8 



tinned their twitterings and seemed to be on the most friendly 

 terms with the first pair. 



Not many days had elapsed before the new-comers were en- 

 gaged in nest building. Two pairs were repeatedly disturbed 

 by English Sparrows and one of these went elsewhere to nest. 

 The other pair tried a third time, but only one of the eggs 

 hatched, and this young did not leave its nest until August 

 29th., although the bulk of the birds of this town left for the 

 South on the 17th. The number of young brought to maturity 

 was eleven, and I now considered my martin colony an as- 

 sured fact. 



March 21st., the next year (1897) the first martins put in an 

 appearance. Six were observed, one of which — an adult male — 

 was at my house. April nth. found the birds omparatively 

 common. Ten pair took up quarters in my box, and on June 

 7th., when I went up to count the eggs, nearly all the females 

 were sitting, though one belated pair had their nest only ready 

 for the eggs. Thirty-five young were successfully brought 

 out. 



The number of nesting birds having doubled in two years 

 prompted me to prepare more room for their reception the 

 next spring. So I presume the birds were agreeably surprised 

 upon their return in 1898 to find a new and elegant thirty- 

 four roomed house awaiting them. Nor was this new house 

 superfluous for the number of nesting pairs, taking up quarters, 

 in it was fourteen ; two more than accupied the old box, during 

 this, its third season. Thirteen of the males, taking up quarters 

 in the new box, were young of the previous year, which leads 

 me to believe that all were from my first house. 



On June 6th., when I counted the eggs, there were ninety- 

 seven in the two boxes ; but two nests were incomplete as well 

 as three or four sets, so this number is short, a score or more, 

 of the season's aggregate. Eight birds met death in various 

 ways, two of which were nesting males, which, perhaps, puts 

 the number brought to maturity to between ninety and one 

 hundred. This new house, I erected sixteen feet high, eighty- 



