annual overflow of birds from my colony which go else- 

 where to nest. 



In 1903 nearly eighty pairs nested, notwithstanding a 

 period of cold, rainy weather the previous year killed about 

 half the young. A similar fate befell them again last sea- 

 son, but it occurred at hatching time and most of the birds 

 rebuilt immediately and reared late broods. 



To secure a good colony of Martins it is necessary to 

 guard against certain enemies, chief among which, at the 

 present day, is the English Sparrow. These birds kill the 

 young Martins and throw them out, and will also carry out 

 the eggs and drop them, and in a short time will render the 

 rooms of the bird-house untenable for the Martins by carry- 

 ing in the nesting material and packing it so tightly that 

 hard pulling with an iron hook is required to dislodge it. 

 The makeup of a Martin's nest is so different from that of 

 a Sparrow's that it cannot use a room in which the latter 

 has nested. For shooting the pests I use a 22 calibre rifle 

 and long shells loaded with dust shot which is effective up 

 to 50 or 60 feet. 



Another enemy of the Martin is the domestic cat. 

 Watch her, for when the male Martins get to fighting they 

 nearly always fall to the ground where "tabby" is lying in 

 wait. The sooner you can telescope the lurking cat with a 

 solid shot the better your Martin colony will thrive. I have 

 been obliged to kill cats on three occasions for killing my 

 Martins, and a neighbor informed me that a cat had cap- 

 tured two of his four nesting males at one strike. Along 

 with the cat, the owner of a colony of Martins must keep 

 his eye on men and boys who run about shooting birds. He 

 cannot use the shot gun on these, but there is a state law 

 which will reach them, and its enforcement once will have a 

 wholesome effect on other shooters. The Bluebird is no 

 longer a very great enemy, although I know of two or three 

 instances, during the past summer, where they bothered the 

 Martins. A pair of Bluebirds nested in small boxes I put 

 up for them, within fifty feet of my Martin houses, the past 



