b lo c k in g u p th e e n tra n c e . A s im ila r c u r io u s v a r ia tio n in tb e n c s tin g -h a b its o f th e
A la r tin h a s a lso b e e n n o tic e d in th i s c o u n try , fo r o u r fr ie n d A ir. H ow a rd S a u n d e r s
in fo rm s u s t h a t in J u n e , 1 8 9 3 , h e w a tc h e d a co lo n y o f th e s e b ird s o n th e P em b ro k e s h ire
c o n st, w h ic h h a d t h e i r n e s ts in s id e tlie fis su re s o f th e ro c k s , a u d com p le teh j .out o f s ig h t.
H o w a tc h e d th e b ird s for a c o u p le o f h o u r s w itli t h e a id o f a p ow e rfu l b in o c u la r , a n d
saw th e s i tt in g b ird fed a n d a f te rw a rd s " re lie v e d g u a r d ,” b o th b ird s c om in g o u t a n d o n e
r e tu r n in g . T h e fly in g b ird s c om p le te ly d is a p p e a re d w ith in th e c r e v ic e , a n d th e s i tt in g
b ird n e v e r a p p e a r e d a t th o e n tra n c e , so t h a t th e n e s t m u s t h a v e b e e n som e way in s id e .
By la n d in g i n th e b a y b e low th e c ra g s , h e w a s a b le to o b se rv e w i th c e r t a in ty t h a t th e r e
wa s n o t in t h a t cliff a s in g le e x t e r n a l n e s t ; a l l w e re in fis su re s . T h is c o lo n y co n s is te d
o f a b o u t tw e n ty p a irs , a n d th e r e w e re o th e r s in a lm o s t e v e ry g u lly , b u t n o n e so ea s ily
o b s e rv e d a s th e o n e m e n tio n e d , n e a r N ew p o rt, P em b ro k e sh u -e .
I n E n g l i s h tow n s a n d v illa g e s th o m u d - b u i l t n e s t o f th e A la r tin is u s u a lly p la c e d
u n d e r th e o v e rh a n g in g e a v e s o f a h o u s e o r c o tta g e , a n d th e l i tt l e a r c h i t e c t s m a y b e se e n
in s p rin g -tim e b u s i ly e n g a g e d a t t h e p u d d le s in th e ro a d o r a t th e sid e s o f p o n d s ,
c o lle c tin g th e n o d u le s o f m u d w i th w liich th e y b u ild t h e i r n e s ts . T h e s e a r e g e n e ra lly
b u i l t iu th e sh a p e o f a h a lf- c n p w i th a n a p e r tu r e n e a r th e to p , a u d th e in te r io r is lin e d
w ith d ry g ra s s a n d a few f e a th e r s . A b o u t t h e l a t t e r th e A la r tin seems to b e v e ry c a re fu l
to h a v e e n o u g h , a s w ill b e s e e n b y t h e n o te g iv e n b elow. T h e g r e a t e s t e n em y to th o
p e a c e o f th o h a rm le s s a u d u s e f u l l i tt l e A la r tin is th e m isc h ie v o u s S p a rrow , wh o o fte n
e n te r s in to t h e la b o u rs o f th e h a r d -w o r k in g l i t t l e p a i r a n d a p p r o p ria te s th e n e s t, th o u g h
in s ta n c e s h a v e b e e n re c o rd e d in w h ic h th e m em b e rs o f a c o lo n y o f A la r tin s h a v e u n ite d
to g e th e r a n d w a lle d u p th e i n t r u d e r w ith in tb e n e s t w h ic h h e h a d so ru th le s s ly
a p p ro p ria te d .
