d term applied to a bird less than one year old,

when a more definite determination of age cannot be made.Frank M. Errickson165 Foothill RoadSanta Barbara, California

Since Dean Erickson's review of "Names of Age Groups of Young Birds" waswritten, Mr. Crawford has called the editor's attention to the following article inthe June, 1946 number of ~ Banding Notes, issued by the U. S. Fish and WildlifeService. This pUblication of course has the final say on the matter of labelingyoung birds.

Recently there has been considerable discussion about the use of termsdenoting the age of birds at the time of banding. Writers have explained the use ofterms so variously that it becomes necessary to define a standard for banders. Un-less there is uniformity in the use of terms, all designations of age below adult be-come useless. The subject of the age of birds at banding is becoming increasinglyimportant since the volume of returns has become sufficient to allow serious longevitystudies. Also studies regarding the retur:n of birds to their birthplace can be madeonly when the birds are known to have been banded as juveniles as here defined.

Juvenile - (abbreviation, jUv.) A young bird not yet independent of itsparents. This may be broken dcvm into:

Nestling (nstl.) - A bird still in the nest.Fledgling (fldg.)- A bird out of the nest but still cared for b,y itsparents and with its plurr~ge still definitely juvenile.

For precocial species that have no nest life, downy young (dy. yg.) shouldbe used instead of nestling.Immature (im.)- From the time the young bird becomes independent until theend of the season in which it is hctched, or until it assumes adult plumagein the post-juvenal molt. Sometimes it is possible even then to distinguishbirds of the year, in which case they should be labeled Itimlt• Somo birdswill be caught in the fl:.11and early winter that the bander may concludeto call probe im., or leave blank or (?).In the case of birds that do not acquire fully adult plumage until more

than a year old (e.g., redstart, orchard oriole, gulls, etc.), the age should be givonin years as nearly as possible. For a bird a yea.r old thB.t will not a.ssume fullyadult plumage until its second autumnal molt, the term sub-adult has been suggestedbut has not yet been generally adopted. .

Dr. Tanner has published two notes on his gull banding and records in theGreat Basin Naturalist (June 30 '41 and Dec. ~3 '42) and expects to have a third outsoon.

NEWS FROM THE BIRD BANDERSWestet'ftBird-Banding Ass 'n

Mailed from418 North Hudson Avenue,Pasadena (4), California

Send orders and remittances to Mr. Irl Rogers, 402 Alturas Avenue, Modesto,California. Show on order Federal Bird-Banding Permit number or a statement ofright to use traps, to avoid possible delay in checking this point.

TRAPS PRICES\FOB'UODESTO)Non-Members Mcmbar.s of W.B.B.A.

Rogers 2-V-Cell, 7~1l x 7!" X 7!1I, Door 511 widt:,. $.3.00 $2.50Improved Modesto Funnel, 24" x 24" x 8" 4.50 4.00

These traps al'e mhde of i" mesh hardware cloth.' Mf.l.nybanders are alreadyfamiliar with them. Impl'oved entrance funnels of Modesto traps make it more diffi-cult for even the smart birds to find their way out. See Vol. 21:14, March, 1946

For EMERGENCY SUPPLY OF BANDS cl!ldinformation in regard to banded birds found, address

Mr. Harold Michener, 418 No. Hudson Avenue, Pasadena 4, California

For MEMBERSHIP AND DUES, addressMrs. N. Edward Ayer, Business Manager, 1300 Hillcrest Drive, POlnona, California

W.B.B.A. and CooperOrnithological Club

Associate • • • • • •Active .... . .. . . .Sustaining • • • •Life (Total, not yearly) •••

•• $1.00• • • 1.00• •• 5.00

• • 50.00

3.503.507.50

125.00

Members outside the United States, add twenty-five cents to the firstthree items of the last column f?r additional postage on The Condor,

If C.O.C. dues of $3.00 have been paid direct, remit difference to W.B.B.A.Members are urged to subscribe to the quarterly j ournc.l Bird-Bf..ndingpub-

lished by the Northeastern, Eastern end Inland Bird-Banding Associations. Thisannual subscription, normully $2.50, can be hed ~r members for $2.00 in addition toany of the above stated dues. Pleas€: order directly from Chl::\rlesB. Floyd,Treasurer, 210 South street, Boston, Massachusetts.

Issued Quarterlyby the

Western Bird-Banding Association

President of W.B.B.A. --- F. G. Crawford2782 Glen Avenue, Altadena, Californla

Address all contributions to the ~ toMrs. M. C. Sargent, P. O. Box 109

La Jolla, California

Hooper Medical Foundation personnel of the University of California underthe guidance of Dr. W. McD. Hammon and Dr. W. C. Reev(~s in the past five years havebeen studying the epidemiology of Western equine encephalitis, commonly known assleeping sickness. That the virus causing this illness is transmitted by a commonmosquito Culex tarsalis has been established. As yet no reservoir vertebrate hostfor the virus has been discovered, but both birds and mammals have been suspected.

During 1946 an attempt hao been made to learn something of the feedinghabits of mosquitoes as related to birds. The virus is too small to be seen and mayonly be isolated by complicated h.boratoIJi't<;;::hniques.Howover, there are bird para-sites which can be seen and which are carried b.Y the same mosquitoes. These areprotozoa that infest red and white ce:lls of the blood; in uther words bird malaria.By staining thin smears of blood thes(~ protozoa mn;r be seen under the microscope andcan be identified.

OUr problem, then, has been to determine the incidence of bird malaria amongwild birds so as to find what species are regularly bitten by mosquitoes. With thistool it may then be possible to narrow the possibilities of animals that might act asencephalitis reservoirs. But this was only one phase of the problem. We wanted toknow what species nested abundantly in areas of known high encephalitis endemicityand also what were the seasonal population trends, habitat relutionships, ~d summerrange of individuals. Admittedly this was a large order, sipce in addition we wishedto isolate nest parasites and determine if they were carrying the virus.

Some of the results of the study up to July 26, 1946 are listed in the ac-companying table. OUr methods have been relatively simple. We have four study areasin the district, and at these as well as along the roadsides to and from them we tally~ll individuals seen. At five farmyards near Shafter, at a large olive grove nearBakersfield, and at the Kern River Park we set up nest study areas. Here we attemptedto find all of the nests. When nestlings were seven days old we banded them and tooka drop of blood from a toe ~~ clipping the nail. With most species we did not disturbthem again, but house finches and English sperrows were abundant and we were especiall~rinterested in them, so a second smear was taken two or four de.ys n.fter the first.Further, we have been trapping continuously in an effort to retake banded birds forfurther blood examinations. As we now have over 2000 smears and examining the slidesis slow and tedious, we do not have complete data on the presence of malaria. Let meremind the reader that bird malaria is caused by several species of Plasmodium but notty the ones producing human malaria. It appears that malaria among wild birds, espaci-a.lly house finch and English sparrow, is widespread and common.

To d[' to we have banded 1,788 birds of 36 species. The mest abundant specieshave been house finch, English sparrow, and the three blackbirds, but our blackbirdtrapping has not been successful. The Bullock Oriole is not numerically important in

the total population, but is easily enticed with watermelon, so we have taken numbersof them. A yellow-headed blackbird colony in a farm reservoir furnished us'with anice series of nests a.ndyoung. Tricolor nesting was not ver-J successful in ourstudy area because a black-cro~vned ni~lt heron colony preyed upon the young. l~chbiological datu of interest has been accumulated but i£ not yet summarized.

List of species banded in the Bakersfield area.nesting, blood smears, and population counts.

,

other data includesAs of July 26, 1946

NO. OF BIRDSBANDED

NO. BLOODSMEARS TAKEN

NO. OFNESTS OBSERVED

NO. OFBIRDSCOUNTEDTO 6/ro

534

319

284

223

184107

2,3361,27823

2323

7,033506

93

732

239

399

53556

79

27. (Vol. 21 September, 1946)NO. OF BIRDS

NO. OF BIRDS NO. BLOOD NO. OF NESTS COGNTED UPSPECIES BANDED SMEARS TAKEN OBSERVED TO 6/~o

(Captives6Sacred Dove released) 5 7 I

Ash throated Flycatcher 5 5 1 82Mockingbird 4 4 .3 239Goldfinch 4 4 4 247Barn Owl 3 .3 I 19Meadow Lark J 3 2 927Song Sparrow 2 2 55Red'Shafted Flicker 2 2 114

1Gambel's White Crown Sparrow 1 296Golden Crown Sparrow 1 1 3Western Bluebilod I 1 1 151American Bittern I 1 1

Green Backed Goldfinch I I I 169Chinese Spotted Dove 1 1 4Black Chinned Hummingbird 6 354Rock Wren 1 125Coot 1 239

others, 67 species 4,715

We are particularly anxious to learn something of the fall dispersal ofbirds from this end of the San Joaquin Valley and would greatly appreciate it if othenCalifornia banders would be on the lookout for "foreign" birds. Any such bends could!be reported directly to us (as well as to Washington) and we could determine whetherthey were from our series.

H. Elliott McClureBox 292, Station ABekersfield, California

(Editor's note: The following letter was written to Mr. Michener on June 5, 1946,from Bethel, Alaska, where Mr. Kyllingsta.d and his family werestaying for about six weeks. Bethel is on the Kuskokwim River,about 100 miles south of Mr. Kyllingstad's residence at MountainVillage, or the Yukon River.)

"•••1 have done almost no banding since last fall. I did get a very fewsnow buntings at Mountain Village in April and! have banded one pectoral sandpiperhere. I have been interested in comparing th~ arrival da~es of birds here and atMOlmtain Village. Many species arrive a good bit ahead here, which surprises me be-ca.use t,hedistance is only about a hundred miles greater, and I had thought that atthe limits of their ranges birds covered many miles inn day or so.

