336 KNOWING BIRDS THROUGH STORIES 



a boy of about my own age, was somewhat of a genius in 

 building and decorating martin houses. He usually had 

 several in his yard and garden, and it was always my envy 

 that martins nested in every one of these. I especially re- 

 member one, a very elaborate martin house with eight or 

 ten compartments in it, and this house never failed to 

 have a pair of martins in each room. The bluebirds never 

 succeeded in driving the martins from any of Milo's 

 houses, and at their place the bluebird's nest nearest to the 

 house was in an old apple tree in the orchard, where a 

 woodpecker had made a hole and built a nest some years 

 before. At our house it was different. The only pair of 

 martins that ever succeeded in gaining possession of any 

 of the houses I put up was the pair that were responsible 

 for the death of Jerry the kingbird. No matter where I 

 put a house, bluebirds promptly took possession of it. 



There were battles royal, however, in both places almost 

 every spring; for if a pair of bluebirds got into trouble 

 over a nesting place, all the bluebirds in the neighborhood 

 came to their help, and the same was true of martins. 

 Doubtless more martins lived at Milo's place than there 

 were bluebirds in the immediate vicinity, while at our place 

 the bluebirds were so numerous that enough martins never 

 came that way to outnumber them. 



The bluebird lays a beautiful light blue egg. There are 

 usually four or six of these, and the birds generally raise 

 three broods of young in a summer. The father is a model 

 husband ; he delights to feed his mate not only during their 

 courtship, but when she is sitting he makes it his business 

 to see that she is well supplied with food; and as soon as 

 the young are hatched, he is so busy all day long catching 

 worms and insects to fill the baby mouths that he doesn't 



