BIRDS OF PEASEMARSH 



put up for them remain unoccupied for years, 

 not necessarily because the houses do not suit 

 their requirements (though this is often enough 

 the case) , but because no Purple Martins have 

 passed that way to see them. 



The Swallow family is one of the most de- 

 sirable feathered families. Not one among 

 them takes a particle of vegetable matter, their 

 entire food consisting of troublesome insects. 

 A few pairs of Tree Swallows near the house, 

 and some Barn Swallows in the stable, will 

 help much to give comparative relief from flies 

 and mosquitoes all summer long. That they 

 are not more numerous is not surprising when 

 their way is so full of difficulties. Like all 

 birds that get their food from the insects of 

 the air, often they are decreased in numbers 

 during untimely storms which clear the air of 

 insects. Though they have been known to re- 

 sort to the ground to hunt when the insects are 

 too chilled to fly, the flurries of snow which 

 often accompany the storms make this impos- 

 sible. One cannot cultivate the Barn Swallow 

 and his relatives without a growing sympathy 

 for these invaluable birds. 