Gambel sparrows arrived on May 10 and were cOllunononso numerous as at Mountain Village, nor are they so confiding.under the; board walk· and out again almost directly underfoot.back in the :brush, and only occasionally do they venture right

MEl.y17. They ure notOver there they dartHere they stay well

out into the village.On the other hand, the robins, which at Mt. Village are quite secretive and

shy, are here as bold as {l.thume in Dllkota. Thero is a.nest in the eaves trough justbeside a down spout that is flooded every time lie haiTE::n shower (which according tocertain chambers of conunerco occurs oftenor hore than B.tcert.!dn (...ther places), butthe old bird sits as unconcerned in wet as jn drJ weathor. ArlO~ler nest is just a-bove the storm shed dOClr B.tthe community hall in the center of town.

ThfjI'eare no hills here and the town is right on the edge of the tunclra.Up river to the east there are alder, willow and spruce. The spruce reach to theto\msite and a very few lone ones grow downstre£J.mfrom it. Down river to the westand also back of the village to the north the tundra rolls R\"'aJ" ~s far as you can see.There are m&ny marc of the shore birds here as a result. Western sandpipers sing overthe village and court in all the yards. A pair of' semipalmated plovers have tr.kenupterritory on a little used driveway (there are several cars and tl~cks in this metro-polis of 400 souls) beside the Government school where we stay, and they wake us everymorning with their noise. -

Out on the tundra ridges we h&ve a few black-b0l1ied plovers. At the airfield just at the west edge of tQvm there are ~ few scrubb,ywillows growing on somelow bunks about a group of little ponds. Here Alaska yellow wagtails are nesting Iam sure... I could get anJ'number of desirable specir."lenshore right now, but I wantto try for nest pictures of several things and 0.0 not want to cancel out any possiblenesters. We got a 16 rom movie outfit last Septcmner ~ld these birds will make mightyinteresting SUbjects if I can ma.ke the camera behccve rigr.t.

The trees and grass are just bl:girming to look green. The migrtttion is~.bout all Qver except that the black brant [,nd scoters Ere still coming in. The flightof brant is VE.ry light here compared Vlith the Yukon. Thcrt: we see huge flocks of themfollowing the ice downstream. But all three seoters miBrate down this river in goodnumbers.

Some of our earliest floT/ers are now blooming. In Ii week everything will bevery green Hnd the grass will be nt:arly knee high. The start is slow, but after thefirst gre..-:ll,shows it seems to explode. The green i.sso intensely vivid tht-itI doubtif even California can match it.

29. (Vol. 21 September, 1946).The sun set tonight at ten ten. It will rise at about two. The birds are

not all still at any time now. Thrushes and H.olboe1.lgrebes call all night long.And last week I saw ~ first song sparrow in Alaska after hearing it sing almost allnight.

Henry C. KyllingstadMountain Village, Alaska

Mr. Harold J. Brodrick, at Yellowstone National Park, in replJr to Mrs. /\yerI sexpressed curiosity in regar,d to a pair of Trumpeter Swans which she saw in the Parkin July, 1941 replied that he imagined the pair seen were on Swa.nLake and that pro-bably they are still there. We summarize further information he gave rArs. Ayer.

The swan census in 1941 gave a total of 59 Trumpeters, 44 adults and 15young, in the Park. Most of these frequent the more isolated lakes where few areseen by visitors. In the sc.uneyear the total census of Trumpeters in the UnitedStates was 208. Most of those found outside of the Park were on Red Rocks Lake Re-fuge west of the Park and a few on two smaller refuges, and the areas adjacent tothem.

The next census, in 1944, again gave the total in 'OlePark as 59, of Which48 were adults and 11 young; for the U. S. the total was 279. This was a nice in-crease. Most of the additional birds were found on the Red Rocks Lakes Refuge andlakes adja.cent to it. No census was taken in the Park in 1945 but the SWl:m populationon lakes visited in other routine work seemed to be about as usual.

It is doubtful if the Park census will ever be much larger than the presenttotals. Although there are many small lakes in the Park most of them are unsuitablefor swan because of lack of food or due to the elevation. The swan must start nest-ing before the winter ice leaves many of the lakes and again the lakes freeze overin the fall before the cygnets are able to fly out of them. Many of the lakes in moresatisfactory elevations lack the proper food plants and suitable nesting sites. Otherfactors enter into the seeming high mortality of young birds. Also, many of the adultpopulation are not breeding birds. A few swans winter in open water in the parkwhile others probably go a little south in Wyoming and Idaho in Snake River areas.

Mr. Brodrick says he has not been able to do much bird banding as there isnot a satisfactory location near either his office or his residence and, also, thedeer that hang around make pests of themselves. Anything kept out of their way mustbe under fence.

The swallows are a great joy. The swallow house faces all of our mainwindows. It is on an upright galvanized pipe out in the open, tho there is someshrubbery nearby, which of course they ignore. The pipe is hp-ld firmly by a hori-zontal wire tied out in two directions, which wire serves for a perch. A pair of

Tree Swallows have used this house each year since we have lived here. Viehave band-ed the babies until this last year when they gave us the slip before we thought theywere ready. We ta.ke down the house each winter to discouragf:lthe English Sparrowsbut a.lways get it up again before March 12 or 13 when we expect the Swallows back.

This year our spring was even earli~r than we had realized ~d n pair ofTree Swallows arrived and excitedly circled the pole on March 9, and I rushed a friendwho was here to put up the house. All the while he was working they flew around hishead and the minute he got down from the ladder they were.in the house. They, or atleast a pair of Tree Swallows, have been in quiet possession ever since, or at leastalmost quiet. After building their nest they went on a vactLtion as·they ha.ve done inprevious yeRrs. We always seem to have a few days of stormy wec.ther in April and theSwallows seem to disappear; at least they are not around the house during those severaldays, at which the English Sparrows take 'over and I spend my sparo time and more inthrowing rocks at them. This time when the Swallows returned ~nd found Englishersensconsed, Mr. Swallow caught Mr. Englisher in midair b,y th~ nape of the neck and car-ried him to the ground and pommelled him for several minutes. It did my heart good.The swallows have been in residence ever since.

Early in May Mrs. Swallow a.cted as if she were caught in her front door andwriggled and cried as if she were being hurt. When she flew away Dale climbed up tosee if anything were in thE;house that could have been attacking her, but the nestwas intact and empty. We were surely su~prised to find no eggs as she had been sittingin the box for days. How~ver on June 1st we discovered her feeding babies. I hopewe'll be smart enough and timely in our efforts to band the babies this year •

•I think we wrote other years on our observations of the f~mily life of the

Swallows and of the love triangle ono year. l~so during the first two years Virginiahad to clean house for them after the death of a couple of their infants from filthand maggots, and in each case the romaining yo~~g ones were raised successfully. Twoyears ago the male brought a gray female instead of a blue one, the first time we hadseen gra')'ones in March, tho' they are very evident in midsummer when the birds of theyear are on the w~ng. I discussed it with George Willet that spring and he said hedidn't remember seeing a gray one in the spring. But that little gray felllLlewas animmaculate housekeeper and we saw her carry away the feces. Last year the house wasfairly clean but only two of the eggs hatched so they weren't so busy. Perha.ps theswallows of the first two years were of a diffe~ent level of society and were involvedin so many extraneous love affairs that they didn't have time for such things ascleaning house. I have also seen the pre2ent pair cleaning hou~e.

The story is told up here of a manmate that he had cleaned up his little houseno tenants had applied. When he got off theana wanting to know about renting his house.

riding the bus who was telling his seat-and had it all ready for occupancy butbus, half a dozen men followed him, each

Obi It was a swallow-house 1

Mrs. Harlan Edwards3509 LaurelhuI'st DriveSeattle 5, We..shington

MRS. LASKEY DESCRIBES ROBIN ROOSTS IN TENNESSEE(from the Los Angeles Chapter Minutes)

Mrs. Amelia R. Laskey, NashVille, Tennesee, on April 7, wrote to Mr. Michenerabout the "tall tales II of Robin roosts of which she had previously hinted. She alsosent a copy of the December issue of~ Migrant which described the roost at Nashvilleand the one at Martha, Tennessee some 21 miles away. It also contained a report byMrs. Laskey of her observations during 1945 on 10 Mourning Dove nests. Of the Robinroosts she wrote: "•••However, I might have written a slightly different version(from that in the Migrant) for I saw the Robin roost at its pe8.k on January 13th whenmy estimate soars to a million. It was stupendous. I was on a hill, and had found a'perch' to stand on as the birds were coming that evening at early dusk. Even then allthe trees were covered thickly with the birds as well as the ground and the thick under-brush in the valley and on the surrounding hills ••••the sky was completely filled withthe incoming birds as far as the eight power binoculars could penetrate the horizon onall sid~s. Of course, it is impossible to count such a conglomeration and ~ millionis only a guess. I also saw the Martha, Tennessee roost of mixed species which some ofthe old times estimate as a million, plus, but it, large as it was, did not come up tothe Robin roost on the l3th ••••By the end of January the number coming into the roosthad dwindled to about 2,000 Robins and an equal number of Starlings. What had becomeof the vast hordas, it is impossible to s&y. That is where some cooperative obser-vations in both north and south would be helpful. Of course, if it had been possibleto bmd a few hundred or thousand of them •••there might bo some clues in the recoveries.Yet with all those thousands passing overhead each morning 13.ndevening on the way tothe roost, and tho many hundreds that gle<-.nedtIlE.;htlckberrios from the trees a.tthebanding station, :c did not trap ;;;.single bird.

