May, and, though generally distributed, is nowhere abundant (T. Mcllwmith in
‘ Birds of Ontario ’).
“ Toronto. Common and breeding about here.
“ April 16, 1887. Purple Martins arrived.
“ April 20, 1888. Purple Martins arrived.
^^Ellora. Summer visitant iu some localities {Hon. Chas. Clarice).
Bruce Co., central region. Summer resident (JF. A . Schoenau).
“ Galt. I found this sjieeies very abundant here in 1878.
“ Millhrook. Summer resident, tolerably common ; noted first arrival 15tb April
188Ó {G. Soothei'an).
“ Coboconk. Noted by myself as common there in June 1885.
“ Beterhoro'. Common {Bee. Vincent dementi).
“ Yarker. Summer resident, common April 8tli to May 1st {John G. Eicart).
''Kingston. Common (Dr. C. K . Clarke).
“ Distribution in Province o f Quebec -.
''Montreal. Summer resident, tolenibly common [ÌV. 7V. Dunlop).
“ County o f Quebec and north to Lake St. John. Summer resident, rare {John
Neilson).
" Distribution in 2Ianitoba and the Korth-icest :
Carberry. Common, breeding ; noted only where there is large dead timber.
“ Winnipeg. Summer resident, common {li. H. Hunter).
“ Portage la Prairie. Somewhat common (C. JF. Nash).
".Lake Manitoba. Occurs [Prof. J. Macowi).
“ Pembina liiver in Southern Manitoba. Here on 17th May, 1882, I found a
hollow tree about which several pairs were ilying.”
Professor Coues writes;—“ I was rather surprised to find Martins breeding on
Turtle Mountain, having observed none at Pembina. In this locality, where thera is,
of course, no artificial convenience for the purpose, they must nest in Woodpeekers’ holes
and similar cavities of trees, as they do in other parts of the West where I have observed
them. This wixs the only locality where the species was observed, though it is known to
extend to the Saskatchewan region.”
In South-eastern Dakota Mr. Agershorg says : “ Common every summer ; it is found
only in our towns, and not mot with in tho country.”
Mr. Ilhoads has included the present species as an inhabitant of British Columbia,
but it does not occur iu Mr. Chapman’s paper, nor does Mr. J. K. Lord appear to have met
with it. Mr. Fannia states that tho Purple Martin is a snmmcr resident to tho east of the
Cascade Mountains. Mr. Bolding believes that the bird referred to is Progne hesperia
aud not P . purpurea. It would therefore probably he P . hesperia, which is recorded
by Mr. Lawrence in his paper on the birds of Gray’s narbour, in Washington County, as
ia, in relation to P.breeding at Olympia, hut the range of P. i purpurea, is not yet
sufficiently worked out.
Dr. P. L. Hatch gives the following note on the present bird in Minnesota :—“ Wlieu
the long winters of Minnesota have gone, so that the snows have disappeared from the
thickets and corners of the fences, and tiny Coleopterous insects begin to appear in the
air, even then still chilly, the Purple Martin may appear any forenoon approaching
twelve o’clock. It usually does so in company with greater numbers of tho M’hite-
bellied Swallows. In 1870 they both came on the I7th of April, and after skirmishing
vigorously about for an hour, and finding no food along the river, departed as abruptly
as they came. On tho 22nd they returned in augmented numbers, and went no more
away for that season. The species is nearly universally distributed over the State. It
leaves the whole country almost simultaneously between the 20th and 25th of August, in
company with tho White-bellied Swallows. Years of record show that they have left the
vicinity of Minneapolis either on the 23rd or 2-ltli of that month.”
Mr. Washburn, when referring to this species in his notes gathered on his second
trip to the Bed Eiver Valley, says:—“ This species occurs about Mille Lacs, where
the farmers provide boxes for them. The great majority, however, nest with
the Gulls on an island called Spirit Island by the Indians, lying about two , miles
from the south-eastern shore of Lake Mille Laos. Here large numbers lay their
eggs in the sand—in the crevices and fissures of the rocks, and serve as allies in
driving away tho Havens and other birds disposed to prey upon tho eggs and youn-
ot the Gulls.”
Throughout Illinois and Indiana it is plentiful in summer, aud the same may
ho said of all the New England States. Mr. Stearns, in his ‘ Now England Bird-
Life,’ writes as follows;—“ A common summer resident, almost imiversally nesting
nowadays in tho boxes provided for its accommodation, or equivalent retreats about
buildings. The distribution of tho species, though in nowise dependent upon fauual
considerations, is influenced by other conditions which cause the bird to he irregularly
dispersed in New England, and rare or even wanting in many localities where one would
expect to find it. I am inclined to think that hero and elsewhere in the Hnitod States
the Martin is not, on tbo whole, so very numerous as we suppose. Wherever it occurs,
the size of the bird, its striking colour, the noise it makes, and its activity and domesticity
conspire to render it an object so conspicuous that we unconsciously acquire .an
exaggerated idea of its general abundance. It, moreover, appears to be somewhat ou the
decrease in Now England, from some cause not well understood. Its loquacity is au
annoyance to many persons, and hospitality is frequently denied; though the bird is
certainly a serviceable one in the work of holding insects in cheek—vastly more so than
its inveterate enemy, the European Sparrow. Tho Marlin originally built in hollows of
trees, as the White-hellied Swallow still does, but is now seldom, if ever, known to nest
except in artificial receptacles. It reaches us late in April or early in Mav, and leaves
early in September. Two broods are commonly roared, the first set of eggs being laid iu
■Iu