48 PUEPLE MARTIN 



all claim to his skull, and the Wrens' nest is now 

 on exhibition in the National Museum. 



Original and entertaining as the wrenkins are, 

 they are worthy of respectful consideration for 

 another reason : they bring up their large fami- 

 lies — ^sometimes they raise from twelve to sixteen 

 young in a season — on a diet of worms ; so, 

 whether they appropriate our shoes or our skulls, 

 they should be welcomed to our gardens, because 

 they reduce the insects and increase the family 

 spirits. 



Purple Martin : Progne subls. 



Adult male, shining- blue black. Female and young, upper parts 

 duller; under parts grayish. Length, S inches. 



Geographic Distkibution. — North America ; breeds from 

 Florida and the table lands of Mexico north to Newfound- 

 land and the ^Saskatchewan ; winters in Central and South 

 America. 



As long ago as when Audubon was traveling 

 through the middle states, he reported that 

 " almost every country tavern had a Martin-box 

 on the upper part of its signboard, " and com- 

 mented characteristically : " I have observed that 

 the handsomer the box, the better does the inn 

 generally prove to be." He also found that the 

 Indians hung up calabashes for the Martins, so 

 they would keej:) the vultures from the deerskins 

 and venison that were drying. 



Calabashes are used extensively in the south, 

 and Mr. Nehrlino^ assures us " that the Martin 