I did have the good fortunB to h&ve Robin one-eye and his colorbanded mateof 1945 come to the window for raisins on Decembt::r27, 1945, after a.bsence during the8.utunm. He was killed by n dog (from the evidence) on March 24, 1946, and she was notseen after early March."

Dr. Charles Michener, son of Mr. anG Mrs. Harold Michener of Pasadena, toldthe Los Angeles Chapter meeting of March 10, 1946 about the birds he saw in Panamaduring the 14 months he was there studying Chiggers for the Ar~. As part of this workhe examined s~veral individuals of some 50 species of birds and found chigger larvae<;>n them in varying abundance. The flycatcher gruup seemed to be particulurly favoredas hosts. By this means and b,y observations in the field he gleuned a considerableknowledge of the birds of the region.

The large number of birds there from eastern North America .during the north-ern winter is striking, Tanagers, Warblers, large numbers of hawks in migration, etc.There are many species of small Tanagers that look like sparrows; Blue Tanagers thatare the most common birds in PElnama City; both black and Turkey Vultures seen in theair at any time; a King Vulture reported to him soaring over the Chegres River; FrigateBires, the most wonderful soarers he has seen; Anhingas, Jacenas, Gallinules, etc.along the river; Trogans, Tucans; Guans on Barro Colorado IslMd but largely extermin-ated as a food bird elseWhere; Tinamous, like a quail without a crest and with a won-derful, tremulous whistle heard both day and night; many Hummingbirds; many Doves andPigeons, Ground Doves very common; Parakeets in flocks like Waxwings, which destroy

fruit and buds of fruit trees; Parrots; Mockingbirds, like ours, but not singing much,probably because of little competition for territories. Mockingbirds are cOTQffionresi-dents both north and south of Panama but there is some doubt wheth(:lrthose in Panamaare native or introduced. The Blue-black Grassquit is common and is the most commoncage-bird of Panama.

One interesting phase of the past year of limited bird activities was thelocal nestings. Neighbors on our lane had a neat of canyon wrens, within easy reachin a low-ceilinged garage. This was early in May, the brood le~ving about M&y ZOo

About this same.time we found an Empidonax, also within arm's reach, in ourgarage, seated on a nest. The nest was wedged between e.nupright post and a diagonalbrace. The post was being bumped b.1the station wagon door sever&l times a d&y butthe flycatcher (pl:obably western) sat unperturbed. On May 30 three eggs were observed(whitish with scattering of brown specks, and especially round or spherical rutherthan long and oval). By June 2 they had he.tched. In ..the n0xt two vvecks their growthwas phenomene.l, as though three small drcps of dough had risen !lrldfilled £ crock tooverflowing. They were fed but, excnpt at first, appar~mtly not otherwise attendedby the parents. They derived their warmth from one anotil~r.

On June 16 two wcrf:)banded (one eluded capturo). On June 30 the Slimenestwas reoccupied by apparently the same flycatch6r (cn' pair). By July 4 there werethree eggs (just as before). Again they grew to over-flowing and by July 28 weregathered into a cage, banded and cc.refully returnGd to t.henest. However they leftthat same da:r, two of them flying approximately 35 ftH!t to h.nd on a brush coveredbank across the lane from the garage door.

Two other observations: On July 4, 1945, a unique scheme of bathing usedby a S&n Diego Song Sparrow. It had landed on a pond lily leaf in the fish pond, butfinding no suita.ble bath wa.ter,jumped suddenly into the air, coming down nbroptly,stiff legged, and repeating tho jump until water began to seep over the edge of theleaf, finD-lly providing sufficient water for a good splaBh-bath. Also, commencingDecember 15 but extending into January, 1946 was an invasion of robins into this can-yon. They worked as a flock, foraging mostly for toyon berries.

Hn.tch Grahflm10300 Viret.ta LaneLos Angeles 24, California

"What a perfectly adorable little bird!" I exclaimed when I saTIthe babyBaltimore Oriole which young John Kraai, a boy scout and our near neigpbor had brOUght."He is hungry" said John nand he says his name is "Petey Dink". And sure enough, thelittle chap vIas saying "Pe-tee-dink, Pe-tee-d.ink" over and over, the while he flut-tered his pretty wings and kept his mouth wide open, c~Jing continuously. We at oncechristened him "Pete" although lattJr we changt"::dthe name to P'::.triciaw(~ still calledher Pete.

We took Pete into our home and into our hearts as well; she wa$ about twoweeks old, the natal down had been replaced by the juvenal coat of soft yellow\andbrown and she was about three inches in length. We had brought up several helplessyoung robins, and had cared for an injured cedar waxwing for four weeks until he wasable again to care for himself, but we knew nothing about attending to the wants of ababy Oriole. We did know however, that aside from their gorgeous plumage and melodioussong the Baltimore Oriole waS worth saving on account of its economic worth as 83% ofits diet consists of animal food: hairy caterpillars and other caterpillars, leaf-eating beetles, wasps, rose bugs, spiders, plant lice, scale insects, marsh flies andcrane flies. The Black Tartariancherries were ripe, and beneath the tree were fliesin plenty. We began to forage for them; Pete took them ravenously, and the first dayate one-hundred and nine, the following day seventy-nine flies disappeared dOVIllherthroat with little bits of cherry for dessert yet at night when she sat on my thumbI could tell that she weighed less than she did the preceding day. Clearly. we hadnet hit upon the proper diet for our little protegee.

The next day we bought some Defiance Mockingbird Foud at a.pet shop; thisis an ideal food for wild birds as it provides the necessary protein. We mixed thiswith milk and placed it carefully back in Pete's throat, using a little spatula. Yolkof hard-boiled egg and bits of cherry and mulberries varied the diet which was mostacceptable to Pete who thrived on it. Each feeding Vias followed by water given froma medicine dropper, this was necessarJ as the art of drinkulg is not instinctive ina bird.

For threE;weeks she was fed every hr..lfhour during thE;day which for Peteand ill !!!Lbegan early; she would call me at dawn, I WGuld get up and feed her, goback to bed, and in a half hour be up again for another sassi.onwi'::'hPete, the spatulaand medicine dropper. As sh~ cried before each feeding and all the time during themeal, it was a nervous job, and I was always glad when a soft "peep-peep-peep" likethat of a sleepy little chicken told me that she wa.s satisfied.

When she was five weeks old, she discovered her tongue, up to that time ly-ing unnoticed and useless in her lower bill. How happy she was! I saw her take thefirst swallow of water from her dish, rolling it around in her beak and letting it rundown her throat, tippi,ng her head back as if in thankfulness. from that time on shewas independent, what a varied diet she enjoyed, and .how she thrived!

She would eat anything we put into her cage. Peas she would eat in rota-tion from the pod, which she would hold to the perch with her feet end deftly open.When first given a leaf of lettuce, she held it against her perch and promptly piercedit with her beak, then spread her bill, tearing it into shreds and eating it. A sil·-vel' thimble made her a fine drinking cup, filled with milk wld handed to her, shewould clamp it to the perch and daintily drink the milk, finding it "good to thelast drop".

Pete had a number of "tricks in her bag" and furnished us with plenty ofamusement. ~e found during that first winter that she could see pictures on a flatpage (something a cat cannot do). We held up to her a picture of a bluebird two-thirds life size, in color; she sidled up to it and gave it & vicious peck in the eye;twice she did this, then became "wise"and went sulkily up on her porch. We laid thecolored picture of a butterfly on the bottom of her cage; she darted do~~ and triedto grab it between the wings. Repeating the attack, she discovered cur trickery andbacked away from it, the desire for a butterfly dinner had left her, and she lookedas disgusted as no doubt she felt. She loved to visit with the "bird" she saw in thesmall mirror we would sometimes set up in her cage, and would slyly peek behind it,then run around back of it, trying to contiict the pretty little plaJrfellcVlshe feltsure was there.

Sometimes Mr. Pugsley would hand her a quarter, and she would hang on to itlike a little old miser. She loved still better the glitter of gold, and one ,day hehung his heavy gold band ring on the end of one of the perches in the large winter cagewhich he had made for her of chicken wire. This perch stuck out of the cage about aninch and a half; Pete wanted that ring badly and finding that she could not get it bysliding it toward the cage, she put her head through the large mesh, took the ring inher beak, then holding it tightly, she slid it off from the end of the perch andbrought it into her cage in triumph. Some problem for a bird to solve, she was quitean engineer, we t~ought.

In late February of her first year Pete began to moult, her room seemed fullof fluffy feathers, she seemed to have no trouble getting rid of them but the wingfeathers came harderl She would take a firm hold on one, and with a sharp quick yank,pull it out and throw it to the bottom of her cage as if glad to be rid of the peskything. Generally we found that she had plucked the same number from each wing. Uponexamining them we" found them to be delicate and satiny with White quills, strong andsharp-pointed like a fine needle.

It was interesting to see the new plumage take the place of the old, verygradually she changed her dress until she emerged, not in the shining black and brill-iant orange of Lord Baltimore, but in the more sedate g&rb of the Lady instead.

Lovely golden-yellows and soft browns formed a sleek smooth coat like satinwhich she kept well groomed; her lithe slender body when full grown was about seveninches in length. She was good-nttured and lovonble, a fine songster with a voicesofter than that of the male. She sang a typical Oriole song, rare and sweet, with avariety of not~s whistles and calls, winding up with IIsweetie-sweetie-sweetl" Shesang mostly in early spring, seldom at any other season, although she W&s ready totalk to us at any and all times.

