Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1907-06-13
5UaIIoUs 5tmong Our Most Useful Of 8irdsI

\.
bank swallow, as its name implies,
nests in sand banks in holes OF its
own digging Some farmers in the
northern states take special pains TO
protect their colonies of bank swa'-
lows, from the marauding boy and
pains to excavate suitable banks on
their farms and devote them to tn ;
exclusive use of the swallows Gravel
and sand BANKS are so numerous
throughout the north, especially in
New England that at trihing expense
the number of colonies of bank swal
lows may be vastly increased, to the
advantage of every farmer north and
south, and to that of every natlra
lover as we'll.
Cliff swallows. The curious pouch
shaped mud structures of the Cliff
swallow, attached under caves or to
the face of cliffs. are a sight familiar
enough in the northern and western
states. but in the cotton states, save
Texas alone. they are wanting. the
bird that makes them being eXclu-
sively a migrant. The English spar
row persecutes also the cliff swallow:
hence, in the North, the bird is much
less common than formerly. Under
the mistaken idea that cliff swallows
are not desirable nuighbors, the nests
especially when near houses, are often
destroyed and the birds driven away.
All birds are more or less subject to
parasites, especially when nesting,
but the parasites are not bedbugs nor
the kinds obnoxious to man, and no
one need Danish the swallows for Gear
of trouble from this source. In CIR
many the presence of swallows around
! houses is so much desired that artiti-
cial nests made of clay or other mate
rial are put up in order to attract
BIRDS by saving them the labor of "On-
structing their own dOmiciles. No
doubt our own cliff swallows would
! be quick to RESPOND 10 a similar offer
of ready-made dwellings, rent-free, and
in this way the range Of this e..trene-
! ~ useful species might be materially
increased. The cliff swallow is one
of the most interchangeable insect dc
stroyers eXtant, and every motive OF
patriotism and humanity should
prompt communities among which
they live to protect and foster them
in every possible way.
Purple martin. This, the 1arges
and in many respects the most beau
t:fuI Of all our swallow tribe, is the
most local and the least numerous. In
New England and perhaps III most Of
the northern states generally, this i"e
bers. The English sparrow often
takes possession of its boxes, ruth
lessly kills the young martins OF
throws out the eggs and usually SIC
ceeds in routing the colony and ar
/, pTopr.ating the boxes. When meas
low nuisance in the immediate vicinity
Of martin colonies, the usual result is
that the martins are forced to abandon
their houses. The habit of putting III
houses for the accommodation of mar
tin colonies is not as common in The
, north as it formerly was, and to this
Indifference to the martins presence
to persecution by the sparrow, ait
to losses due to the prevalence O
cold storms during the nesting season
no doubt, is due the present scarcity
) of the bird
Simply to put UP martin boxes il
/ localities where the birds do not nov
: live may or may not ultimately result
= in the formation of new colonies, fO1
} the martin is conservative by nature
5 and loves its birthplace to well tC
coIonize strange localities unit
] forced away by lack of accommOda
l tiCns in the old home. More active
= measures, therefore. have been 5ug
gested to induce colonization, particu
7 jarly the transfer at night of one o.
mere martin houses, with both par"n
birds and nestlings, from their OlC
homes to new ones.
Having their nest'rgs to care TO
the old birds probably will not alway'
i; desert them. but are likely to resume
t parental duties i'll the strange neigh
' bOrhOOd, especially if the cd home q
] far distant. The theory is that tn,
, following spring on their return from
: the south the young martins. ant
3 possibly their parents, will go bacl
to the new home. AS the young cal
I be raised by hand without seriou
, difficulty, it may prove easier to star
+ the new colony with nestlings alone
: feeding them on meal worms, grass
+ hOppers. and the like. Six or eigh
! pairs can well be spared from a stron:
5 colony without unduly weakening il
=. This method promises well, and
D the experiment can be tried from
f year to year, even on a small scale
gradual increase in the number o