FLYGOOD AND FLEETWING 271 



Probably the early settlers got the idea of building mar- 

 tin houses from the Indians. Whether this is true or not, 

 a colony of purple martins living in a yard is a more effec- 

 tive protection against hawks than half a dozen shotguns; 

 for man is usually either too busy or too stupid to see a 

 hawk when it comes, but these sharp-eyed birds are always 

 on guard, and seldom indeed can a hawk slip into the 

 yard and catch a chicken while these birds are about. 



The young birds had been out of the nest at least two 

 weeks before the old birds ceased feeding them. Even 

 then they slept in the home nest every night. 



The mother bird laid five more eggs as soon as these 

 youngsters could fly and their sleeping in the nest never 

 seemed to concern her in the least. Doubtless they were 

 careful not to break the eggs or to injure their younger 

 brothers and sisters when they hatched. They occasionally 

 entered the box in the day time, but I question whether 

 they fed their young brothers and sisters. With many birds 

 one could easily have settled this matter by watching, for 

 had they done so they would have carried the food in their 

 bills ; but martins swallow their prey and then thrust their 

 bills down the young bird's throat and there disgorge the 

 partially digested food. The feeding always occurs inside 

 the house, so mere man cannot tell whether a bird that 

 enters the box feeds the young or not. 



When the second brood of young were able to fly, a third 

 clutch of four eggs was laid. By this time sleeping quar- 

 ters were crowded at night, for the five eggs of the second 

 clutch all matured into fully-grown birds. All seven of 

 the young birds crowded into the nest every evening, 

 but their parents slept next door. It would have seemed 

 more in keeping with our ideas to send the older children 



