MARTIN. 293 



PitoGNE suBis Linnseus. 



3r*iuTple ]\Xartiii. 



Hirundo purpurea, Kirtxand, Ohio Geolog. Surv., 1838, 162 — Read, Proe. Phila. Acad. 



Nat. Sci., vi, ISfiS, 395. 

 Hirundo purpurea, Kirkpathick, Ohio Farmer, viii. 1859, 299. — Wheaton, Ohio Agric. 



Kep. for 1860, 364 ; Reprint, 1861, 6; Food of Birds, etc., Ohio Agric. Rep. for 1874, 



565 ; Reprint, 1875, 5.— Langdon, Cat. Birds of Cin., 1877, 7. 



Progne suMs, Baird, Brewer and Ridgwat, N. A. Birds, i, 1874, 332. — Langdon, Re- 

 vised List, Journ. Cin. Soo. Nat. Hist., i, 1879, 173; Reprint, 7. 



Bine Martin, Ballou, Field and Forest, iii, 1878, 136. 



Hirundo aubis, Linn^us, Syst. Nat., i, 1758, 192. 

 Hirundo purpurea, LiNN^us,' Syst. Nat., 1766, 344. 

 Frogne purpurea, BoiE, Isis, 1826, 971. 

 Progne subis, Baird, Rev. Am. Birds, 1865, 274. 



Lustrous blue black. The female and young are mucji duller above, and more or less 

 white below, streaked with gray. Length 7 or more ; wing nearly 6 ; tail 3^, simply 

 forked. 



Habitat, North America to withiu Arctic Circle. Bermudas. Accidental in Kurope. 



Abundant summer resident. Breeds. Arrives about April 1st, and 

 remains until September. 



The Martin is so nearly universally an inhabitant of towns and cities 

 that it is dilBcult to imagine how it found a home before the presence of 

 m.an afforded a suitable nesting place. Yet some of these birds still adhere 

 to their ancient customs, and rear their young in natural cavities of 

 trees and deserted holes of Woodpeckers, almost within the limits of the 

 city of Columbus. I have found them nesting in Woodpecker's deserted 

 nests in a tall oak at the Columbus Arsenal, and in the cavities of the 

 dead limbs of an elm standing on the bank of the Scioto within the 

 present city limits, and in knot-holes of a walnut tree a few hundred 

 yards south of the last named situation. Whether these were penal 

 colonies, or simply "old fogies," could not be determined, but the young, 

 as they cautiously and painfully crept from their holes to a trembling 

 foothold on the dead limbs, strongly appealed to my sympathy. 



Such are their usual nesting places when no human dwellings afiford a 

 better choice, and for want of trees they sometimes nest in crevices of 

 rocks. In towns and cities they prefer to nest in Martin boxes or "bird 

 houses'' erected for their especial use, and in default of these any shel- 

 tered place about a building will do, though the higher the better. 



The nest is loosely constructed of leaves, straw, bits of string and paper, 

 lined with feathers. The eggs are pure white, and measure .94 by .79. 



After the breeding season is over, these birds congregate towards night 

 in large flocks, and having selected a suitable cornice on some high build- 

 ing, make preparations for spending the night. The retiring ceremony 



