86 BIRDS OF FIELD, FOREST AND PARK 



peace shows signs of bad temper is when at the 

 end of the long journey from his winter haunts 

 in the tropics he finds his home in possession of 

 a squad of noisy English Sparrows. Then there 

 is immediately trouble in camp. If the fur 

 doesn't fly, it is because there is none in the 

 dress of the saucy intruders. As a rule, a very 

 short combat ends the affair and the Sparrows 

 seek other homes. The Martins, their battle 

 won, proceed to pitch out of doors whatever 

 they find, nest eggs, or young, it matters not. 

 Then, in clean quarters, they leisurely build 

 nests of straw lined with feathers, and lay the 

 six to eight pure white eggs. It is needless to say 

 the members of the farmer's household always 

 fully sympathize with the Martins. Sometimes 

 Bank Swallows, being earlier on the ground, 

 pre-empt the quarters of the Martins, and then 

 a family quarrel is started which usually results 

 in a victory for the larger birds. 



So far as I am able to learn, the Martins at 

 present nest wholly in receptacles provided by 

 man. In the South, believing Martins help to 

 safeguard the chickens against attack from 

 hawks, the negroes suspend hollow gourds from 

 the end of tall poles. 



This Swallow is eight inches long. The male 

 has shiny blue-black plumage above and below, 

 the wings and tail being slightly duller. With 

 the female the upper parts are dull black, the 

 under parts brownish gray, the feathers some- 

 what tipped with white. They range north to 

 Newfoundland in summer and winter in Central 

 and South America. 