Toward the last of April of har first year and ab~lt that time each of thefour years she lived, we noticed when we went in to look at her (as we always did) be-fore retiring, that her wings were Whirring rapidly like those of a hummingbird, andshe was rlmning along on the perch from one end "j:.othe other of her large cage, utter-ing at intervals a shrill call that we had never heard her give 1;lefore;h6r eyes werewide open, but she was not conscious of our presence, in fact did not see usl Sheseemed many miles away! It seemed uncanny, we were puzzled and worried. Afte;;rwatch-ing her for several nights it dawned upon us that little Pete w~s migrating and suchthis nj.ght-flying proved to be, for e&ch spring she did the same thing, keeping it upfor about three weeks, only stopping when the Orioles arrived in early May (usuallythe tenth in tho northern part of Western New York State, near Rochester). In the falla similar spell would sieze her, but it would lnst only 0. few nights, for they feed upfor their fall journey (this she did also), and with their engine well IIstoked", godown in a few days, not needing to feed on the way; but in the vernal migration theyfly nights, stopping to feed daytimes as they come north, taking about three weeks forthe trip.

As we watched Pete in these migrating "spells", vw rc&lized the.theredity isstronger than envionment in the life of a bird, and that all the naturt1l tondencies ofthe Oriole tribe are inherent in our bird, even thOU~l she is removed from all herkind, for generations unnumbered theJr have como nerth from Gentre.l America and Mexicowhere they Winter, making their long, hnzaruous pilgrimage flying by night, cc:.llingoutto keep track of the flock, feeding by day, comi.ng ever nearer the ph.ce wh~,re theylove to nest and rear their families. Little Pote fh,w hard and long, but each morn-ing fourd her in the old familiar place, the exertion of tho night was forgotten, andSh'3 v:as !'e~:1~r to sts.rt in eagerl;)"on her ff.'<V()rite foods.

One day in her second summer while she was out of her cage for awhile, wewatched her as she located some hard-shelled black ants on the trunk of one of theLocust trees. She grabbed one of the large insects, and holding it firmly in her beakshe spread her left wing, whacking the ant.against it until she had bruised or softenedit sufficiently, then she swallowed it with apparent relish, disposing of several inthis way. After that Mr. Pugsley frequently took her to a nice ant hill tmd set hercage over it, and Pete would eat ants until she Vias full l'Uldready for bed herself.

Pete was such a perfectly normal bird we thought that she might call a mateand we noticed toward the middle of Maya beautiful male Oriole, in all the resplendentglory of his pre-nuptial plumage singing his rollicking roundelay in the w~lnut treeat the rear of the wild garden. He seemed to be calling to our bird: "Pretty Pete,Pretty Pete" "See me, See ~. II He came down and alighted on her ce,ge, but the inde-pendent little creature never noticed him! We opened the cage docr, thinking to aidLord Baltimore in his courtship. Pete flew out, not so much as glancing f,ther im-portunate suitor, and went up into the cherry tree where she hed a wonderful time pick-ing up bugs and ants. Coming down, she alighted on the clothesline, which swayed withher in an alarming manner. Mr. Pugsley held out u rescuing hund Eilldshe hopped to hisout-stretched finger. After some more rummaging around in the cherry tree she hoppedback into her cage and started in on mockingbird food, the While her rejected suitorwatched from the walnut tree.

We had thcught thst she Vlvuld hCE.d the "c&.ll()fthe ydld" findflyaway, butshe had no idea of such a thing. No! She cared nothing for the bltmdishments of LordBaltimore, she much preferred her state of single blessedness.

In like manner she refused simil~r propvsals each spring, and one summer dayshe saw what she had missed, for an old "Dadd;y"Oriole came with his twc pretty youngs-ters to dine in the cherry tree, ~d one of the littl~ onos flew down und flatteneditself on the side of her cRge, but Pete never blinked un eye, ro1dmade no comment!

Although Pete showed no inclination to raise a family~ and never to ourknOWledge laid an egg, about the time the Orioles were building their nests a desireto make one would sleze her; she would fly to my head and tug until she had loosened abill full of hairs, and taking them into her cage would weaVe thum about the wires.String and colored wool she would use tou, &nd she was especially fond of red yern.She was e.weaver bird all right, but she never shaped 0. nest. It is claimed that themale does not h0lp with the building of the clever gourd-shaped d(lmicile, but maybe hedoes have a "bill" in it after all, or perhaps he gets out the blue-prints.

Early in June we noticed that Pete had shed her long toen~ils; we wonderedif some foot disease could have attacked her, but she was too happy and lively for that.Looking closely at her feet we saw that tiny nails were forming, and thought thatMother Nature was preparing her fer brooding bab,y birds, that the long sharp toenailswould endanger the fledglings. After the nesting season they grew long again verypromptly. This occurred each year at tho same time.

The last spring that Pet6 lived I use to go into her room and spend an houror so lying on the day bed, first opening her cage, giving h6r the freedom of the room.She delighted to fuss around and would play until tired, when she would come and parkherself on my arm, pull one little foot up unde~ her, and take a siesta too. It musthave been that Pete was getting old, but we did not ref.:.lizeit, V/f:; Sc\::medto th~kth!Ct w€> sh(fllld always have her with us to furnish us with 11bit of' sunshine on gloomyday~' •

Four years almost to the day from tke tiJpeJ~ brought her to us PeteOriole's life story was ended. Quite suddenly from n~ a.ppraent cause, she tell over,4ead. Evidently this is the way with many of the small birds, life to the full forthe allotted time, usually about four years, then the tiny engine stops and the worldis poorer and a little less gay for their passing. Dear little Pete, she had a happyand care-free existence, and taught us much of bird lore not to be found in books.

Mrs. Frank W. PugsleyPittsford, New York

(Editor's note: Some of the material in this story was published in the August '45issue of Flower Grower, and is reprinted here with the permission of the editor,Mr. Paul Frese. See also the discussion of "Migratory Fever" by Frt.nk and Mary Erick-son in the September '45 News.)

""'-;WS FROM THE BIRD BANDERSWestern Bird-Banding Ass1n.

Mailed from418 North Hudson Avenue,Pasadena (4), California

For EMERGENCY SUPPLY 01" BANDS andinformation in regard to banded birds found, address

Mr. Harold Michener, 418 No. Hudson Avenue, Pasadena 4, California

For MEMBERSHIP AND DUES, addressI Mrs. N. Edwa rd Piyer, Business Manager, 1300 Hillcrest Drive, Pomona, CaliforniaW.B.B.A. and CooperMembership W.B.B.A. Ornithological Club

Associate • • • • • • • • • • • • $1.00Active • • • • • • • • • 1.00Sustaining • • • • • • • • • • • •• 5.00Life (Total, not yearly). 50.00

3.503.507.50

125.00

Members outside the United sta tes, add twenty-five cents to the firstthree items of the last column for additional postage on The Condor

If C.O.C. dues of $3.00 have been paid direct, remit difference to W.B.B.A.Members are urged to subscribe to the quarterly journa.l Bird-Banding pUb-

lished ~J the Northeastern, Eastern and Inland Bird-Banding Associations. Thisannual subscription, normally $2.50, can be had by members for $2.00 in addition toany of the above stated dues. Please order directly from Charles B. Floyd, Treasurer,210 South Street, Boston, Massachusetts.

Issued QU1irterlyby the

~estern Bird-Banding Association

President of W.B.B.A. --- F. G. Crawford~732 Glen Avenue, Altadena, California

Address all contributions to the News toMrs. M. C. Sargent, P. O. Box 109

La Jolla, California

Probably I had not thought of him consciously all during the war years,but when I opened the August f 46 Chien@. Natura.list and saw the photograph of hisintent young face and the dates "1914 - 1942t1 ~ the shock was as keen as if he stoodbefore me.

Just when did he visit us in La joll&? In 1940 it must hCivebeen, andLaidlaw Williams or the Micheners must huve been the friends who sent him our way.All the details have gone - just the vivid memoryof a. t:dl, l€:an young man,•.fullof awareness of all living things, full of friendliness f·nd vitEtlity.

Ml.rgaret Morse Nice gives the me~,gE.rf'..cte of his de£~th, thus belatedlydisclosed to us. Jen Joost ttI' Pelkwti<, lJ'Utch N::.turl.list, shot by the JC.p/;;.nE,sein1942, near Batl.1via. She includ8~ his lr st lettt;r to bird friends in NewYork, writ-ten in 1941. It d6scribes the wild lift; of Btt:::.via, <-.ndis illustr~.ted with bvelyclear little drb-wings of the birds end rnimals. • •

October, 1946 issue, second p<-.ge"The SeptembE::rissue of NEViSFROMTHEBUm-BANDERS(Western B.B.A.) conkins c. p!ge from our membE;)rend former North Dekotf:.bender, H. K. Kyllingstrd, who hc:s been in A18.skLthe lL,st four yea's; hr;lf (1 p(;.gefrom !'Ill'S. Laskey of Nashville, Tennessee; three Lnd ( ht-lf prges froITllViI's. Frfonk W.Pugsley, Pittsford, NewYork. G:..n't we move rnother step Lnd put out one news letterfor ~ll benders?1l

One evening in October, "bout 7 P.M., myhusbE.nd(:nd I were sitting quiE::tlyreading in our living room, whEmthere .;'as E;. fluttering z..t thE:;front door screen. Iwent to the door but Sf;W nothing. Almost immedi[t81y [:ftf-:,rwrrd there 'li[H, o. flutter-ing at the back door screen. WhenI opened the screen door [ bird f10w into the hOUSE.•

It W(.S tc felhf.,le hOUSE.lfinch, 1:,pp&rcntly in good hel'"lth (nd not very fright-ened. She flew quietly to one of the windows, Yiherc I cq)tured hur, loob.d her over,then took her out-doors pcg(.in. V~henrE:leLsed in th€>dtrkness she flew to E neerby.

