350 NOTES ON THE 



primaries about equal, second quill longest, first and third a 

 little shorter; tail moderate, slightly forked; general color, 

 bright carmine; wings and tail velvet black, the quills intern- 

 ally edged with white towards the base. 



Length, 7.40; wing, 4; tail, 3. 



Habitat, eastern United States, west to the Plains. 



Family HIRUKDINID^. 



PROGNE SUBIS (L.). (611.) 

 PURPLE MARTIN 



When the long winters of Minnesota have gone so that the 

 snows have disappeared from the thickets and corners of the 

 fences, and tiny coleopterous insects begin to appear in the 

 air, even though still chilly, the Purple Martin may appear any 

 forenoon, approaching 12 o'clock. It usually does so in com- 

 pany with greater numbers of the White -bellied Swallows. In 

 1870 they both came on the 17th of April, and after skirmishing 

 vigorously about for an hour, and finding no food along the 

 river, departed as abruptly as they came. On the 22d they re- 

 turned in augmented numbers, and went no more away for the 

 season. They soon build their nests in various places, but 

 manifest a strong preference to have them near dwellings. 

 Their readiness to occupy boxes, artificial houses placed on 

 poles, on the eaves of out houses, is a matter of the commonest 

 observation, doubtless for no sentiment toward our species, but 

 because our habits and our habitations attract the larger quan- 

 tities of insects upon which they feed. Yet, like the Chimney 

 Swallows, they frequent the forests, and employ holes in old 

 dead trees in many places familiar to me. They habitually 

 enter the state at the southern border early in April, as Dr. 

 Hvoslef of Lanesboro has the 3d of that month in his record 

 for several years in succession. He also observed the circum- 

 stances of their disappearing again for a few days — once eleven 

 — and then invariably remaining upon their return. The nests 

 consist of fine straw, hay, dried leaves, and feathers which are 

 employed to line it. They lay four pure white eggs, that are 

 almost indistinguishable from those of the White-bellied Swal- 

 low. The first brood is brought out by the 10th of June and 

 another one late in July. 



As a fighter, the courage of this bird has but one approxima- 

 tion, and tkat is in the Kingbird. Crows, ravens, hawks and 



