260 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



housekeeping- before the martins arrive, they are not so 

 jealous of their neighbors. 



Mr. Chester S. Day writes that he has in his back yard at 

 West Roxbnry a pole on which is a house for swallows. He 

 put up a new house only 40 feet away, and about midway 

 between them is a telephone post, on which he placed a num- 

 ber of boxes in which the bluebirds nested earlier in the 

 season. After pair 'No. 1 of the swallows had laid their eggs 

 they made no objection to the nesting of pair ISTo. 2 in the 

 new box, although prior to that time there had been constant 

 fighting. When pair ISTo. 2 had laid their eggs they did not 

 oppose the nesting of another pair still in one of the boxes 

 on the telephone pole. 



Successful Efforts to establish Martin Colonies. 



Early in June, 1907, I spoke in a church at Iladlyme, 

 Conn., to an audience of the villagers. The talk was illus- 

 trated with lantern slides, showing, among other things, how 

 readily birds may be attracted by cheap, easily constructed 

 nesting boxes. At that time there were no martins nesting 

 in that neighborhood and people said that none had been seen 

 there for years. On June 8, three days later, one of the vil- 

 lagers who had attended the lecture saw martins on the roof 

 of the dwelling house of ]\Ir. Lee L. Brockway. The next 

 day Mr. Arthur W. Brockway saw two jniirs there, and at 

 once i3ut up a small bird house on a tall cedar pole. The 

 martins immediately occupied it, and each pair reared two 

 broods that sunnner. . 



Two years later, Avhcn I visited Iladlyme again, there were 

 three houses in that yard, all built by Mr. A. W. Brockway, 

 all well filled Avitli martins, and their musical chattering 

 enlivened the village street. Fourteen pairs were nesting 

 there, and I am informed by Mr. Brockway that ihey raised 

 two broods each this year. Mr. Brockway has built bird 

 houses for others also, and thus increased the bird poj)ulation. 

 His Itoxcs are small and inexpensive, but the martins find 

 them satisfactory. 



]\Ir. T. Warren Jacdlis of Wayuesl)nrg, Pa., has done ex- 

 cellent woi'k liy ]iublisliiiig (lireclloiis for buildiug niaiMin 

 houses and cariiiij' for Ihe birds, as well as bv bnildinu' bird 



