ment, happiness, prosperity are here, and the cheerful, social twitter of the martins and their industrious habits are a continual sermon This House Renahan Purple Martin Colony House No. 3. from the air to their brothers of the earth. The only note of discord in one of these happy colony houses is from the pugnatious English sparrow, who covets the comfortable homes of the martins and tries to evict the rightful owners and substitute his harsh, disagreeable chatter for their pleasant voices." This bird is a valuable insect destroyer, living entirely upon winged insects, captured while a-wing. The number of insects destroyed by these birds in the vicinity of a thriving colony must be very great. The purple martins love the house of their nativity, and will return year after year to their old home, as long as surrounding conditions are favorable. A few years ago the writer erected a two-roomed martin box in an effort to establish a colony of these cheerful birds. Although late in the season (May 23rd), a pair of martins came to the house about two hours afterward. They stayed but a short time and were not seen again until May 26; thereafter, they were seen every day until June 9th, when they started their nest. This pair of martins were closely guarded, and were given absolute protection from persecution by English sparrows. However, about this time a new question presented itself. The martin box was situated close to the orchard and three pairs of king birds had already located therein. They made life miserable for this pair of martins, constantly harrassing and chasing them. Finally they got so bold that they would perch on the martin box, and the instant a martin left the box there would be a chase swift and furious. After giving the matter much thought, I concluded that the balance of nature had been destroyed, and if I wanted this pair of martins to rear a brood successfully it was my duty to restore it. For it is an established fact that certain birds, while beneficial to themselves, may become harmful if allowed to increase too rapidly, and seriously interfere with the rights of other birds. Encouraged by my success, little as it was, the following winter I built a martin house containing eight rooms. Spring brought the first martin to my place on April 14th. In due time the two rooms in the original box were occupied. There seemed to be a few extra martins about the new house, but the nesting season closed and I had just two pairs, which occupied the original tworoomed box. They were not satisfied with the new house. In building it I had made the rooms as large again as they should have been. The following winter I remodeled the house, making sixteen rooms, where before there had been but eight. The following spring the first martin came to my house on April 17th. They were pleased with this house, as remodeled, and eleven pairs nested this season. From one pair the first season, the fourth season found twenty-four pairs nesting in my bird house. Thus by giving the birds the protection they deserved, I had in four years established a thriving colony of martins, that have greatly interested my neighbors, and the whole community, very few members of which had any knowledge of such a bird as a purple martin. The habits and social disposition of this bird make it possible to increase the size of the colony by the addition of new nesting It is my opinion that new colonies may be established anywhere in Indiana. It is certainly worth the while to make an effort. Martins are not fastidious about the outward appearance of their dwellings. An old weather-beaten box is just as acceptable as a more expensive or ornamental one, provided, of course, that the compartments are of the proper size. Make each compartment about six inches square, or five and one-half inches wide, seven inches from front to rear, and seven inches high, with an entrance hole two and one-fourth inches square, or if round two and one-half inches in diameter, placed one inch above the floor. The rooms may be made triangular, or any shape, but remember to have them contain about the required amount of space. A perch is convenient for the martins. No. 8 or 9 wire, bent in the shape of a horseshoe and fastened beneath the entrance hole makes a very desirable one. I use this wire perch on most of my bird boxes and term it the twentieth century perch. Erect your bird house in a conspicuous place, from twelve to sixteen feet above the ground, or if it is necessary to place the house on a building, raise it three or four feet above the roof, as the martins invariably leave the house with a graceful downward curve. In this latitude (41° 30') from the first to the fifteenth of April is the proper time to erect your martin house. Keep the English sparrows away and have patience. It may be several weeks before you are greeted with the cheerful warble of these fine birds. I have had them start their nest as late as June 10th, and rear their brood successfully. Do not get discouraged and give up. If you should not succeed the first year, try again, and again if necessary. When you have once established a colony of these birds you will never regret the little trouble, "which is returned many times over in the beauty and cheer thrown around your home by the presence and jubilant song of these charming birds." THE SCREECH OWL. While trying to establish a colony of martins it is well to keep on the watch for screech owls. On the evening of May 14th, 1910, I had watched my martins return for the evening. They had all entered the houses and were quiet, with the exception of an occasional satisfied twitter. It was almost dusk when I noticed a form glide swiftly and noiselessly from the orchard and alight on the outer branches of a tree about eight feet from one of my martin |