but some pairs seemed to keep more than one room, and in 

 this way many were deprived of room to nest. 



The birds thus failing to secure rooms gather themselves in- 

 to a compact flock some evening, and after a great commo- 

 tion about the boxes, depart to other quarters or emigrate to 

 some of the newly erected bird houses about town. The fact 

 that the birds leave in a compact body and that they know just 

 where they are going impresses itself more and more each year. 

 It might be of interest to observe in this connection that the 

 birds, taking up quarters in the new houses which I have erect- 

 ed for other parties, take possession during the night or very 

 early morning, and all seem to belong to one flock, and are 

 most all birds of the previous year. 



After most all the young birds were strong enough to soar 

 away with their parents during the day, and again return at 

 evening, much righting and squabbling was indulged in over 

 the possession of rooms, and finally more than a hundred packed 

 the apple tree which had been used the previous year. 



In 1901, sixty-seven pairs nested; and the number of young 

 heads counted two hundred and twenty-five. Of this number 

 at least twenty-five were killed by excessive heat, leaving a 

 total of about two hundred reared this year. 



On May 28, 1902. I took the seventh annual census of the 

 colony with the following results : Rooms occupied, 72 ; con- 

 taining eggs, 50; containing both eggs and young, 2; nests un- 

 dergoing construction. 20 ; total number of eggs and young on 

 this date, 245. After this date I ascended to the boxes only to 

 replace young which had fallen out: so the exact number of 

 eggs laid in the remaining twenty nests was not ascertained, 

 but I feel safe in stating that as least three hundred eggs hatch- 

 ed. Of this number one half died of starvation about the 

 time they were ready to leave their nests. 



Taking the first four years as a basis, and deducting one- 

 fourth in each of the three succeeding years, for probable loss, 

 the colony should have contained over twelve hundred birds 

 at the close of 1902, had I continued to put up new accommoda- 

 tions for them. 



