November, 1920] 



The Canadian Field-Naturalist 



137 



Protection of wild life, animate and inanimate, 

 holds a prominent place in the owner's plans, and 

 there the wild things may find home locaticns suit- 

 ed to their varied needs, and the woods and fields 

 are everywhere vocal with bird song. Among oth- 

 ers. Swallows are abundant, and the great feature 

 of the splendid farm is the group of three enormous 

 Martin houses on cne of the large lawns. Two of 

 these houses are nearly equal in size, about 4 by 7 

 feet, with perhaps 200 domiciles in each. The large 

 one is 8 by 12 feet and contains about 400 domi- 

 ciles. As nearly as one can see, every cavity is 

 occupied, a very few of them with House Sparrows, 

 but practically every one with Martins; which 

 would mean in the neighbourhocd of 800 pairs of 

 these useful birds. At the rate of only four young 

 to each nest, 5,000 birds would need to be fed 

 everyday from June 10 to August 20. Surely the 

 unfortunate insects that form the food of these birds, 

 ought to become scarce, compelling long flights on 

 the part of the parents to supply their young. 



One seems to have an instinctive feeling that 

 Swallows, catching their food on the wing, feed en 

 almost everything that comes along, and that they 

 hunt the whole air in general. Perhaps that is be- 

 cause we have an idea that we would act that way 

 if we had the ability. 



My experience at Chazy, on July 7, 1919, gives 

 me a hint that this rule (of my own imagination) 

 does not invariably apply. Here is a place where 

 Martins are living in vast numbers, and yet, hawk- 

 ing over the lawn by the house, all day long, were 

 Barn Swallows, and Barn Swallows only! 



Why no Martins, and why the Swallows, if no 

 Martins? 



Questions are easier to ask than to answer. 



All one can say in reply is that the Swallows 

 were there, and that the Martins, though nesting 

 absolutely in thousands within a quarter of a mile, 

 were absent. Investigation showed that the grass 

 of the lawn was infested by an insect, less than Yi 

 inch long. Passing the hand over two or three 

 feet of the grass would invariably cause one or 

 mere of these insects to rise from the grass, and 

 after flying never more than eighteen inches high, 

 and four feet in distance, they settled again. This 

 low, short flight accounted for the motions of the 

 Swallows, who were hawking back and forth at 

 from one to two feet over the surface, swerving in 

 their flight at intervals when an insect was to be 

 caught. 



The reasonable explanation is that these insects 

 were very palatable to the Swallows, and unat 

 tractive to the Martins, but why this should be the 

 case is a puzzle. There can be no doubt that the 

 Martins knew of this source of food, because birds 



find out such things with marvellous facility when 

 the facts arc of sufficient interest, but why should 

 an insect be so attractive to one species of bird, and 

 so lacking in interest to another species, when so 

 closely allied? — W. E. SauNDERS 



Prosecutions — ^Micratory Birds Conven- 

 tion Act and Northwest Game Act by 

 Officers of the Dominion Parks Branch and 

 Royal Canadian Mounted Police. 



Migratory Birds Convention Act. 



Francois Mandeville, Fort Smith, Northwest 

 Territories, interfering with a game officer in the 

 discharge of his duties. Fine $10.00 and costs. 



William Goss, Kensington, Prince Edward 

 Island, buying Canada Geese in closed season. 

 Fine $10.00 r::d r^z\:-. 



Austin Fluke, Gaspereau, Nova Scotia, posses- 

 sion of Black Ducks in closed season. Fine $10.00 

 and costs. 



Fred B. Cox, Labrador Coast, Quebec, posses- 

 sion of Ducks in closed season. Fine $10.00 and 

 costs. 



John P. Cox, Halifax, Nova Scotia, possession 

 of Eider Ducks in closed season. Fine $10.00 and 

 costs. 



John Chapman, Mossbank, Saskatchewan, shoot- 

 ing at Wild Ducks in clcsed season. Fine $10.00 

 and costs. 



Charles Elder, Mossbank, Saskatchewan, hun'.- 

 ing Wild Ducks in closed season. Fine $10.00 and 

 costs. 



William Pace, Meadowvale, Colchester Co., 

 Neva Scotia, possession of a Downy Woodpecker. 

 Fine $10.00. 



W. L. Hendsbee, Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia, 

 possession of Gull. Fine $10.00. 



Nicholas Eull, Minnesota, U.S.A., shooting a' 

 Ducks in clcse season near Cudworth, Sask. Fine 

 $10.00 and costs. 



Tilman Landry, 7 Highfield Street, Amherst, 

 Nova Scotia, possession of a Great Blue Heron. 

 Fine $10.00 and costs. 



Lucien Tinant, Oban, Saskatchewan, possession 

 of nine Ducks in closed season. Fine $15.00 and 

 costs. 



Louis Blean, Montcalm Market, Quebec. P.Q., 

 possession of Semipalmated Sandpiper. Fine $10.00 

 and costs. 



Frank Pattenden, Bayfield. Westmoreland Co., 

 New Brunswick, shooting Semipalmated Sandpiper. 

 Fine $10.00 and costs. 



Fern McMorris, Bayfield. New Brunswick, pos- 

 session of three Semipalmated Sandpipers. Dis- 

 missed. 



