266 KNOWING BIRDS THROUGH STORIES 



they went to our nearest neighbor, only about two hun- 

 dred yards from our house, and took possession of a new 

 martin house that had just been put up. I became well 

 acquainted with them, for seldom a day passed that I was 

 not at this neighbor's from one to half a dozen times. 

 The martin house was a two-roomed apartment, and of 

 course Flygood and his wife needed only one. Contrary to 

 the habits of the race, they did not invite any of their 

 friends from neighboring colonies to move in and live next 

 door ; or if they did the invitation was not accepted. Never- 

 theless, this pair of martins set up housekeeping in one 

 apartment of the house and immediately began carrying 

 straw and grass to build a nest. 



A pair of bluebirds had had their eyes on this house 

 for some days and were highly displeased when the martins 

 moved in. I do not know why these bluebirds had not 

 already taken possession. They come north at least a 

 month earlier than the martins, and ordinarily would have 

 had eggs or even young birds by the time the martins ar- 

 rived. I do know that they had been visiting this house 

 and twittering and making a great demonstration over it 

 for two or three days. There were three or four families 

 of bluebirds living within a hundred yards of this par- 

 ticular house. No sooner had the martins entered the 

 house than the bluebirds attacked them. One pair of blue- 

 birds is not able to drive away a pair of martins, but no 

 sooner had the war begun than the other bluebirds in 

 the neighborhood came to assist, Flygood and Fleetwing 

 held a twittering conversation, as if trying to decide 

 what to do. They had been driven from our house and it 

 seemed that they might have the same experience here. 

 But they were not minded to give up so desirable an apart- 



