244 BIRD LIFE GLIMPSES 



martins, the rooks, a robin, any of the familiar 

 homy birds, can be fitted into any home, with any 

 person about it. Yet that is not much — or rather 

 it is too difficult. Let any one try, and see how far 

 he gets with it. 



^^ May 17, 1 90 1. — These birds may have inter- 

 communal marriages — or something a little outre. 

 There are the nests of two, under the eaves of one 

 wall of my house, and their owners go, constantly, 

 from one of them to another, entering both. When 

 I say * constantly,' I mean that I have seen it several 

 times. There was always another bird in the nest 

 from which the one flew, and sometimes, if not 

 always, in the one to which he went. Thus there 

 are three birds to the two nests, for I cannot make 

 out a fourth. Also there is entire amicableness, for 

 the same bird, when it enters each nest, in turn, is 

 received with a glad twitter by the one inside. 

 What, then, is the meaning of this .? Are two hens 

 mated with one male bird, and has each made a 

 nest, at which he has helped, in turn ^ Or is there 

 a second male, not yet flown in, but who will resent 

 the intrusion of the other, when he does ^ Nous 

 verrons. It is one of these two nests that is in 

 process of being taken possession of by the spar- 

 rows ; for the deed is not done all at once — * nemo 

 repente futt turpissimus' A martin is in this one, 

 now, when the hen sparrow flies up, and, as she 

 clings to the entrance, out he flies. She fastens 

 upon him, and keeps her hold, for some time, in the 

 air. The martin, as far as I can see, makes no 

 attempt to retaliate, but only flies and struggles to 

 be loose. When he is, his powers of flight soon 



