Extracts from Diary of Otto Widniann 11 



WHERE THE MARTINS ROOST.* 



St. Louis, Mo., September 19, 1884. 

 It is generally known that Martins spend the night in 

 their boxes only during the breeding season. At all 

 other times they sleep in the open air. By taking posses- 

 sion of the box in the early spring the Martin shows its 

 intention to become pater faniilias. All old males take 

 boxes on arriving, as soon as they can find any to suit 

 them. Young males, although several weeks behind in 

 arriving, do not show so much eagerness to own their 

 own box, and even young j)airs prefer camping out until 

 nest-building has begun. Bachelors sleep in the open air 

 all summer, but visit the colony of their brothers and sis- 

 ters regularly in the morning and evening, meddling 

 sometimes with their domestic affairs, playing tricks, 

 and doing real mischief by annoying the young ones. 

 During the breeding season both parents sleep in their 

 box until the young ones have left the box. The first few 

 nights the young Martins are often brought home by 

 their parents. The weather has much to do with it; 

 rainy, windy weather brings home most of them, but as 

 a rule the best parents, those which feed them most reg- 

 ularly and diligently, bring them home safest and long- 

 est, even to a whole fortnight. This home-bringing is 

 attended by much noise-making, and great excitement 

 prevails until the young are safely lodgeil. The parents 

 do not enter the boxes, but one of them watches the en- 

 trance until quite dark, when it hurries off in the direc- 

 tion of the common roost. 



Where is the roost? This is not so easily found out. 

 "When Audubon saw a high old tree covered with Martins 

 after sunset and again the next morning before sunrise, 

 he tliought he would make no mistake by imagining that 

 the Martins sleep on those dead trees all night. But they 

 do not. Those trees are only the meeting place for the 



* Reprinted from Forest and Stream. Vol. XXIII, pp. 183-184. 1884. 



