tins (Progne subis), I anticipated a larger number of occupants 

 than actually took possession. For a week after I erected the 

 twenty roomed handsomely painted miniature residence on a 

 ten-foot pole, about sixty feet from our house, not a single 

 bird alighted upon it ; and only once or twice did a bird come 

 down to inspect the outside. This baffled me considerably, 

 for I expected, from the proximity of a small colony, — a hun- 

 dred yards to the north, — a few birds to take up quarters im- 

 mediately. But they did not, and I finally concluded that the 

 box was not high enough off the ground. I therefore lowered 

 it and added three feet to the length of the pole, making the 

 height thirteen feet above the ground. A day or two after- 

 ward a fine old purple male came and spent several hours in 

 specting the entire box, and showed by his actions that the 

 quarters were to his liking. The next morning a female put in 

 an appearance and the entire box was again inspected. Near- 

 ly all that day the female remained quietly in the various rooms, 

 or on the roof, while the male kept up a continuous chatter with 

 his head turned upward, scanning the cloudless sky for his 

 relatives, which he could discover with surprising quickness. 

 When he caught sight of another martin 'though high in the 

 air, he would launch out from the box and hasten to overtake 

 him, and after soaring around for a moment, begin a descent to 

 the box, chirping loudly, and endeavoring to induce the new- 

 comer to come down to his new residence ; but almost with- 

 out exception his efforts were in vain. 



It was near May fifth before the single pair of birds began 

 building their nest, and up to this time, the other martins, 

 soaring about paid but little attention to my new box, rarely 

 stopping on the wing to inspect it. This poor beginning, how- 

 ever, was to have a better ending, for about one week after 

 my happy couple had their nest ready for the eggs, I was greet- 

 ed one morning about five o'clock by an unusual twitter and 

 chatter at my bird-house, and on going out I was delighted to 

 count eight new birds, — the males all being birds of the previous 

 year. All day long, the birds staid close to the box and con- 



