suitable for both bluebirds and tree swallows, and for purple martins, too, if they wished to come, 既适合蓝鸟和树燕子，也适合紫燕，如果它们愿意来的话。

though martins had not nested in Meriden for many years. 尽管马丁已经很多年没有在梅里登筑巢了。

First they wrote to the Department of Agriculture in Washington for a pamphlet called Homes for Birds, and with this as a guide they went to work. 首先，他们写信给位于华盛顿的农业部，索要一本名为《鸟类家园》的小册子，并以此为指导开始工作。

Early in April the little dwelling was ready to put up. 四月初，这座小房子就准备好了。

In appearance it was like an old-fashioned, two-story New England farmhouse, 从外表上看，像是一座老式的两层楼高的新英格兰农舍，

painted white, 漆成白色，

and it was fastened to the end of a stout pole about eighteen feet long. 绑在一根大约十八英尺长的粗柱子上。

The bluebirds had already chosen a hole in the apple tree for their first home; 这些蓝知更鸟已经在苹果树上选择了一个洞作为它们的第一个家；

so for the present they were not interested in any other. 所以目前对其他的都不感兴趣。

But on the telephone wire sat a pair of tree swallows, their steel-blue coats and white shirt fronts glistening in the sunlight. 但电话线上坐着一对树燕子，钢蓝色外套和白色衬衫前襟在阳光下闪闪发光。

As soon as Duncan and his father began to raise the pole into the air, the swallows left their perch, 邓肯和他的父亲刚把杆子举到空中，燕子们就离开了它们的栖木，

and twittering excitedly, flew round and round the little bird house as if they knew that it was for them. 兴奋地叽叽喳喳地叫着，绕着小鸟的房子飞啊飞，好像它们知道这是给它们的。

It had barely come to rest as the end of the pole dropped into the hole which had been dug for it, 还没停下来，杆子的一端就掉进了专门挖的洞里，

when the swallows alighted boldly on the roof and took possession as its first tenants. 燕子们大胆地落在屋顶上，成为它的第一批房客。