AMERICAN PURPLE MARTIN. 259 



that even lads bent upon mischief disturb the favoured 

 Martin. He sweeps along the streets, here and there 

 seizing a fly, hangs to the eaves of the houses, or peeps 

 into them, as he poises himself in the air in the front of 

 the windows, or mounts high above the city, soaring into 

 the clear sky. The flight resembles that of the Hirundo 

 urbica? 



In the Middle States, the nest of the Purple Martin is 

 built, or that of the preceding year repaired and augment- 

 ed, eight or ten days after its arrival, or about the 20th of 

 April. It is composed of dry sticks, willow twigs, grasses, 

 leaves green and dry, feathers, and whatever rags he meets 

 with. The eggs, which are pure white, are from four to 

 six. Many pairs resort to the same box to breed, and the 

 little fraternity appear to live in perfect harmony. They 

 rear two broods in a season. The first comes forth in the 

 end of May, the second about the middle of July. In 

 Louisiana, they sometimes have three broods. 



Bill stout, black; head, neck, back, upper tail-coverts, 

 and all the under surface of the body shining purple-blue ; 

 wings and tail-feathers black, the primaries edged with 

 brown ; the wing-coverts tinged with blue ; legs and feet 

 blackish-brown. Whole length six inches and three-quar- 

 ters ; wing from the carpal joint to the end of the longest 

 feather five inches and a half. The female with the upper 

 parts paler, and tinged with grey, the lower parts light 

 grey, longitudinally streaked with black. 



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