36 



long journey, having been delayed, and not reaching their 

 destination until 3 p. m. on the 25th. 



Mr. Horton put the Martins in his bird-house, provided 

 with a sliding door, and early on the morning of the 26th re- 

 moved the slides by means of a string. After a half hour 

 the first bird— a male— came out, followed at intervals of 

 several minutes by the other three, the two females being 

 the last to leave. 



The males seemed strong, but Mr. Horton thinks both 

 females were too weak to survive. They were chased by 

 other birds and were seen to fall to the ground. Nothing 

 more was seen of any of the birds until June 10, when a 

 friend of Mr. Horton saw a Martin soaring about in a con- 

 tented manner, a half mile from his bird-houses. 



It is highly probable that the surviving birds stayed in 

 the community during the summer and may return there in 

 the spring. It may also be possible that one or both females 

 revived after their first unsuccessful efforts to soar the morn- 

 ing they were liberated. 



Rearing Young Martins by Hand. 



After years of study and experiment, sacrificing some 

 birds and eggs, and accumulating much data and correspon- 

 dence on the subject, I have satisfied myself that the 

 proper way to establish a martin colony in new communi- 

 ties, if old birds do not take possession, is by rearing the 

 young birds by hand. 



In this way, one would come nearest a realization of 

 his efforts to secure the birds for his own house. The 

 birds should be procured at the nearest colony practicable 

 when they are nearly strong enough to fly. — Perhaps about 

 four or five days before they naturally take wing from the 

 home nest. They should be put in a bird-house in a large 

 light room, where they will have ample space for testing 



