THE OOLOGIST. 



Vol. 3, No. 3. ALBION, N. Y., MAY & JUNE, 1886. \,^:f^rY^:, 



The History of a Bird Box, 



I have relieved the tedium of office hours, 

 :and official duty many times in watching a 

 "bird box, v^-hich a thrifty and bird-loving 

 mechanic had placed on a pole in his little 

 garden just across the road, and directly in 

 front of the window of the room in which 

 I spent a portion of ever}^ da}'. This box 

 was in reality a miniature two-storied, 

 porch encircled house, verj' pretty and 

 hospitable to look upon, with its generously 

 opened doors, gabled roof, and antique 

 •chimneys, pleasing to the eye at any season, 

 but much more so in the green of the year 

 when tenanted by its noisy families of 

 Martins. M}' I5rst introduction to it was 

 on March 10th, 1872, when its builder and 

 owner called me into his workshop one 

 evening to see the result of his handiwork. 

 I suggested that we have it painted, and 

 knowing him to be in moderate circum- 

 stances, offered to defray the expense of 

 of having it decorated ia three colors; then 

 the house was fastened on the top of an old 

 telegraph pole and planted about twenty 

 feet back from the walk in the little garden; 

 thus it was that I became a partner in the 

 iouse, and have been drawing interest from 

 it ever since, a profitable investment for 

 me, as the contemplation of it has helped 

 to beguile many long and weary hours. 



On April 10th of that year a solitarj^ 

 Purple Martin alighted on this house and 

 began to investigate its interior and sur- 

 roundings. I made a note of his coming 

 and watched him daily for a week, then 

 two more males came, and amid much 

 chattering and interchange of opinions, 

 thej' continued to hover about this place, 

 until April 20th, when five females arrived, 

 — had they been members of the human 

 family they would have been much criti- 

 cized, and considered very inmodest to 

 thus follow the males, but in the bird 



etiquette it must be all right, as it is sanc- 

 tioned by custom very generally. On 

 April 22d two more males arrived, and one 

 female, which was just one lady too many. 

 It was very amusing to witness the bicker- 

 ings and pugilistic encounters incident to 

 mating. The extra female tinally left the 

 neighborhood, and all became activ'e in 

 preparing for nest building. I noticed that 

 everj' morning the males and females left 

 the locality and were absent during the 

 gi'eater portion of the day, and even after 

 the nests were finished, up to the time the 

 females began sitting, this unaccountable 

 absence continued. Upon returning to- 

 wards evening they made the air resound 

 with their loud and musical notes until 

 bed time. The honeymoon passed very 

 pleasantly and the nests were all readj- to 

 receive their eggs by May 25th. The last 

 female began sitting on J une 2d. Now it 

 was that the male Martin .showed the great- 

 est advantage in his rapid, graceful, and 

 easily sustained tlight, paying devoted at- 

 tention to his wife, bringing a choice wasp, 

 bee or beetle to satisfy her hunger, and 

 then S)>ending several minutes in arrang- 

 ing his plumage, in caressing his partner, 

 and bestowing all manner of endearments 

 upon her. This every attention at this 

 time was expressive of love, and so contin- 

 ued until about the middle of the month, 

 when we had unmistakable proofs that the 

 young were born. Then he turned from 

 the sentimental to the realities of married 

 life, and both the parents were all anima- 

 tion and activity in gathering sustenance 

 for the clamorous infants. The latter left 

 the nest by July 1st, and became an addi- 

 tion to the little colony. A second brood 

 was raised late in .July, and by August 20th 

 both old and young had left for the South 

 Matters went on in this way without change 

 for four years, each season some Martins 

 returning (presumably the same individu- 



