LAND BIRDS. 543 



entirely of insects, which usually are captured on the wing, although we have 

 frequently seen them alighting on the tops of elms and other high trees 

 where they were evidently picking small insects from the leaves. In one 

 case (July, 1906), through a field glass it was easily seen that the leaves 

 had been eaten by some larva, either caterpillar or beetle, which the birds 

 evidently were eating, but we were not able to determine the kind. The 

 Martin is often accused of eating honey bees and Wilson states that its 

 food differs markedly from that of other swallows in that it consists largely 

 of wasps, bees and large beetles. Being the largest of our swallows it very 

 naturally eats larger insects than would a Barn Swallow or a Bank Swallow, 

 but we know of no reason to suppose that it eats honey bees or other large 

 hymenoptera. Professor Aughey states that in Nebraska it feeds on 

 locusts at all stages of growth, and more generally than any other swallow. 



In its flight it probably excels all our swallows, if not all other species. 

 We do not know that exact measurements of its speed have ever been made, 

 but it often goes several miles from its nest for food and when returning 

 directly it flies with amazing velocity. The Chimney Swift is credited 

 with great speed, but in comparison with the Martin it is ridiculously slow. 



It is a common belief among country people that the Martin brings 

 bed-bugs to its nesting places, and that in this way houses and barns become 

 infested. The only foundation for this belief lies in the fact that a peculiar 

 bug, belonging to the same family as the bed-bug, does infest Martins' 

 nests and is doubtless carried from place to place by the birds. This 

 insect, however, is not the bed-bug and cannot live on other animals than 

 swallows. There is therefore no danger whatever of its infesting dwelling 

 houses. 



Although this species arrives from the south very early it does not 

 ordinarily nest before the latter part of May or the first of June. Not 

 infrequently the young in the earlier nests perish for lack of food during 

 cold and rainy spells and in such cases second broods are often reared. The 

 young are seen with the parents through July and remain about the nest- 

 ing places until within a few days of their departure for the south. The 

 nest consists of leaves (often of willow), grasses and similar soft materials, 

 but not infrequently considerable mud is used as a foundation, or in some 

 cases as a barricade about the opening to the nest. The eggs are three to 

 five, pure white, unspotted, and average .97 by .72 inches. 



In Butler's Birds of Indiana (1897, p. 991) the statement is made that 

 the Purple Martin ''migrates from tropical America both north and south, 

 breeding in the Argentine Republic as naturally as it does with us." This 

 statement we know to be entirely incorrect. Possibly a few of our Purple 

 Martins may cross the equator during the winter, but if so, they do not 

 breed in the southern hemisphere. An allied species, Progne eleqans,, 

 Baird, is found over a considerable part of southern South America, nesting 

 in Argentina and Patagonia and moving northward toward the equator 

 for the winter season, but this l)ird is distinct from our Purple Martin, 

 although it resembles it somewhat closely. So far as we know it has not 

 yet been proved that any species of American bird which nests in the 

 United States ever passes south of the equator to nest, or even that any 

 species of bird nests both in the north temperate and south temperate 

 zones. 



TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION. 



Largest of our swallows; wing nearly six inches; tail decidedly forked, the outer feathers 

 half an inch or more longer than the middle ones. 



