96 Birds Every Child Should Know 



One day, while he was away, a man who 

 was painting a fence for him thought he would 

 surprise him by freshening up the old, weather- 

 beaten pole. Alas! He painted over every 

 precious mark. You may be sure the surprise 

 recoiled upon him like a boomerang when the 

 wrathful inn-keeper returned. However, the 

 martins continue to come back to their old 

 home year after year and rear their broods on 

 little heaps of leaves in every room in the house, 

 which is the cheerful fact of the story. 



These glossy, blue-black iridescent swallows^ 

 grayish white underneath, the largest of their 

 graceful tribe, have always been great favourites. 

 Even the Indians in the Southern States used to 

 hang gourds for them to nest in about theif 

 camps — a practice continued by the Negroes 

 around their cabins to this day. Strangely 

 enough these birds which nested and slept in 

 hollow trees before the coming of the white 

 men, were among the first to take advantage 

 of his presence. Now, in the Eastern United 

 States, at least, the pampered darlings of 

 luxury positively refuse to live where people 

 do not put up houses for their comfort. In 

 the sparsely settled West, however, they still 

 condescend to live in trees, but only when they 

 must, like the chimney-swifts, who, by the way 

 are no relation. Plenty of people persist in 

 calling them chimney swallows, which is pre- 



