260 BIRDS OP ALABAMA 



small oaks and hickories. It is not a shy bird and is more 

 often found on the lower branches of trees than is the scarlet 

 tanager. The alarm note is characteristic, written by Nuttall, 

 "tshicky-tukky-tvk;" the song resembles that of the scarlet 

 tanager, but is sweeter and lacks the metallic quality of the 

 latter. The nest is placed on a horizontal limb of a tree, from 

 6 to 35 feet above the ground; it is rather shallow, composed 

 of grasses and weed stalks, and is often so thin that the eggs 

 may be seen from the ground beneath. 



Food habits. — ^The food habits of this bird are not well 

 known. Many observers have reported its habit of visiting 

 bee hives and destroying the bees. It is said to feed 

 also on beetles, wasps, tomato worms, and spiders, and on 

 certain small wild fruits, as blackberries and whortleberries. 

 Examination in the Biological Survey of 6 stomachs taken in 

 Alabama showed that the bird has a decided preference for 

 Hymenoptera (bees, wasps, etc.), these insects being present 

 in 5 of the 6 stomachs in proportions varying from 70 to 98 

 per cent of the total content. 



SWALLOWS AND MARTINS: Family Hirundinidae. 



PURPLE MARTIN; BLACK MARTIN; GOURD MARTIN: 

 Progne subis subis (Linnaeus). 



State records. — The purple martin is a common summer 

 resident in all parts of the State, and is known to breed at 

 Elkmont, Sand Mountain, Stevenson, Fort Payne, Gunters- 

 ville. Natural Bridge, Ardell, Tuscaloosa, Abbeville, Dothan, 

 Seale, Castleberry, Mobile and Bayou Labatre. It is one of 

 the earliest of the spring migrants to arrive, having been noted 

 at Carlton, March 4 (1912) ; CarroUton, March 9 (1887) ; 

 Longview, March 9 (1917) ; Autaugaville, March 12 (1913) ; 

 Coosada, March 13 (1878) ; Leighton, March 19 (1890) ; and 

 Sand Mountain (near Carpenter), March 15 (1913). Late 

 in summer, martins gather into flocks preparatory to their 

 southward flight, which takes place quite early in fall. Mc- 

 Cormack observed thousands of them feeding over a pasture 

 at Leighton, August 3, 1889, and during the last few days of 

 that month they were even more abundant; the last seen in 



