32 



JOURNAL OF MAINE ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



others — "One swallow don't a summer 

 make," but he is an assurance that 

 others are just behind — and in a few 

 days they were common. 



This year they seemed a little more 

 plentiful than usual, and soon after 

 they became common a pair was notic- 

 ed around the buildings, evidently 

 considering the problem of a home and 

 family cares. For several days they 

 leisurely looked about, but no choice 

 of situation was made until the 28th, 

 when the first work on the nest com- 

 menced. The situation chosen was a 

 cleat nailed to one of the timbers sup- 

 porting the walk on which the horses 

 traveled in their weary. round on the 

 sweep of the brick machine. As the 

 machine was not then in use, the 

 locality seemed quite suitable and not 

 very unlike the more frequently used 

 bridges. * 



The bird brought the mud, more or 

 less- mixed with roots, from neighbor- 

 ing ditches. Not much was done the 

 first day, but the work progressed 

 rapidly thereafter, and on the second 

 of May .the nest was finished and 

 ready for the eggs. It did not differ 

 much from nests under bridges, save 

 that there was very little ornamenta- 

 tion of moss and lichens, these not 

 being available. 



After the nest was finished the birds 

 disappeared for two days, on a visit, 

 perhaps; but on the morning of the 

 fifth they were back, and the first egg 

 was laid on the seventh. An egg was 

 added daily until the sitting of five 

 was completed. 



By this time it had become evident 

 that the machine would be used before 

 the eggs could hatch, and there could 

 be no doubt but that the bird would 

 desert the nest when work commen- 

 ced, so I took the nest and eggs with 

 the hope— a hope justified by previous 

 experience — that the bird would nest 

 elsewhere in the vicinity. 



The nest was taken on the fifteenth 

 and incubation was begun in all the 

 eggs. The birds did not seem much dis- 

 turbed, in fact, birds seldom are much 

 disturbed over the loss of eggs, though 

 they display much solicitude for 

 young. 



It was a satisfaction to note that 

 they did not leave the locality, and on 

 the 25th the bird was seen carrying 

 building material under the eave of an 

 open woodshed. A little was carried 

 in on the 25th, but next morning an- 

 other commencement was made under 

 the same eave, about four feet from 

 the first. As on the first nest, work 

 was done rapidly, and on the 31st, the 

 nest was ready for eggs No visits 

 were made this time, and the first egg 

 was laid June second. Four eggs com- 

 pleted the sitting and the bird com- 

 menced incubation. 



Every morning from the roof of the 

 shed, we were greeted with the empha- 

 tic "pe-er-wee" of the watchful male. 

 All that the song lacked in music was 

 made up in persistence, indeed the 

 bird seemed well satisfied with his 

 effort, for every note was accompanied 

 with a complacent dip of the tail. 

 Restless and watchful, unlucky was 

 the insect that ventured near, for with 

 a swift dash and a snap of the mand- 

 ibles it was disposed of. 



Steadfastly the mother brooded over 

 her eggs, and on the 20th, just at 

 night, one little, pink, ungainly bird 

 appeared. Four were there next morn- 

 ing, and the task of filling the ever- 

 open months commenced. Back and 

 forth the parents went and many must 

 have been the insects destroyed. The 

 young birds grew rapidly, and when 

 the nest was looked into at noon on 

 July sixth they paused for a moment 

 only, then each went in a different 

 direction and the nest was empty. 



It is doubtful if there were many re- 

 grets at parting with home, for despite 



