26 



birds had a very successful year in their remarkably high 

 aerial castle. 



After your efforts to establish these birds once result in 

 success, you are assured of their continued return each year, 

 as long as you give them proper attention and protection, 

 and as long as the birds do not meet death in some way. 



Row to Get the Birds. 



That is the question. You must first build your bird 

 house and experiment by erecting it in a conspicuous place, 

 and wait for the birds. Keep out the sparrows, and if no 

 Martins come the first year, try a second or a third time. 

 In new territory the box should be up early in April, to at- 

 tract passing migrants, but near old colonies, the latter part 

 of that month is soon enough to put up a box. 



If you are interested, it is well worth an effort to try to 

 establish the birds, and a man or boy with two good eyes and 

 strong, active arms, has plenty of leisure time to build a 

 bird house. My friend, Mr. John T. Timmons, of Cadiz, 

 Ohio, is blind, but he built an elaborate bird-house for his 

 residence grounds, that he might hear these fine birds, al- 

 though he could not see them. He was successful, and 

 writes me of the great pleasure he has of listening to the 

 babbling warble of the birds. 



In conclusion, I wish to give the results of my experi- 

 ments in re-establishing these birds in communities far from 

 my breeding colonies. 



Several years ago, I sent a gentleman in Elmira, N. Y. , 

 a pair of old birds which he liberated, but not according to 

 my instructions, which might not have succeeded anyway. 

 He never saw the birds again. 



For several years I sent Martin eggs to Chas. H. Kings- 

 bury, Barnard, N. Y., to be hatched in Barn Swallows' 

 nests. In nearly every instance the eggs hatched, but acci- 

 dents befell the young birds. At another time I sent eggs 

 to W. C. Horton, Battleboro, Vermont, to be hatched in the 

 nests of Tree Swallows, which had taken possession of his 

 deserted Martin house. These eggs hatched, but after two 



