138 HOUSE MARTIN. 



young are hatched both birds sleep in the nest with 

 them, and after the young have flown, the whole of 

 this happy little family with the parents repair nightly 

 to the nest to roost. 



Martins are apparently very fond of one another's 

 company ; as many as twenty and, it is said, in some 

 instances even a hundred nests are built by them 

 close together, forming quite a little town. These 

 birds when they have finished their nests are not 

 infrequently attacked by the House Sparrow, which 

 wishes to usurp the home, and a fight takes place in 

 which, I am sorry to say, the Sparrow is often vic- 

 torious. There is an instance of this recorded in the 

 Zoologist in which, when the Sparrows had obtained 

 possession, the Martins banded together, and, leaving 

 one of their number to guard the exit, brought 

 material and walled the robber in, and so starved him 

 to death. 



As an instance of the fearlessness of these little birds, 

 "Mr. John" writes: "When I was at St. Gilgen, in the 

 Tyrol, with my brothers, in the sitting-room of the inn 

 in which we had our meals were several Martins' nests. 

 The windows were left open, and the little birds flew in 

 and out at pleasure. Perching on the bell-wires, they 

 seemed entirely indifferent to the company, and no one 

 ever disturbed them." 



Two broods are generally reared in the year ; but it 

 is sometimes the case that the last ones get left be- 

 hind to starve, if they are not able to fly when the 

 time for departure comes. 



The eggs, four to six, are pure glossy white and very 

 smooth ; they resemble the eggs of the Sand Martin, 

 but are slightly larger. 



