DOMESTICATION OF OUR WILD BIRDS 



Even the Indians used to hang gourds to their \vi^ 

 warn poles for the martins. The Greeks eelebrated th 

 swallows in poetry and song as earh" 

 as the dawn of authentie history. \\'e 

 cannot afford to lot these deep lines of 

 sentiment and human good fail from 

 our li\-es. I have heaid complaints 

 that our barn swallows are becoming 

 scarce, as though it were due to some 

 inevitable change in natural condi- 

 tions. Look at our barns, and the 

 whole matter is explained. Provide 

 //i'//u-s, where\-er this has been 

 neglected, and swallows will soon be 

 numerous again. It was indeed a 

 pathetic thing to see, as I did 

 recenth', a fine colon\' of barn swal- 

 lows fl\ing round and round a large 

 barn, examining e\'er\- knot, clinging 

 about the too well glazed windows, 

 rmable to find an entrance. Farmers 

 should realize the hot Lla\'s of suffer- 

 ing and anno\'ance from flies, gnats, 

 and mosquitoes which a beautiful col- 

 on\' of swallows would sa\'e. 



The purple martin has been prac- 

 ticalh' driven from our towns and 

 cities b\' the English sparrows. It 

 should be considered no mean public 

 ser\'ice to keep a suitable house 

 clear of sparrows for these beautiful 



Fi 



BlRl' Hl'LSE 



Krected in the schoL>l ^■ard 

 (Upsal.i Streetl. It was 

 t.iken by a pair of tree 

 .-^wallows before it iiad 

 been up an hour 



