PASSERES—HIRUNDINID&. 159 
syllables, cluckity chuckity chuck, or chuckity tuckity tuck. 
This tanager’s food is like that of the Scarlet Tanager— 
insects, varied by frequent helps of weed seeds and wild 
fruits in their season. It is distinctly useful. 
It seems to slightly precede the Scarlet Tanager in its 
arrival, appearing during the last week in April and tarry- 
ing well into September. 
Family HiruNnpINniIbD-&. Swallows and Martins. 
Five swallows and one martin spend the summer in Ohio. 
These birds pass most of their days on the wing feeding and 
playing. The martins are less active on the wing, but are 
good flycatchers nevertheless. All of this family not only 
rival but exceed the true Flycatchers as destroyers of fly- 
ing insects, usually feeding upon the insects which fly high- 
er or in the more open fields. Some glean from the top of 
the grass as they fly. A large colony of swallows under the 
eaves of a stock barn is the best friend of the milkman. 
220. (611.) PrRoGNE supis (Linn.). 76. 
Purple Martin. 
Synonyms: Hirundo purpurea, H. subis, Progne purpurea. 
Martin, Purple Swallow, Black Martin, Black Swallow, Great 
American Martin, Blackbird Swallow. 
Kirtland, Ohio Geol. Surv., 1838, 162. 
Dr. Wheaton reported this as an “Abundant summer res- 
ident.” If abundant anywhere now it is not so reported. 
There may still be a few colonies where iarge numbers of 
individuals breed. I have seen more at Lewiston reservoir, 
where we found them nesting in the stumps projecting 
above the water, than elsewhere. But even here they were 
not abundant. It seems clear that twenty years have served 
to greatly diminish their numbers over the entire state. 
What the cause of this decrease may be is hard to determine. 
Many have declared that since both Martins and English 
Sparrows use the bird-houses, and since the sparrows are 
on hand all winter, the Martins find their homes preempted 
when they return, and are unable to regain possession. If, 