A m o s t fe rv e n t p ro te c to r o f t h e A la r tin in th is c o u n t r y w a s th e l a te C o lo n e l
l lu s s e l l, o f S tu b lie r s , n e a r l lu m f o r d . O n e o f th e a u th o r s o n c e p a id a v is it to th is
g e n ia l o ld n a tu r a l i s t a n d s p e n t a c o u p le o f p l e a s a n t d a y s in h is so c ie ty . D r iv in g
from th e s t a t io n to th e H a ll , a d is ta n c e o f a few m ile s , w e p a s se d s e v e ra l fa rm s o n th e
C o lo n e l’s e s ta te , a n d liis e s tim a te o f th e in te llig e n c e o f h is t e n a n ts se em e d to h e iu p ro p o rtio
n to th e e x t e n t in w h ic h e a c h f a rm e r b a c k e d u p h is e fforts to p r o t e c t th e A la r tin s a n d
e x t e rm in a t e th e Ilo u s e -S p a rrow s . AVe h a d n o t th e n h e a rd o f th e A la r tin - lo v in g c u tliu s ia s ra
o f o u r lio st, b u t , s i tt in g u n d e r th e sh a d e o f th e h o u s e o n t h a t b e a u t if u l s um m e r ev e n in g ,
w e lis te n e d to liis a r g um e n ts in f a v o u r o f th e A la r tin , w h ile o u r p o s tp ra n d ia l t a lk to o k
p la c e to th e a c c om jia n ira e n t o f t h e c r o o n in g tw i t te r o f d o z e n s o f A la r tin s in th e n e s ts a
few fe e t a b o v e o u r h e a d s . T h e n e x t m o rn in g w e ac com iiau io d o u r h o s t in h is r o u n d of
v is its to th e v a rio u s c o lo n ie s w h ic h flo u rish e d u n d e r h is p ro te c tio n , a n d h e e x p la in e d to
u s t h a t a s th e r e w a s n o p ro p e r c la y fo r n e s t-b u ild in g w itliin a q u a r te r o f a m ile o f th e
h o u s e , h e w a s o b lig e d to f e tc h a s u p p ly w h ic h b e d e p o s ite d n e a r th e e d g e o f a n e ig h b
o u r in g p o n d ; a n d b is firs t d u ty e v e ry m o rn in g w a s to m o is te n th i s c la y w i th w a te r , so
t h a t th e b ird s s h o u ld a lw a y s h a v e a s u p p ly o f p ro p e r m a t e r ia l fo r th e b u ild in g o r r e p a ir
o f th e i r n e s ts . T h is p ro c e e d in g o n th e j i a r t o f th e C o lo n e l was th o ro u g h ly u n d e r s to o d
b y b is l i tt l e p e ts , a few o f w h om , u ttd e tc n -e d b y o u r p re sen ce , im m e d ia te ly d e sc en d ed a n d
flew aw a y w ith som e m o rse ls o f c la y . A t t h e tim e o f o u r i-isit, h ow e v e r, th e n e s ts we re
n e a rly a ll com p le te d , a n d in fa e t m a n y o f th em c o n ta in e d y o n n g b ird s ; b u t in c a se a n y o f
h is fa v o u rite s s h o u ld r e q u ir e m a te r ia l fo r th e w a rm l in in g o f th e i r n e s ts , th o C o lo n e l led
th o w a y to a h a y - lo f t, th o w in d ow o t w h ic h ho o p en e d ; ta k in g a la rg o b a g o t d u c k ’s
fe a th e r s in h is h a n d h e w h is tle d to th e b ird s , a n d b lew a h a n d f u l o t th e so ft fe a th e rs
in to th e a ir. T h e r e w a s a n im m e d ia te d e s c e n t u p o n th em , m a n y o f th e b ird s seiz in g th e
fe a th e r s w ith in a y a r d o f o u r fa c e s a n d c a r ry in g th em off to lin o th e i r n e s ts . ^ T h e r e was
a la rg o old -fa sh io n e d D o v e -c o t in th o f a rm y a rd , w h ic h w a s s im p ly h u n g w itli n e s ts on
a ll sides, row u p o n row , w h ile a l l ro u n d th e h o u s e w e re tie rs o f n e s ts , n o t o n ly s itu a te d
