GREY BREASTED MARTINS 333 



or more after they were dodging and darting about in the 

 air, and some even clamored for food after their parents 

 were nesting again. The old birds at first perched beside 

 their offspring, to feed them, but soon — the young birds, 

 learning to grasp the insect with their bills, instead of hav- 

 ing it crammed down their throats — hovered above and 

 forced the young to reach up to seize it when they passed 

 by. Becoming expert in this and being greedy, the young- 

 sters quickly learned to sally forth to meet their parents and 

 take the food from them in the air. It gradually dawned 

 upon them, as time went on, that they might secure their 

 food themselves, as well as from their parents. But this came 

 only after the elders had dropped one or two insects which 

 made the youngsters scramble to secure them before they 

 escaped. 



A few days later the old birds were nesting again. 

 To return to the martins of the bird-house: the young 

 hatched, they were cared for in the orthodox fashion. The 

 entrance to their home was a round opening about two inches 

 in diameter. A cross stick, that projected a foot or more 

 beyond the side of the box, was nailed there, about an inch 

 below, for a perch. 



I watched for the three little ones to make their first 

 appointed trip into the air on the twenty-second daj\ One 

 finally perched in tlie doorway and looked about in a dazed 

 fashion at this new world never before discovered. Casting 

 a look downward, he decided that it was beyond his ability to 

 ever trust himself to the great emptiness beneath. It was far 

 too perilous to attempt the scramble and climb that were 

 necessary to gain the outer perch. So there he remained, 

 while his two brothers or sisters vainly pushed and squeezed 

 to get a glimpse, too. 



The parents hovered about, chirping and urging him to 

 chance it, but he remained immovably placed and answered 

 all entreaties with weak little noises. They gave it up and 

 brought food. AVhen he had received a full share, they tried 



