PURPLE MARTIN 503 



Wliile the, martin is not, in any sense, nocturnal, its notes are some- 

 times heard after dark. One such instance is recorded by Abby F. 

 C. Bates, of Waterville, Maine (1901). She heard martins plainly 

 about 10 p. M. on the moonlight night of August 8, 1900. Mr. Bates 

 heard martins on June 15, 1930, between 2 and 3 a. m. as he was 

 returning home from a late train. These auditors seem to consider 

 this a highly unusual thing, but in the South I have frequently heard 

 martins at night. I once lived across the street in Charleston from 

 a friend who maintained a large martin colony, while just over the 

 back fence was another. I recall hearing the birds now and then, 

 but I never made any series of observations or records of it. How- 

 ever, on looking up my notes under this species, I do j&nd the follow- 

 ing: "Heard martins 'singing' in E. A. Williams' bird-house at 11 

 p. M. tonight." This entry was under date of May 1, 1933. These 

 night notes are of a lazy, sleepy character, which one might expect 

 from birds aroused by some slight disturbance. In no case have I 

 ever heard them in an alarmed or excited nature, simply a low 

 chuckle, or gurgle, indicative of restlessness or temporary wake- 

 fulness. 



Enemies. — The enemies of the purple martin appear to be con- 

 fined to a few other birds and the weather. Certainly man is extraor- 

 dinarily absent as such unless the occasional outbursts of impatience 

 at the roosts can be so construed. Though in so many cases man 

 is Enemy No. 1 to bird life, this is a happy exception indeed. 



The natural enemies of this species are those importations among 

 avian circles, the English sparrow and the starling. Bluebirds have 

 been listed as enemies in that they sometimes compete for nesting 

 boxes, but it is difficult to conceive of a bluebird being an "enemy" 

 to anything, and such interference is inconsequential. However, that 

 the sparrow and starling are, is beyond all doubt. Both of these 

 interlopers cause endless trouble to martins and human friends of 

 the latter who dislike to see their favorites usurped. I often have 

 questions put to me as to how to get rid of them ! 



The quarrelsome dispositions of these trouble-makers are too well 

 known for elaboration. There are instances by the legion where they 

 have appropriated nesting boxes. Specifically, J. K. Jensen, of 

 Wahpeton, K Dak. (1918), mentions that in that area English spar- 

 rows entered the compartments of a martin colony freely and de- 

 stroyed so many eggs that few of the swallows could be raised. Many 

 others in various parts of the country have seen similar occurrences. 



The rapid spread of the starling southward and westward has re- 

 sulted in its becoming pretty much Enemy No. 2, Its larger size 

 and even more efficient methods make it as much if not a greater 