The explanation? Wedunno - but there are several finch nests in the rosebushes just outside our living room winoows. That evening we had neglected to com-pletely close the venetian blinds, so thut the living room lights were shining direct-ly into the nests. Did Mrs. Finch object to the lights? Your gueSS is as good as ours~

The meeting of the Council of the Western Bird-Banding Association w~s calledto order b,y President Cruwford ~t 2:40 p.m., September 8, 1946, ct the Michener home,PasCldena, CaliforniE.. Councilors present: Mr. W.dter 1. Allen, Mrs. N. Edwerd Ayer,Mr. F'ranklin C. Cr&.Vwford,Mr. C. V. Duff, Miss Helen S. Prt-.tt, Miss Bl&nche Vignos,Mr. and Mrs. Harold Michener. The minutes of the previous meeting, June 9, 1946, wereapproved as m~.iled to L.ll the councilors.

TRAPSOn July 15, 19/+6, IVlr.Irl R.ogers wrote thE' se(:rt,tc ry sbying thtlt he is "fed

up" on tra.p mc;king,.nd. ;;.sking th;:,t cfter tpe June number of the NE'ISno mention bemE.dein the ~ of trr..ps being c;vLih,ble fronl him. Until further notice from Mr.Rogers, this will be understooc to me<.:nthf,t hev"lishE:s to stop the c.dvertising U1dnotthat he will refuse to fill ~ny orders th~t comb to him. President Crcwford s.aked Mr.Duff to make Mother survey of' fLctories in the Los Angeles Lrea, thflt might m~ke trEtps.

LIBRARYThe secretary corrected his st~tement &t the l£st meeting to the effect th&t

the material y,hich had been collected in the vi .B.B.A. libnry hed been sent to Berke1l,.Yin 1931 and was not returned when heLdqu~rters W&S returned in 1937. This m~teri~l wasnot sent to BerkeLey E:ndhES been taking up room in Nir. Robertson's gerE.ge ~11 thistime. He recently brought it to the secret~ry and it is now being distributed to thosewho want parts of it. Only t smttll portion will be thrcwn f..W!;y.

STATEBIRD-BANDINGP~lITSThe secretary reported thf,.t progress hr:.s been m::~detowE:rd the re-establish-

ment of cooper!:.tive c;ction of the Divisionoof l"ish 6.nd Gfme£Ild the W.B.B.A. on theissu&nce of these permits. He is 'now w9iting for further word from Mr. Don~ld D. Mc-Lean to whomthe hE~dling of ~nding permits for the Division of Fish &nd GLmeh9s been~ssigned. There is still a prospect thLt Dr. Lowell Sumner can handle the W.B.B.A. endof the work.

DATESOr' ISSU1 .fORTHENEWSIt was explf:.ined thEot during the er-rly J'eEJrs of the life of the News from

the ~ Banders the four numbers of eEch yetr were dated JEnu~:ry, April, June endOctober. There were some v&ri~tions ~nd during the last few years the dates have beenshifted to two months later. President CrE'.wfordexple.ined thE.t it is very desir5ble,especially from the Business M~ntger's point of view, to have all four numbers for theyeer in the hE'.ndsof the members before the skte:ments of dues for the next yeer eremoiled, about December 1st. Mrs. SElrgent hlos been consulted. She will h£ve numbersready for November, 1946, C:.ndJe.nw-.ry, 1947. (September number Wt·smailed on the dayof the meeting). It WhS moved, seconded and cerried th&t the dftes of the fo~r numbersof the News be J~uary, ~pril, July f..ndOctober of eech ye[;.r and th£t the Council recom-mends tha.t the cctUEl mailing be held within these months in so ffJ..res possible.

EDITORTO SUGCEEDMRS. SARGh~TNEXTYEl:.R.President Crawford. exphined th&.t Mrs. Sargent's a.greement lhst winter was

to take the editorship for one yc&r, beginning with the September number. Actur.llyshe began with the June number und the J61lUcry, 1947 number will be her fourth. Al-so, in writing her Lpproval of stepping up the numbers so 1947 could begin with Jan-uS,ry, she said we should be looking'for ~nother editor after thc,t. The president re-quested the secretary to write to Mrs. Surgent and ask whether the jEnu8ry number willbe her last issue. At Emy rete, & new adi tor must be found and he c~skE:dthat ew;;ry-one make suggestions. He ~lso suggest0d th~t he und the secret~ry be assigned thetask of securing c. new editor to take over at Mrs. Sargent's resigmition. It w~.smoved, seconded r;;.ndcurried th".t the president lmd secretf.'ry be so instructed.

EXCHANGEOF'NEV/SwiITHLOS ANGELESCOUNTYMUS.E.1JMThis question .hed been discussed c..t ~. Chapter meeting where it Vile,S decided

that the Los Angeles County Museum Libr£Jry should be put on the mu,iling, list. Also,the secretary wes instructed to write to the Libr&rim f..nd ::.sk whether the:y would likea complete, ElI' nel;..rly complete, set of back numbors. Of course, e.ll this vms out oforder because it is W.B.B.A. council business. However, it WPS carried out end fromthe reply from the Librf:ril.:m it vws not entirely clear whether they did not want theback numbers or whether they did not like to Gccept because they did not have adequatevalue to send D.S exchsnge. The letter wes h<.:.ndedto Mr. Duff with the l"equest the t hediscuss the mC'.tter with them some time when he is e.t the Museum.

~ INDEXIt vms movf;:o, secondt:::d. tnG. C~:irried thr,t the Couneil express its th&nks to

Mr. C1I1dMrs. P&ul D. Hurd for undE:rtl':king to prcp&ro index. cards for eoch issue ofthE; News, as it e.ppe~r6, 50 thfit En ir;ctex mB:)? bE; b.ssE:mbleu Hne. published [,t the endof such number of yCLrs f.,S If,1:.y be' StlE:ct8(..l, t.nd thE,t the Busirless lVlc,n&.gerbe requestedto convey these thEnks to lVJr. tIle, tiirs. Hued Lnd ~,o f rr: nge with them to pey the ex-penses of the necesst:.n' ct~rds for the ~1crk.

Htrold IVlichener,8ecrbt&ry

Correspondence between thE; chc:.irmE.n e.nd the vc:,rious gull banaers, prim<.-rilyon the subj Get of gull records for the Pacific Gull Color-Banding Proj ec t, cen kinsalso much general inf'ormetion of int6rest:

Dear Mrs. Sargent:1 I note in the last Condor (Edited July-August 1946, pages 179-180) your sum-

mary of additional work done on the Ps.cific Gull Proj ect, including some done by Dr.Hill and myself. When /;cvailoble, would you send severe.l reprints of this summary tome. In c.ddi tion, if aV<.:ilt;.ble could you send some copies of thE' pr~vious report.

vie banded some more l'&.rcllone Gulls this ;:·ct::.r, but limitation of time onthe island precluded E.:. more significant number. Hllrold will i'orvn,.ro to you the re-port of 100 C~liforni::, Gulls bc·nded "t Mono Lf2,ke. bhile there I saw only one previous-ly b/:;.nded bird - on Gdult flying with c blUE- b<.cncion the right leg on Jul;y· 1;, 1946.

The fellow who runs the boat says that he occasionally sees a banded birdfollowing the boat.

Perhaps I will get an opportunity to visit some of the gull congregationsin the Bay Region if I am her~ e.few more weeks. Harold has been released from the NE.V¥after less than four months. He has returned to Southern ~~lifornia to practice alittle medicine before heuding for Btja, ~E.liforniLLin the f£.ll

Telford H. Work,Lt. (jg) M~ USNRU. S. Nbvctl Hospi tr,lTre(.sure Is1f:nd, oW l'r~~ncisco

Dear Mrs. Sargent:I've just been talking with Woody Willit..ms,whom I think you know. He is

at Scripps. Woody h~s been telling us about his trip down the COBst of B&ja, Califor-nia with Karl Kenyon. I am going to Bajs,with ~ botanicul expedition from Stcnfordwhich is leaving in two days. ~ie expect to be gone till Christm~s £.nd go the wholelength of the peninsul:;.by truck, mDking num arous side trips. Of course I will lookfor gulls when nCE.r the co~st.

Sorry to be long in getting E;.llof this seecsonIs reports to you but Tel-ford Work had some da.tc,which I needed, and I we.s slow in getting it from him. Inci-dentally, he was not relet:lsedfrom the Nevy in August bS he hoped that he would b~and is now on ~ trmker neo.r ChinE. sornt·where.

Here I s & brief summ£.ry of the gull bf~nding for this yec,r: June ~8 we he.ndedforty-eight, Uld on July 5, forty-four yvung Western gulls on the f~rallons. Thistotals ninety-two birds. Combim,tion ViE,S (Right) White, (L€ft) green over survey.We had only an hour or so ebch time on the island while the ship which supplies thelight house was unloE\ding. We SEW no birds previously bBnded.

On July 12 and 13 Telford ~ork went to Mono L~ke.He banded one-hundredyoung California gulls with the combino.tlon (Right) green over survey, (Left) blue •••

Dear Mrs. Sargent:I carried out observhtions on Gull Islfnd, Howe Sound, British Columbi~ on

the morning of 7 July, to see if I could find any colour bf..ndedGlaucous-winged gullson this Island nesting. I w~s there for four hours cnd had £nother observer with me,Miss M. Cross. We both used powerful field gh'.sses, in this time we fa.iled to noteone colour bcnded gull on the Isl~nd, nor did we see one with the Biological SurveyBand. As the Island contains only ubout three Lcres and we were on & ridge at th~ topI would say we covered the Island fully. There were young present in large numbers,along with eggs, and the parent birds could be seen e£.sily. I hf;ve in the past yec.rsbanded about 1000 birds with Survey B~nds and I was ~mazed that no bird w~s observedbearing any band whatsoever.

