H I R U N D O. 



coolness, that he had many times seen them himself 

 ' blaying near the hit'e, and going: sciinip schnatip? bv 

 which 1 understood that it was his bees that had been 

 the sufferers ; and the charge could not be denied." 

 In general, however, the Americans are sensible of 

 the advantages which they derive from these birds 

 in clearing the neighbourhood of their houses of 

 winged ir.sects, which are particularly troublesome in 

 that land of marshes and forests. They arrive in the 

 southern states in February or March, but do not 

 reach the central ones till March or April ; and in 

 more northerly places, for their migration extends 

 nearly to the polar confines of the American conti- 

 nent, they arrive in Ma} r , and take their departure in 

 August. The ornithologist, to whom we are under 

 such obligations on the subject of all such birds in 

 America as come within his notice, has so well de- 

 scribed the accommodations that are made for those 

 interesting little creatures, that we should do them 

 injustice were we to mention them in any words 

 except his own. " The summer residence," says 

 Wilson, ' of this agreeable bird is universally among 

 the habitations of man, who, having no interest in his 

 destruction, and deriving considerable advantage, as 

 well as amusement, from his company, is generally 

 his friend and protector. Wherever he comes he 

 finds some hospitable retreat fitted up for his accom- 

 modation and that of his young, either in the project- 

 ing wooden cornice, on the top of the roof, or sign- 

 post, in the box appropriated to the bluebird, or, if 

 all those be wanting, in the dove-house among the 

 pigeons. In this last case he sometimes takes pos- 

 session of one quarter or tier of the premises, in which 

 not a pigeon dare for a moment set its foot. Some 

 people have large conveniences formed for the mar- 

 tins, with many apartments, which are usually fully 

 tenanted, and occupied regularly every spring, and 

 in such places particular individuals have been noted 

 to return to the same box for several successive years. 

 Even the solitary Indian seems to have a particular 

 respect for this bird. The Choctaws and Chickasaws 

 cut off all the top branches from a sapling near their 

 cabins, leaving the prongs a foot or two in length, on 

 each of which they hang a gourd or calabash, pro- 

 perly hollowed out for their convenience. On the 

 banks of the Mississippi the negroes stick up long 

 canes, with the same species of apartment fixed to 

 their tops, in which the martins regularly breed 

 Wherever I have travelled in this country I have 

 seen, with pleasure, the hospitality of the inhabitants 

 to this favourite bird."-" About the middle, or 20th 

 of April, the martins first begin to prepare their nest 

 The last of these which I examined was formed o 

 dry leaves of the weeping willow, slender straw, hay 

 and feathers in considerable quantity. The eggs were 

 four, very small for the size of the bird, and pure 

 white, without any spots. The first brood appears ir 

 May, and the second late in July. During the period 

 in which the female is laying, and before she com 

 mcnees incubation, they are both from home the 

 greater part of the day/ When the female is sitting 

 she is frequently visited by the male, who also occu 

 pies her place while she takes a short recreation 

 abroad. He also often passes a quarter of an hou 

 in the apartment beside her, and has become quite 

 domesticated since her confinement. He sits on the 

 outside, dressing and arranging his plumage, occa 

 sionally passing to the door of the apartment, as if tr 

 inquire how she does. His notes, at this time, seen 



o have assumed a peculiar softness, and his gratu- 

 dtions are expressive of much tenderness. Conjugal 

 Jclity, even where there is a number together, seems 

 o be faithfully preserved by these birds. On the 

 25th of May a male and female martin took possession 

 of a box in Mr. Bertram's garden. A day or two 

 ifter a second female made her appearance, and stayed 

 or several days ; but, from the cold reception she 

 met with, being frequently beat off by the male, she 

 finally abandoned the place, and set. off, no doubt, to 

 eek a more sociable companion. The purple martin, 

 ike his half-cousin, the king-bird, is the terror of 

 crows, hawks, and eagles. These he attacks when- 

 ever they make their appearance, and with such vigour 

 and rapidity that they instantly have recourse to 

 light. So well known is this to the lesser birds, and 

 to the domestic poultry, that, as soon as they hear 

 the martin's voice engaged in fight, all is alarm and 

 onsternation. To observe with what spirit and 

 audacity this bird dives and sweeps upon and around 

 the hawk or the eagle is astonishing. He also be- 

 stows an occasional bastinadoing on the king-bird 

 when he finds him too near his premises, though he 

 will, at any time, instantly co-operate with him in 

 attacking the common enemy. The martin differs 

 Prom all the rest of our swallows in the particular 

 prey which he selects. Wasps, bees, large beetles, 

 particularly those called by the boys goldsmiths, seem 

 bis favourite game. I have taken four of these large 

 beetles from the stomach of a purple martin, each of 

 which seemed entire, and even unbruised." 



This species is very swift in its flight, and wheels 

 and turns with much rapidity and grace. It comes 

 more into the towns of America than the European 

 swallows do into the towns of Europe ; and along 

 with its familiarity, the neatness with which it avoids 

 passengers and other objects in the streets, is worthy 

 of admiration. It is rather a large species, being at 

 least eight inches in length, and double that measure 

 in the stretch of the wings. The general colour of 

 the upper part is a rich and deep purplish blue, with 

 very brilliant reflections of violet ; but (he wings and 

 tail are brownish black. The tail consists of twelve 

 feathers, is considerably forked and margined with 

 purplish blue. The bilf is very strong, and the open- 

 ing of the mouth large ; the eye is very full and dark, 

 and surrounded by naked skin of a black colour. The 

 legs are very short, approaching in that character to 

 those of the swifts. The female is of nearly the same 

 dimensions as the male, but it differs a little in colour. 

 The prevailing tint of the upper part is blackish 

 brown, with purple and violet only in scattered spots. 

 The chin and breast are greyish brown ; the under 

 sides of the wings of the same colour, but darker; and 

 the belly and vent-feathers are dull white, marked 

 with dusky yellow. 



THE BARN SWALLOW (H. Americana], is another 

 American species which has a considerable resem- 

 blance in its habits to our house swallow. It is a 

 smaller bird, and less powerfully winged than the spe- 

 cies last noticed ; but it is very abundant, and migra- 

 tory, appearing in great numbers in the narrow part 

 of central America, especially about Honduras, dining 

 the rains which occur between the months of October 

 and February, but as soon as the rains are over, it 

 takes its departure for more northerly climates. Some 

 remarks on the habits of these birds, made by Captain 

 Henderson in his account of Honduras, are worthy ot 

 quotation, as pointing out something peculiar in the 