u n d e r th e eaves, h u t e v e n p la c e d a t a m o d e ra te h e ig h t a b o v e th e g ro u n d . To e n s u r e tlie
b u ild in « - o f th e b ird s a t th i s low e r le v e l. C o lo n e l B u s s e ll a d o p te d th o m e th o d o f p la c in g
a p ro to to in g le d g e o f wood, a n d h e w o u ld o f te n a t t a c h a few n o d u le s o f m u d to e n c o u ra g e
t h e b ird s to c om m en e o b u ild in g . T h e v e ry id e a o f a U o u so -S p a rrow d a r in g to in v a d e
t h e s a c re d d om a in o f a M a r tin w a s su fflc ie n t to a ro u s e th o C o lo n e l to ire , n u d h o licU e v ed
t h a t n o t o n e o f th e d e te s te d r a c e w a s to b e fo u n d w ith in th o p re e in e ts o f th e M a r tm s '
p a ra d is e . O n o u r h a p p e n in g to m e n tio n c a su a lly t h a t wo h a d s e e n a cock S p a rrow in
th o f a rm y a rd d u r in g th e m o rn in g , t l ie C o lo n e l a t o n c e ro s e fr om th e d in n c r- ta h lc ami
ru s h e d o u t, o b liv io u s o f th e fa c t t h a t i t wa s S u n d a y , seized a g u n a n d h a s tily s lip p e d in
a o a r tr id - e ’. A few sec o n d s a f te r , a s h o t w a s lio a rd , a n d tlie C o lo n e l r e tu r n e d iu triiim p li,
h e a rin g th e d e a d b o d y o f th e in t r u d e r . A lto g e th e r th o v is it p a id to tliis e x o e llc iit
n a tu r a l is t o f th e o ld school is o no o f th e p le a s a n te s t re iiiiu is c o n c e s in th o li f e o f tlm
w r ite r .
I n th e ‘ S t. J am e s ’s G a z e t t e ’ o f S e p tem b e r 1 7 , 1 8 8 8 , o c c u rs th o fo llow in g c u r io u s
n o te o n th e n e s tin g o f th e H o iis o -M a r tin " A c o r re s p o n d e n t w r ite s fr om C h isw ic k
‘M 'ith a h o y ’s c u r io s ity I o u c e d e s tro y e d h y m e a n s o f a p o le a H o u s o -M a rtiii's n e s t
w h ich was b u i l t u n d e r th o c a v e s o t th e s ta b le s . P ity f o r th e h a lf-fled g e d n e s tlin g s th u s
b ro u g h t to th e g ro u n d mov ed m e to o b ta in th e a id o f a g ro om , a la d d e r, a n d a n old
T h ru s h ’s n e s t. T h e y o u n g liird s w e re p la c e d in th e s t r a n g e n e s t, a n d th is w a s jm t u p o n
a sm a ll sh e lf in th e p o s itio n o f th e o r ig in a l M a r tin ’s n e s t. T h e p a r e n t liird s n o t o n ly
r e tu r n e d to t e n d a n d r e a r th e i r y o u n g , b u t th e y b u i l t a s u p e r s tr u c tu r e u p o n th e to p o f
th e T h ru s h ’s n e s t, c om p le te ly ro o fin g i t in , a n d th u s p ro d iie iiig a m o s t in te r e s tin g
e x am p le o f jo in t a r c h ite c tu r e .’ ”
T h e eg g s o f th e M a r tin a re w h ite a n d som ew h a t g lo s sy ; th e y v a r y in n um b e r from
fo u r to s ix ; th e y v a ry in le n g th , a c c o rd in g to M r , S e eb o hm , fr om 0 '8 to 0 '7 in ch , a n d
from 0-55 to 0 '5 2 in b r e a d th .
T h e d e s c rip tio n s a r e t a k e n from sp e c im e n s iu th e B r i t is h A lu s cum , a u d th e fig u re s
o f th e a d u l t a n d y o u n g a re from e x am p le s in th e c o lle c tio n o f Air. A\ y a tt.
E o r th e g e o g ra p h ic a l d is tr ib u tio n o f th e H o u s e -A Ia rtin , t i d e i i f r à , P la te 7 [A lap].
3 K