Hope the other nesting are&s are covered fully for you and th~t they havebetter results thf.n we did. Am very tired as I have had E. very full dt;y, the loggingstr~e being over, so tugs are plentiful again •••

Kenneth C. AlexanderE~st B£.y,Gc:mbier IslGndBritish ~olumbia

Dear Mrs. Sargent:I have delayed answering your letter of ~gth Mayuntil I could get hold

of a map tha.t would show the position of the different places you b.sk about. Be-ing in Victoria, this week, Ic:alled tit the Provincial Government Office, with theresult that I procured the tvw enclosed m6.ps. (Editor's I\ote - ~ excellent maps ofBritish Colum bia)

•.• Looking through my records &nd those sent by you two things struck me:First, that fa.r awa y the greater number of returns are from locations within aradius of a few miles of iVIittlenach end, secondly, how many more returns haVE;comein for birds cover~d by the colour banding scheme than in pr(;vious years ...

The following are particulars of the oBnding on the West coast (~itor'sNote - survey banding b~' Pearse of young Glhucous-winged Gulls on the ~iest coast ofVancouver Island, British Columbic)

41-674601 to 674610 (10 birds) Barkeley Sound 17 August '43674611 to 674647 \37 birds) PachenL Bay 19 August '43

These two ph ..ces ere only <... fe'll' miles apt.rt.41-674748 to 67 Lnd 771.669 <-nd89 (~~;birds) Pt..chen<.-BE-.y

11 August '45You c:sk ebout the West8rn Gulls I s~w,at PEchem.: those seen in 1943 were

typical but, lc-.st yer~r, 1 did not see cnj.' rec.lly t;ypicEl Occidentalis but some birdsthat were there I feel ~ure were hybrids. I re~d 0 paper on this ~t the meeting ofthe Pacific North Viest Bird <nd iV!r,IDlnLl Club d Victori& this spring. 1[1mhoping Imay be uble to mc;kc ~.noth€r trip there next month.

•. •So fer [,S recording v. coloured b~nd myssl£': I heve yet to do so, I doubtif I have seen twenty gulls in E.ll, this OVf.;r the twenty yehrs of b&nding during whichperiod I must have looked over thQushnds of Glaucous-wings. I still think the llctionof the salt water corrodes t.he ring, tnu when thereby vWl.kened, the bird pulls it off.A gull's beak is [; powerful instrum~nt. Hf.ve you ever h~d one of the l~rger gullstake hold of you? (Editor's Note - Yesl)

Dear Mrs. Sargent:1 em now Dblc to report on my visit to Mittlem.ch Island on 27 July, cnd it

is nil. I looked over qUitE; E.:. lr.rge numbt;;rof' the birds there withou..t seeing &nybirdwith lmy kind of bf:.nd. ~o i'&T ES &rE. Island is concerned I wrote t friend of' mine,who visit.ed the isl~nd this summerbut h~"venot h',.d Lny rE-ply so f&r, I f~ncy he isaway from home.

I survey banded 1;':9 nestlings. I use the term "nestling" though I':syou willh~ve realized, gulls in this st~ge [;re, frequently, not in the nest but in hiding neEr-by but yet cannot be designated fledglings. I only hEo.dthe abOVE: number of b~nds withme and used them up in l:.. short time; there were morb youngsters about th(~n in (ny pre-vious year of my experience. • .

The most interesting thing WhS seeing a gull with bhck primtries there, Ihad a good look at it through binocuhrs ond could see no difference in nny other re-spect from the IDEnyGlE..ucous-wings in normal plum£.gewith which it vws surrounded. Iam not a collector but thE.t Vif.S one occ£:,sion th~~t I should hEve liked to hE..ve ha.d a

Theed PecrseBox 159Camox, V&ncouverlslbnd, B. C.

Dear l'vfts~-Sargent:nlanks so much for your recent letter and enclosures. Surely you have put

a lot of time and effort into this project! I have checked all of the records yousent me with me own card file, and with the exceptions noted believe they are allcorrect •••

It is certainly too bad there ha.s been no chance for observation in the Ore-gon colonies of Western gulls these past three years. I still hope to get down to thecoast in late June or ee,rly July, :.mdwill m~ke every effort to visl t the colonies atthat time. I miss those ~~nual bird trips more than anything else we left when wecame up here.

We do like this country a lot, but hove ha.d no time for ttbirdingll up to nm">'.May be able to visit SODle of the gull colonies here ,next month, though the possibil-ity of a business trip East makes it seem rather unlikely just now •••

I received a request recently from I. M.Cowan of the University of BritishColumbia for detailed records of returns from the province. He sV,yshe has a numberof records of adult Western Gulls, but none (no specimens) of juveniles. This seemsodd as all of my returns from British Columbia without exception are juveniles, mostof them in their first winter. Sent him records of' €:ight returns, including somereceived since 1939 •••

Reed FerrisL~80 E""st 21st South StreetSalt L~k~ City 5, Utah

KARL W. KENYONKarl Vi. Kenyon of Lc-.JoJ.ln, who banded vVestern gulls with the Chairman in

1940 on North Coronado Isl&nd, Mexico (off Serl Diego, Culifornie) was able to maketwo trips back to the islund in 1946.

On March 27, '46 he visited the island W'ldfound mE.i.nyadults but no bandedbirds. Ka,rl wa~ then on his ,yay to Baja., Ct,lii'ornie.for & two months cruise in hisauxiliury sloop "The Seven Sees It. With him on the trip we s Milo "Woody" Willi~,ms,also of U~ Jolla.

Both Karl c:.ndWoody grc,dur.tedfrOID Pomona in 1940. Kurl received his M. S.degree from Con1ell in ornithology in September, 1941. Soon after he entered theNavy bnd became a nsval air corps pilot in the P&cific, seeing cctive duty in T£r8w[~,Eniwetok, and the Philippines. In 1945 he received the Navy Cross for heroism inELction. He received his discharge etS a lieutenant in Feb'ruE.ry,1(j46.

On the BELja, C&lifornia trip, Karl collected bird specimens and Willibms,snail specimens. They trr.velled down the COf,st about 400 miles, stopping at Punta,Baja and Cedros Ishmd among other points, s,nd spending seventeen dhys in St:.amonsLagoon. No color br.,ndedgulls wero seEm.

In July, c:.fterc,t[,lkwith the chfdr1flRn,KRrl t.greed to take his sloop outto North Coronado IsILnd for :;;"summer check-Up on the gulls. The chtdrmc:.nptdd thecustoms and illlIIligrationfees (going to North voronpdb Isl&.nd is es complicated DSgoing to Argentin&). Karl left Sm Diego July 22 and returned JUly ::;6, spE:nding twowhole days, July 23 tilld 24, on the North island~ .He elso lE-nded on the two sIDE'llmiddle islands in the Coronado group, !md found considerfble nuinbers of gulls. Helooked a.t thousands of adults, und saw not a single bt'.Ild.

Karl reports that all of the adults were in full ~dult plumage, except afew with u few black m~rks in their tail fe~thers. There w~s a good brown Pelicanpopulation on the North island, with the young starting to fly. Karl W&s particularlyinterested in the several dozen P~trels he found on the North island in crevices andcracks. He collected one adult Petrel and took two downy young Petrels home with hima.live.

THE FISH AND vULDLIFE SERVICE is <:tsking. Every bander ple€.se look t:thisbands and records. Apparently these bands were issued to someone, from the EmergencySupply, prior to the inventory of September, 1942, and were not Gntered in the recordsA bird wearing one of these blinds hlis been tr~ipped. If you he.ve any infornu-.tioninregard to these bands ple~.se notilJr H~rold Michener, Vustodian of the Emergency Supplyof Bands, 418 North Hudson Avenue, Pasaden~ 4, Califonlia.

During the pP..st 15-20 ye~rs 1 ht,ve bcmded neb.rly one-thQuH:.nd Oregon Juncos(Junco oreganus orega.nus). A 11 b~,nd.inghas been done during the winter or earlyspring months. For the past three years I heAve k,,:~.'t some notes on two features ofpluma.ge in the males, the density of the black on the heDd End the b.mount of white inrectrixes 4, 5, and 6 (counted from inside).

Viewed from Et distance the heed of the male Ore:gon Junco appeE •.rs a soliddeep black, but when in hand, my experience has beeG that it wes very seldom thst theblack could be so described, inmost cases being flecked with, more or less, reddishbrown. I had hoped, by rect.pture, to bE;~b1e to reech some conclusion a.sto when thedenser colour is acquired and as to the increase of white in the rectrixe8 from yearto year.

I made notes as to these markings for 106 birds but &8 this figure includesthe winter of '44 - '45, on which no returns could become f~vf.ilableuntil this yef:..rwhen, owing to change of residence I was unable to continue the investigation, thematerial, to check on, would be only about thirty birds.

I had one return 1\27633 b~'.nd€d14 November '43 ~md entered 8S hes.d a littleflecking and numbers 5 and 6 rectrix both showing White; the bird was recaptured a.tthesame station 26 December 144 and then showed besides white on 5 end 6 E: white stres.kon the outside vane of number 4 rectrix and the head was, c..lmost,block. Not much todraw any conclusion from, but ht least thiS bird showed thut the black does becomedenser and the white increases with age.

