EXTRACTS FROM THE DIARY OF 

 OTTO WIDMANN 



NESTING HABITS OF THE PURPLE MARTIN 



Old Orchard, Mo., January 24, 1890. 



There is certainly more to be said about birds than 

 merely to describe the nests and eggs, and it is a real 

 fact that the habits of our birds, even the commonest, 

 are not too well known. For instance, do we not find in 

 some of our best works that the Martin raises two broods 

 in a season, or ' * that it is said to raise even two or three 

 broods in the southern states"? With a better knowl- 

 edge of the habits of the bird such statements would not 

 be possible, considering that the Martin does not com- 

 mence nesting in Louisiana before April, although the 

 first arrives in February. The time required for a suc- 

 cessful rearing of a brood of Martins does not vary much 

 from ten weeks, of which about two weeks are occupied 

 by nidification and oviposition ; two weeks are necessary 

 for incubation; four weeks are passed in feeding the 

 nestlings, and the remainder is spent in feeding, leading 

 and teaching the fledglings. Here in this vicinity the 

 Martins begin to arrive in the latter part of March, but 

 of a record of eleven years the earliest date on which 

 young Martins have left the Martinbox is June 25. 



The following list gives the earliest and latest dates of 

 young Martins leaving the box, t. c, able to fly : 



1878 July 16-July 22 1883 July 14-July 31 



1879 Julv 6-July 12 1884 July 1-July 25 



1880 June 25-July 21 1885 July 3-Aug. 4 



1881 June 25-July 13 1886 July 1-Aug. 8 



1882 July 24-Aug. 7 1887 July 3-July 27 



1888 June 30-July 27 

 Whole number of eggs laid during the season of 1888 

 was 220. Pairs building, 43; pairs laying one set, 33; 



