Der Stelzenläufer (Himantopus himantopus hmantopus) ist ein seltener Gast in Japan. Er ist bisher nur zweimal auf Hokkaido und dreimal auf Honschu fest-gestellt worden. (Von Hokkaido liegt ein Exemplar vor und eine Beobachtung, von Honschu zwei Exemplare and eine Beobachtung.) Weiterhin ist er bisher siebenmal in den Japan umgebenden Gebieten fest-gestellt worden: auf Formosa, in Korea, auf den Riu-Kiu Inseln and auf Sachalin.
Da es mir am 9. August 1953 gelang, an der Yamatogawa-Mündung, in der Bucht von Osaka, auf Honschu, ein Männchen dieser seltenen Art zu shiessen, bringe ich es hiermit zur Kenntnis als das vierte in Japan existierende Exemplar.
Ausserdem konnte ich wahrend meines Aufenthaltes in der Camargue, in Südfrankreich, vom 18, -21. Mai 1953, diesen Vogel täglich beobachten und hatte das Gluck, ein Nest mit vier Eiern zu finden.
Im folgenden gebe ich einen Bericht über die Feldökologie und die allgemeinen Gewohnheiten dieses in Japan seltenen Gastes.

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A small number of Japanese Cranes inhabit Nishibetsu Plain, adjacent to Betsukai-mura, Notsuke-gun, Hokkaido.
The plain is not more than 70 km east of Kushiro, but these cranes and those of Kushiro area seem to make different flocks. They are mainly observed in the swampy field around Parasan and Kanakin villages, and may remain throughout June.

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Dryocopus m. martius occurs all over Hokkaido, but little has been known of its nest. Nest was found at Moeribetsu near Teshikaga town, May 18, 1950. Young had already hatched. The nest was 10 meters from the ground in a dead tree, Ulmus Davidiana planch. It was in a hollow 70cm deep, the nest entrance was 12cm in diameter and the inside diameter of the nest chamber was 27cm. They were four, one male, and three females. Upon fledging the female measurements were as follow: wing 180mm to 210mm, bill 43 to 50, tail 50 to 95.

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In June 1951, the author visited Mikurajima, Izu Is., a well known breeding island for Puffinus leucomelas. The environment, night observation at the nesting ground and the utilization of its meat and fat by islanders are described. The birds have the habit to climb the tree to make off from the island, those in the nest had green leaves and beetles in the stomach beside fluid, egg dates may to June, the chicks leaving the island November to December. About 10000 birds killed a year are important food supply for the islanders and this is well controlled, so that the population of birds seems to be rather increasing.

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In Niigata Prefecture decrease of bird population was apparent this year. Of the widely collected specimens of dead birds, many were attributed to unknown reasons. Some specimens examined by Dr. Watanabe, Niigata University, showed some counts of radioactivity, particularly in the migrants.

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The decrease of birds in Kamo, Niigata, is suggested numerically, particularly in the swallows. From the result of the count examination of radioactivity made by Dr. Watanabe, Niigata University, its influence on birds may not be denied, though not fatal.

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