Evening star., 1935-05-19
Young Find Own Nests.

n oAHSD . nOIle Is Wnere II nrSt
nests, but the offspring Of that
nest usually have minds or instincts
Of their own where their home shall
be. 1t is not unusual for the young
to nest several States away from
where they were Matched, although
the parents return to the original
nest.
Homing instinct, says F. c. Lincoln,
| Biological Survey naturalist, appar-
emily does not operate intensively in
an individual migratory bird until
after it has first nested. The loca-
tion Of this critical first nest, he fur
ther points out, seems to be more
or less a matter of chance, but 1t
will be within the natural breeding
range of the species.
These facts, Mr.. Lincoln explains,
indicate that a species of migratory
waterfowl cannot easily be estab-
lished as a breeding bird on areas
| outside its natural range. Pinioned
or wing-clipped waterfowl may be
bred successfully on favorable areas
outside their ranges, but this does
not mean that their young will return
to these areas after the Fall migra-
tions to Wintering grounds. With
| other birds Of their kind they are more
likely to return to breeding areas
within the natural range and there
establish the nesting places to which
their homing instincts will guide them
in succeeding years.
Mr.. Lincoln observes that many
persons seem to believe that 1t is
necessary only to introduce a few
pairs of birds Of any particular species
into an area that is Fundamentally
suitable and-presto the species is
established. This belief he attributes
| to the success that has attended the
transplanting of a few species Of up
land game and song birds, but he
calls attention to the fact that almos
without exception these successful ex-
periments have been with non-mi-
gratory species.
Citing an example Of the failure
OF transplanting experiments with
migratory birds, Lincoln points out
that several thousand Egyptian quail
were imported and liberated in the
Northeastern States from 1870 to
1880. The experiment failed. Some
of these birds raised broods the first
season, but there is no evidence that
any OF them returned after their Fall
migrations. Mr.. Lincoln conjectures
that the birds may have perished at
sea while attempting to migrate bacg
to their natural Winter quarters in
Africa.
The improbability of young birds
returning to the nesting sites Of their
parents Is indicated also by informa-
ton the Biological Survey has OBJ
tanned from bird banding. Mr.. Lin
coin calls attention to two outstand-
ing examples. In one case a mallarc
duck nesting near Antioch, Nebr.,
Matched more than 100 ducklings be-
tween 1927 and 1888. These duck
lings were banded. Yet there is no
evidence (from bands or otherwise)
That single one of the young ever
returned to nest even in the State
where 1t was Matched. individuals
Of these broods have been recovered
south to Arizona, Texas and Louisi-
ana, and north to Alberta. Mr.. Lin
coins other example is based on rec
ords OF the house wren obtained at
station in Ohio. Hundreds of adults
and fiedglingS Of this species have
been banded there and, though each
season more than AZ per cent of the
adult birds taken have been old
timers, only 2.6 per cent Of the
banded young have been retaken
there in following years.
To the question, What becomes of
the young? Mr.. Lincoln replies that
apparently the only tenable answer
is that they spread indiscriminately
throughout the natural range of the
species and only by chance return to
the area where they Matched.