The white-throated sparrow (_Zonotrichia albicollis_) (fig. 29), one
of the most abundant members of its family, breeds from northern
Mackenzie and the southern part of the Ungava Peninsula south to
southern Montana, northern Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts. The
winter range extends from the southern part of the breeding range
south to the Gulf coast and northeastern Mexico. It is therefore a
common migrant in many sections. Since it is a ground-feeding bird
and is readily attracted to the vicinity of dwellings, it has been
banded in large numbers, the total to February 1, 1935, being nearly
100,000. It would be expected that these would yield a comparable
number of return records, and that the facts would furnish basic data
relative to the migrations of the species. Such, however, is not
the case. Banded white-throated sparrows are rarely recaptured at
stations between the breeding and the wintering grounds. Operators of
stations in the winter area, as Thomasville, Ga., and Summerville,
S. C., have obtained return records showing that these birds do come
back to the exact winter quarters occupied in previous seasons. The
fact that they do not again visit banding stations on their migration
routes indicates some unusual aspects of their travels, which it is
hoped will eventually be discovered by banding studies. Problems
of this type constitute definite challenges to the student of bird
migration.