72 The Wilson Bulletin — No. 108 



gale would surely briiig down the domicile, but the winds 

 were tempered; and in 1913 again two pairs of birds were 

 brave enough to risk the family cares within such shat- 

 tered, crumbling walls; and again the brood was reared 

 and departed notwithstanding the dropping floor, gaping 

 doors and leaking roof. 



A civic awakening came to our town in the late win- 

 ter of 1913-14 and several boxes were prepared for the use 

 of the martins immediately following their appearance in 

 mid-February. The first arrival in that year was of five 

 birds about 5 :00 p. m. on February 4, and ten more came 

 by 9 :00 a. m. of the following day. 



In my yard I had erected a pole carrying a six-com- 

 partment box, three on either side, with cross arms be- 

 neath which suspended four long-necked gourds, after- 

 wards increased to eight, which were evidently of too 

 small a capacity for the comfort of the birds, for while 

 often used for sleeping quarters, with the exception of the 

 season of 1917 were never used for nesting.^ 



These pioneer birds did not tarry with us and two oth- 

 ers came to my pole February 21. These were a male and 

 a female and came flying slowly from the south about G :00 

 a. m. directly to my box, the female alighting on the top 

 of the pole, the male on a cross-arm. Both seemed ex- 

 hausted and scarcely turned their heads during the period 

 of over a half-hour they were closely watched. The tips of 

 their wings were dropped below the body showing white 

 of underparts above the upper border of the primaries. No 



^ A gourd of proper size and shape, carefully suspended, fur- 

 nishes one of the very best permanent nesting sites for the Purple 

 Martin. Some of my original gourds still hang suspended (Nov. 1, 

 1918) and have weathered all storms since February, 1914. A 

 straight necked gourd, with a body at least eight inches in diame- 

 ter, should be used: By piercing the upper end of the gourd an 

 inch or more below the end and passing a stout galvanized or cop- 

 per wire through, a convenient hanging device is formed that twill 

 last for years. Gourds have been so "used through the South for 

 generations. 