Taking the 106 birds, 35 were listed s,ahavin~ black hes-ds, 45 with decidedticking and 26 black with slight ticking. Actually 1 I think, the black numbers maybe overstated a.s in the early s.tages, I did not differenth,te so closely. I certainlycame to the conclusion that I;:. redly bl£.ck he&l.dedbird Vi8.S r",lmost~;r",rity. On theother hand, sometimes the ticking 'i'n,s very slight.

The records show'that most of the birds in Janu8.ry or.meunder the head-ing of "ticked" or "slightly tickedh with the heavier ticking predominating. InMarch ticked birds exceeded bl~ck by about fifty per cent. A few birds trappedthe end of April '45 including a repee.tfrom the previous January, were entered assix black and five ticked. These birds, except the one, may have been migrants.

I have referred to some of the standard works as to the description of thehead colouring: Tb.verner, "Birds of Western Canudall gives the head of the adultmale Oregon Junco as black: Ridgway "MrmuG:l of North American Birds" and Gabrielsonand Jewett fiBirdsof Oregon", black or dark sllitye.ndDawson wd Bowles "Birds ofVv&shington", sooty black.

I hope the foregoing may be the means of arousing the interests of otherbanders in ch&nges of plumage from ye<:tTto year, ~tninve:stigll.tionthut banders havethe only means of making.

Theed Pearse~omox, Vancouver Isl&nd,British ~olumbia.

The 209th meeting of the Los Angeles Chapter, ~j.B.B.A., August 11, 1946,at the Michener home, Pase-dena, California, was c&lled to order at ~:30 p.m. byPresident Allen. Present: Miss Elizabeth Allen, Mr. Walter 1. Allen, Mrs. EvelynC. Baltzar, Mrs. M~rie V. Beals, Mr. H. B. Beebe, Mr. Frederick Dean, Miss Helen S.Pratt, Mr. and Mrs. John MeB. Robertson and son james, Miss Blanche Vignos, Dr. L.ndMrs. Sherwin F. Wood &nd daughters Cnrol Emo Lynne, !Vir.and Mrs. Harold Michflner.The minutes of the June End July meetings were approved &S circuleted by mail.

In regard to the Sheppard Bill (H. R. 4703) providing for the eliminationof certain mountainous portions &t the eastern end of the JOShUD. TreE)Nutional Monu-ment and maintaining the remainder free from mining end hunting, bS reported in theminutes of the June meeting, the secretfcry reported the receipt of f· letter fromRepresentative C&rl Hinshl:tVl.Mr. Hinshaw said that when Congress re-convenes he willbe happy to cooperate with Mr. Sheppard and see that this bill is favorably reportedby the committee and brought to the House for action. He said Mr. Sheppard told himthere has been some opposition to this bill.

Mrs. l"lorence Henderson, 8acrumento, wrote on June 27, "Birds all gone forthe summer. Nothing more till September or October. Not even any young Robins thisspring. Our birds nll left as soon E..S they clea.nedup the cherrie:s.I'

On August 5 she wrote, IiIjust had the first out-of-sts.te report on one ofmy birds, and a Goldfinch L.t that. I be,nded srid bird on i,1&rch15,1946, c.nd it vmsfQund in Corvallis, Oregon, on May 7,1946. I Blvwys thought of Willow Goldfinchesas being local migrants up end down our valley." Sacramento to Corvcllis is about420 miles.

Dr. Harold M. Hill wrote eurly in July, lf~olorbanded gulls on FoTFllonIslands June 28 and July 5."

Mrs. Harold H. Bailey, Rockbridge Alum Springs, Virginia, wrote on July11, "Found my first Indigo Bunting's nest today, but it is about 15 feet up, insteadof about 2 - 3 feet. Probably second brood. Hope to band "fledglings" (?)."

Mrs. Amelia R. Laskey, Nashville, Tennessee, wrote on July 19, "What awonderful bird haven Mr. Chamber's farm is111

Two postal cards came from the Duffs. The first from Ottawa, Canada, datedJuly 31, said, IIHada nice visit yesterday with Ha.rrison L Lewis. We are enjoyingthe beautiful scenery here. Are leaving this morning for Montre~l and Quebec." Thesecond from Bar Harbor, Maine, dated August 3, said, IIThisis such a pretty placeand we enjoyed the Acadia National Park. It is good to be back in the U. S. A."

Mrs. Beals had been asked four questions which required some study so sheshared the answers with the group present. In addition to her ovm reading she hadreceived answers from Dr. Robert Cushman Murphy and Dr. James P. Chapin, both of theAmerican Museum of Natural History, ~nd Dr. Alexander Wetmore, secret&ry of the Smith-sonian Institution. The questions, with sbstracts of their answers follow.

1. Do all birds have crops? The esoph~gus of many birds be-comes modified into a speci!.:.lpouch, ce.lledthe crop or craw,where food is detained to be me.cen ted in a special secre-tion before pussing to th8 true stomach. Such definitecrops occur in birds of prey which ,~·etsuch mEJsses of foodthfLt it ct.nnotall be rec~;ivcd in the stomO.chtot once. InColumbine snd Gellineceous birds thht feBd upon seeds andother fruits so hl:.rdthat they require lli~cerationb.S 1';. pre-liminary to true digestion, the crop is most highly developed.Most finches have crops. Crops are lacking in most or allsea birds abd in many lsnd birds.

2. Why do the Tubinares htive tube-noses? No one knows why butsince the nostrils cen be closed that must be a convenientway to keep water out of the lungs while feeding with the headmore or less submerged in the water.

3. \Vhy should Toucans have developed such a huge bill? The sizeof the bill apparently is not too closely comlected with anyspecial usage. A slender bill of similar length would servethe purpose of reaching fruit on slender termin~l branches aswell as a massive bill. However, the Toucan's bill is very lightin weight E.5it has u rather honey-comb-like structure. Onewriter SE.id, "•••1believe that structure precedes function,and I believe it is more logical to say that a finch creekshard seeds becf;.useit has a stiff conical bill rf::.therthan tosay it has a stiff conical bill becsuse it crf.;,ckshard seeds.The toucan has happened to develop a huge bill, end it con-tinues perfectly w~ll to g~t f.;,longwith it. However, if theprocess went too far in any branch of the toucan f~lily, thebig bill would ct:rtlo.inlyfinish off those particular toucans!"

4. What are the mecnings of the terms convergent evolution and di-vergent evolution? Convergent evolution means the production ofsimilar Qrganisms from different stocks. Divergent evolutionmeans the production of very different looking organisms fromstoc~s which ~re neverthel~ss closely related. The Australirunmarsupiz.l mUllllIDlsLll originuted from a common type vf Phalonger-like mammal, but the descendunts diverged in many differentdirections, producing squirrel-like m6mma.ls, jumping creatureslike k&ngaroos, predacious enimhls like the SO-Culled Australinnwolf, a mole-like type tnd v~rious others. This represents wide

divergence from c:...;ommonancestry. On the other h~.nd, the marsupial "wolf" (Thy-lacinus) is an example of convergent evolution with plc:..centc:..lwolves &nd their rel-atives. It resembles them in gener&l form and feeding habits, although it is geneti-cally farther removed from a. true wolf than a cow, c. bear or even a whale.

Mr. Frf'..nklin G. \;re.wford reported by postLl card from his ct-bin in the SanBernardino Mountains on August 5, "Yesterdny caught twenty-two birds, mostly Juncos.This a.m. had six Mountain QuG..ilin t'.!l eight cell trap; le.ter five Juncos in sametrap. II

Miss Allen had been near Mt. Lassen for about e month. M~nyRobins werenesting there.

Miss Vignos recently listed twenty-three kinds of birds in Aliso Cr..nyon,back of Laguna.Be6.ch, among them \rJ6stern Tam,ger, Black-headed Grosbec.ks and Ph&in-opeplas. A friend had asked her whet could we done for birds that get their featherssoaked with oil. Various solvents were mentioned from Garbon Tetrachloride to -,no, cold cresm was not mentioned though it hes been uS8d to take pine pitch off F.

dog's feet because gasoline made it whimper.

Mrs. Woodsaid th&t Dr. Woodand 0r.rol h&ddone consider8ble bc:nding lE.stspring; that recently two Ash-throated F'lycatchers a.dded Co new species to their homerecord; that a Shrike moved in that morning (August 11) ~nd all the other birds movedout.

Dr. Woodreported Linnets a.nd three Hooded Orioles coming to be.the in etrench e.long a row of young carrots soon ni'ter he tUrT18din the water. The Oriolesnested in a palm not f~r bW&y,h~ tilinks.

In la.te June they cf;mpedfor f._ few dChyS ne~,r Three Rivers, on th", K&vveahRiver. He h8.d never before known cbttl.·: to be 6.fraid of c large bird.. One morni.ngwhile still lying in hi::; sleeping b'i.g, he saw t. Gre/;'.tBlue Heron come fl~1ing up theriver and light on a pc-toh of SE-ndupon which <.. considc,rable number of cows W6restanding and lying. The cows £.11rl';.n &.W&yin greet h".ste leLving the heron to walkaround slowly and survey the lc.ndscc::.pe. WhenDr. Woodmoved D. little the heron de-parted. At Charlton F·le..ts, recently, they hF.1dseen several White-headed Woodpeckerscome to drink at a little founte.in.

Miss Prett said that she he.d noticed th&t birds liked to bathe in water onthe ground so had made pernwTJ.sntlittle pools a.t ground level for them. Even withthese pools at hane. they go to 8. spny of water when it is turned on. She spokepe.rticularly of the 0hinese Spotto'i Dov(js &nd thE: way they lift their winge to letthe spray strike underneath.

