TiiK jMartix 37 



to strengthen its walls is another puzzle, for the additional stability which it gives 

 to a Swallow's nest is so considerable ; that, taking a metal dipper filled with ha}- 

 to the top of a chimney, I have onl_v had to lower the edge of the metal pan 

 below the nest and jerk it upwards, to secure the nest uninjured. 



The food of the Martin consists wholly of insects, which it obtains on the 

 wing ; in confinement, however, it readily feeds upon the usual soft food. In the 

 first week of Jul}', 1891, my colleague, Mr. \V. R. Ogilvie Grant obtained a nest 

 of four House-AIartins about a week old, and gave them to me. Following out 

 the mistaken notions of many aviculturists I at first fed these j'ouug birds partly 

 upon raw rump-steak finely minced ; but I also gave them a mixture of carefully 

 selected ants' cocoons, and preserved j-olk of egg, ground up in a mortar with 

 maizena wafers, the whole carefully mixed together, and slightly damped. Upon 

 this diet all four attained their full size, after which they refused the raw meat, 

 but continued to eat the mixture greedily. 



I kept these birds in a basket filled with hay, and several times each da}' they 

 were taken out and encouraged to fly about the room ; but now they began to 

 object to return to the close confinement of their basket ; therefore I purchased a 

 large cage, hung up a cocoa-nut nest lined with flannel in one corner, and taught 

 them to retire to it every evening, or whenever they appeared to feel the cold. 

 At the end of a month the IMartins were able to feed themselves, and, like all the 

 Hinindinida: when accustomed to soft food, they ate far more than was good for 

 them. I now tried a change of diet, giving "Abrahams' Food for Nightingales," 

 damped ants' cocoons, cut up mealworms, and flies ; but it was of no use, for three 

 of them soon died of plethora, and probably, in part, owing to insufficient exercise, 

 although we did our best to encourage them to exert themselves in various ways. 

 One of our plans was to put all four on the ground at one end of the room, then 

 run to the other end and call them : this was the signal for a most comical race, 

 in which at first they ran at a surprising rate though very awkwardly ; but, as 

 they became excited in the race, used their wings, and finished with a series of 

 astounding leaps, finally flying on to our arms, and either running up our sleeves, 

 nestling down in the hollowed palms of our hands, or perching on our shoulders. 

 My son used often to hold one up in his hand, and it invariably sprang up and 

 pecked his nose, but only one of the four would do this. 



x^lthough naturally so greedy, our Martins w^ould always leave their food 

 and fly to us when called ; they could not, therefore, be accused, like most cage- 

 birds, of cupboard-love ; they were also unlike other birds in their fondness for 

 being handled and stroked. 



My fourth bird lived until the morning of September 18th, and became a 



