138 Contributions from the Charleston Museum. 



days, it was followed again by a very severe cold wave accom- 

 panied with snow. Although the Purple Martin had arrived 

 before the advent of the second blizzard, I did not observe any 

 dead birds, despite the fact that insect life was absent for at least 

 three or four days. On April 14 and 15, 1907, however, large 

 numbers died from cold and starvation during the prevalence 

 of gales and cold weather. 



The Martins breed in boxes and gourds which are erected for 

 them, but I have also observed them breeding in woodpecker 

 holes in dead pine trees near settlements. The nests, which 

 are composed of a few leaves and grasses, are built towards the 

 last of April, and the eggs are laid in some forward seasons dur- 

 ing the first week in May, but as a rule the birds begin to lay 

 about the middle of the month. The eggs are four or five in 

 number and are pure white, measuring .98X.73. 



Although Audubon says that this very familiar species "fre- 

 quently rears three broods whilst with us," it certainly does not 

 raise more than one in the vicinity of Charleston, unless the eggs 

 have been taken or destroyed, when the birds will lay again. 



The young are able to fly by the last of June and the whole 

 colony resorts to pine woods during the day, returning late every 

 afternoon to the boxes in which they were raised, for at least 

 two weeks or more, when they migrate southward. During the 

 autumn migrations I have frequently observed countless thou- 

 sands of these birds which resorted to the grounds of Mr. D. C. 

 Ebaugh in Charleston, to spend the nights among the tall trees 

 in his beautiful garden. The numbers of the birds were so great 

 that limbs were actually broken from the trees and the noise 

 produced by such a multitude resembled the sound of escaping 

 steam. At irregular intervals the birds resorted to the live oak 

 trees in White Point Garden in the city of Charleston to spend 

 the nights, but they had become such a nuisance that the author- 

 ities resorted to the "water cure," which was thrown upon them 

 by a hose attached to a hydrant. This severe treatment of these 

 valuable insectivorous birds seriously reduced their ranks, but 

 it was considered necessary to exterminate them on account of 

 the pleasure-seekers who nightly visited the Battery! These 

 birds were without doubt migrants from points far to the north- 

 ward of South Carolina as the resident breeding birds migrate 

 late in July. 