Mr. Frederick Det.Il, whi.le wdting for C'.ischa.rgefrom the NaVY, looked upthe bird-banders of the region. His home is in Putnay, Vermont. He exp8cts toenter the University of ME;in<;; this f'tll to specialize on wild.life mvnagemEmt. Hetold of having banded hawks :in Vermont. Back of Sun::;et BeEcchhe hl..lCtseen .An1ericanEgrets, several shore birds and Turkey Buzzards.

Mrs. Baltz[;.r reportc:d thE"t they hc;.clspent £ fE;wQI:WS lrcst week in MajeskE;Ce.nyon. The Ja.ys were bossing the food tables there.

The Robertson femily had recently returned from c' six weekI S v.:.cc:.tion. Mr.Robertson I s account of the various Corvi6D.e seen gives their i tin€t'y. In the CUJ'E-maca Mountains in Sr;n Diego County, in June, he was surprised to see Crows r.bove 5000feet, since he h<:;.dconsidered them birds of the low1;·.nds. There were Southern CLIUoep;J&ys and Blue-fronted Stelhr Jr-.ys I::..lsothere. Then going northl'iarLi.ther6 were yellow

billed Magpies between Banta Barba.ra and San Luis Obispo and again in Santa ClaraCounty. In the Big ~ur area, on the ~oa.st road between ban Luis Obispo and Montereythere were the Coast Stellar Jays. Then ot Mount Lassen the Blue-fronted StellarJay appeared agcdn EJndht. DhilllondLake, Oregon, both the Blue-fronted Stelh.r Jayand the CEmadaJay (Oregon Jay). Here theC~mf:dG J~s kept to the Lodgepole Pineforests and the Stellar Jays to the Douglas Fir forests although the two types offorest joined. At Crater Lake thE';Clark Nutcra.ckers were abundant at one place onthe rim where they appa.rently were accustomed to being fed. Then on the way home hesaw Black-billed Mhgpies on the e~st side of the Sierra &ndRl1vens fa"thE:r south.At the Palomar mountcin camp grounds he saw e spotted Owl hnd in the Mount Lr',ssenP&rk he heard what he felt sure were Flammulr~t0dScreech Owls, though he did not seeone. In King's Creek Menao;ls, Mount L&.ssem,he SUVI a nest Lnd eggs of the MountainWhite-crowned Sparrow.

Mrs. Robertson spoke of the bright, clear colors of the birds in the moun-

James Rob~rtson, rGportiEg 1'0. their home, told of ~n oppcSt~ being sc~redout of a hedge fIla up into L tree €:nd some vines when the l&vmWhS watered. He hadnot seen many birds there except ~ few Red-tailed. HewksE-.ndTurkey Buzzr:rds and Eng-lish Sparrows ~.lways.

Mr. Allen se.id young BlI: ck-h0Lided Grosbeaks Wto'restill "mewingII f: round hisstation, in fact, he he-dnot hGL,rdthe young ec.rlier in the season tlthough thespecies seemed unusuclly <.,bundtnt.

Hc..roldMichene:r,Secretr,ry

The 210th meeting of the Los Angeles Chapter, Vi.B.B.A., September 8, 1946,at the Michener home, Pas~denb, California, was c~lled to order by President Allenimmediately following the W.B.B.A Council meeting. Present: Miss Elizabeth Allen,Mr. We.lter I. Allen, Mrs. N. Edward Ayer, Mr. and Mrs. Joel Baltzar snd childrenSarcll and Eric, Mrs. Marie V. Beals, Mr. F'rt-nklin G. Cnwford, Mr. and Mrs. C. V.Duff, James Duff, B(,rban Duff,. D:vid Duff, Mrs. Elmer E. Htill, Miss Helen S. Prttt,Miss Blanche Vignos and Mr. l.t.ndMrs. H<:.roldMichen6r. The minutes of the Augustmeeting were approved t s circulf.ted by mC.i1.

The secretary recalled thrt beginning with November, 1942, the minutes ofthe Chapter meetings hl.:.vebeen in the form of rr.ther full reports E..ndha\'e been cir-culated by mail to &11 Chapter members ft t. cost of t:.pprclxillll;;..tely$1.15 per meetingfor postage. The five envelopes rE,r meeting h6v(; been stolen from the noVine[.;.rlyexhausted supply of the W.B.B.A. ~ime ~nd other meteri~l and deprecietion (or shouldthe word be obsolescence"?) of the secretary tmd first essistlmt secretrcry hElvebeengratis. Members' inability to attend the m6etings bec&use of gbsoline r(;st~ictionswa.s the reason for beginning the circuletio11 vi' the minutes.

The secretf,.ry suggested thr.t it now be tE:mtEtively' pl~,nned to discontinuethe circuh:.tion of the minutes b.fter the December, 1946 meeting; tha.t l:rrcngementsbe made with the editor of' the News fer i:: s(;ction in eG'.chnumber, under em E'ppropriate

he&.ding, for gossip from Ohapter meetings; that any items of particular importtmceor length which may be developed in the Ohapter meetings and which may seem suitablefor the !im. be offered for appearance in the News outside of gossip section, at thediscretion of the Editor; that condensed minutes of each meeting be written and readat the following meeting. The greatest loss to the Chapter, due to this change, willbe the group of monthly notes th&t come in on the escort cards, particularly from thesuburban members (those members who dwell in the sub-.suburbs of Los Angeles such &.sIllinois, New Jersey, Tennessee, Virginia antIway stations). But we shall hope thatthey, upon receiving the News, will turn to the Los Angeles Chapter section and, afterreading it, wri te ~t least a postal cEcrd to the secretary.

It was moved, seconded and oarried that this proposal be tentatively ap-proved and that it shall be ce.lled up for final considere.tion at the December meeting.

Mr. Hatch Grnham, July :'::9, sl:.id,"At Tokopoh {<'ellsabove Lodgepole Camp inSequoia National Park on July 13 I sr.wOuzels, one ma.king mrolY trips up and down thestream to feed the other, which latter appeared full grown, and w~s able to fly.Only the two in sigh.t • S&.w the 'feeder I welk under we.ter •II

Mrs. Amelia. R. Leskey, Nc.shville, Tennessee, August 15, said, IIWha.ta dis-appointment I have hf.l.din rc,ising two f'emlde Cowbirds. I w~ted to les.rn more aboutson3. Anyway there will be two less to lay eggs next spring.n

Mrs. l'dargaretM. Nice, Ghicago, August 19, s;;..io,I1HOVIcurious your littleHouse Finches are. About how old ere they?11 This refers to the Micheners' reportof young house finches biting off le~,:,vf:s,pulling r..tstring, etc. No definite recordsof age have been kept but it is certLin th&t neerl;}'"all the birds seen doing this werein their early weeks efter becoming independent of th~ir parents.

Mr. Irl Rogers, Modesto, Cb.lifornia, August 7, wrote: "I got the firstIreturns I on my spring banding this week from Washington. Thirteen recoveries fromthis county, one from Sacramento and one each from Tacom6. and Allyn, Vw.shington forthe Waxwings and a Robin from Hf~lsey, Oregan. The Allyn bird was banded in 1945 !tndfound injured in June, 1946, and the rest were bS.nded in 1946."

Mr. Cr8wford reported that while on his vacation at his c&.bin in the SanBernardino Mountains (approximately the first two weeks of'August) he banded a totalof 118 birds of 9 species, as compared with )40 of 13 species in 1945 end 54 of 9species in 1944. Juncos took first place with 65 individuals, followed by 24 Chich-adees. Mountain Quail and Stellar Jays tied for third plece with 7 e&ch. TwoStellar Jays there appeared to be trembling all the time.

Mr. Duff told about the two and one-half month trip b,y automobile they hadall taken through the Rocky Mountain region of United States and Gant-da, eastern Can-ada, eastern United Ste.tes and home agEdn. Mrs. Duff st-id she is enthusiastic a.bout.vacations and is ready to start on enothcr. (Been home ;'bout 10 da.ys) They hadvisited the O. L. Austin station on Ca.pe Cod, v/here the traps c~re bEited every daybut the birds trapped only every othtlr day; the Point Pelee Nationsl Park on theCanadian side of Lake Erie where there were n wonderful lot of birds; the'CourteneyNation!:l Park where they h(md-c£ught rold bended a young Red-ahEi'ted Flicker, the onebird they banded on the trip; the Jasper Natiom:1 Pf:rk end mcny other points of inter-e·and beauty. Friends, relE·tives &nd ornithologists nec.rly (.:,11were pE;ssed by becftuseof lack of time.

H£rold Michener,Secretary

NEWS FROM THE BIRD BANDERSWestern Bird-Banding Assln.

Mailed from418 North Hudson Avenue,Pasadena (4), California

For D~GI1~CY SUPPLY OF BANDS andinformation in regard to banded birds found, address

Mr. Harold Michener, 418 No. Hudson Avenue, Pasadena 4, California

For MEMBERSHIP AND DUES, addressMrs. N. Edwa rd Ayer, Business Manager, 1300 Jiillcrest Drive, Pomona, California

W.B.B.A. and CooperMembership W.B.B.A. Ornitholo&ical ClubAssociate •Active ••Sustaining • • • • • • •Life (Total, not yearly).

. $1.001.005.00

50.00

3.503.507.50

125.00Members. outside the United Sta tes, add twenty-fiv~ cents to the first

three items of the last column for additional postage on The Condor

Members are urged to subscribe to the quarterly journal Bird-Bending pub-lished .qy the Northeastern, Eastern and Inland Bird-Banding Associations. Thisannual subscription, normally $i.50, can be had qy members for $S.OO in addition toany of the above stated dues. Please order directly from Charles B. Floyd, Treasurer,210 South Street, Boston, MasShchusetts.