SWALLOWS. 



Swallows have long, powerful wings, small, weak 

 feet, and wide, gaping bills. Much of their time is 

 spent in the air in pursuit of winged insects, and as 

 they destroy incalculable numbers of flies and mos- 

 quitoes, they are among our most valuable birds. We 

 have nesting here the Barn, Bank, Rough-winged, 

 and Have Swallows, and the Purple Martin. In mi- 

 gration the Tree Swallow is common. 



Purple Martin: Progne subis. 



Length 8 inches. 



Shining blue-black all over; tail but slightly forked. 

 Female duller, and grayish-white below. 

 Resident (uncommon) from April 15 to September; win- 

 ters in Central and South America. 



The unbroken color and large size of the Martin 

 distinguish him from other Swallows. He is a bird 

 that likes the proximity of man and was once very 

 common in Washington, nesting in bird houses, and 

 also numerously in the capitals of the columns of our 

 public buildings, but the aggressive, nagging English 

 Sparrows have driven him away. He is a brave bird 

 and will fight Hawks and Owls so that farmers put 

 up boxes for him in their barnyards as protection to 

 poultry but he cannot endure the persecution of the 

 Sparrows. " Dr. John R. Everhart, of West Chester, 

 Pa., appreciating that his flock of chattering Martins 

 was rapidly diminishing before the' advance of the 



