55 



all the facts I know. I did not set the box up until after the first of 

 April, which was in plenty of time, however. 



At first, about the middle of April, I believe, I saw my first martin 

 of the season flying about the house. The next clay there was a brown 

 one with it, whether a female or immature bird I don't know. The 

 adult males kept increasing in numbers until about a week after the 

 first arrival there were fourteen birds about the house, — all but one, — 

 males in the black plumage. Then they rapidly decreased in num- 

 bers until only one male and the brown one were left. Soon after this, 

 a little less than a week, I think, a number of females appeared, — 

 about ten or eleven. They remained several days, and males appeared 

 again. Not enough to be as many as the females, but about six. 

 Those females who were unfortunate enough not to get males left in a 

 couple of days. There were seven pairs which nested in the box and 

 the young are now flying, so there are from twenty to twenty-five 

 about most of the time. I expect to get another box next spring to 

 take care of the increase. 



I am much pleased with results this year as I had only hoped that 

 I would get one or two pairs at the most — and I feared I would get 

 none. 



Respectfully, 



Newton L. Partridge. 



Beware of the Screech Owl 



A few years ago I thought screech owls were molesting my martins, 

 but upon investigation I observed nothing to substantiate this fear, 

 except on one occasion, when an owl lit on the porch of one of the bird 

 houses, but quickly flew away. As it did not enter a room I concluded 

 my birds were safe; but here comes a report to the effect that the owls 

 do not enter the rooms to capture the birds, but nevertheless satisfy 

 their appetites and are very destructive to a colony of martins when 

 once they begin making visits to the same. 



During the past summer a carpenter from this town was repairing 

 a house in the country, the yard of which contained a well filled martin 

 house. He said he became much interested in the birds, and while 

 watching them in the evenings he observed a screech owl go to the 

 box but did not enter. Later he heard a martin struggle as an owl 



