12
from Bukoba on the Vic toria Nyanza, where Em in Pasha m et with i t on tb e 12th of
Jan u ary . Tbe la te Dr. F isch e r also procured a specimen a t Kagebi on th e 2nd of
Jan u ary . Tbe specimens from tb e Transvaal a re tb e tru e C. r ip a r ia ; b u t it is by no
means clear th a t tb e larg e flocks noticed by H eu g lin on th e ir way south were all
C. riparia, th o u g h b e gives tb is species as a m igrant in N.E. Africa and Arabia, passing
south a t th e end of Au g u st and retu rn in g in February. He also says th a t be obtained
it in Bogos L an d iu September.
I n N o rth America tb e Sand-AIartin is as a b u n d an t and widely distributed as in tbe
Old AVorld, ran g in g far n o rth . Sir Jo h n Richardson, in tb e ‘ F a u n a Boreali-Americana,’
has tb e following n o t e :—“ The Sand-AIartin is remarkable for tb e ex ten t of its breeding-
stations, which embrace tb e whole continent of N. America. I t arrives in Pennsylvania
earlie r th a n tb e other Swallows, or about tb e th ird week in Alarch, begins to breed in
April, and lias commonly two broods in a season. Air. H u tch in s states th a t it breeds
late r th a n any other bird which frequents Severn River, sometimes u o t laying its eggs
u n til near tb e end of J u ly ; b u t be observes th a t i t disappears, together with tb e rest of
tb e Swallow tribe, in tbe middle of A ugust. Hearne rema rk s th a t tbe Alartins, though
common in tb e southern p a rts of Hu d so n ’s Bay, seldom go so fa r n o rth as Churchill.
Tbe whole history of tb e migratory birds proves th a t th e main object of th e ir wanderings
is the obtaining a supply of proper food fo r themselves and th e ir young. All quarters
of the fur-countries abound in tb e winged insects th a t SAvallows deliglit to feed u p o n ;
b u t owing to tb e large bodies of ice which b an g upon th e shores of Hudson’s Bay u n til
tb e beginning of August, every breeze from tbe sea which SAveeps tb e neighbouring
country, produces a depression o f temperatm-e sufficient to chill tbe insects and drive
th em to sh e lte r; th e supply of food to the SwalloAV tribe, consequently, in th a t district
is so precarious as to ren d er tb e rearin g of th e ir young difficult and u ncertain. In the
in te rio r of tb e country, however, th e case is different. AVben tb e snow is gone, the
e a rth speedily becomes h e a te d ; and wliile th e summer lasts, tb e tem p eratu re of tbe
atmosphere continues h ig h e r th a n tb e h o tte s t we ather th a t is ever experienced in tbe
insular climate of Brita in, fostering incredible m u ltitu d es of mosquitoes. "We observed
thousands of these Sand-AIartins flu tte rin g a t th e entrance of th e ir burroAvs near tbe
m o u th of tbe Alaekenzie, in the 68tb parallel, on tb e 4 tb J u ly , and i t is probable, from
tb e sta te of th e weather, th a t th ey bad arriv ed a t lea st a fo rtn ig h t prio r to th a t date.
They are equally numerous in every d istrict of tb e fu r-countries wherein banks suitable
for burrowing exist, b u t i t is n o t likely th a t th ey ever rea r more th an one brood
anywhere n o rth of L ake Superior.”
Tbe species is said by Audubon to b e p lentiful on tbe south shore of Labrador, rarely
beginning to breed before Ju n e , and laying b u t once. I n tb e north-west o f America
it is very m uch more numerous, and Air. Nelson gives tb e following note ¡—“ Along
th e Arctic sea-coast, as well as tbe coast of Be ring Sea, tbis is an extremely rare v isitant,
occurring merely as a strag g le r during its migration. On tbe xiver-courscs of tbe
interior, however, i t is one of th e most abu n d an t, if n o t tb e most a b u n d an t, species of
SwalloAV. Dali found it n esting in great numbers on tJie Yukon, and counted over seven
hundred Swallows in a sand-bluff n ear N u k lu k b a y c t; he found from two to six eggs in
th e nests which be examined. These eggs were laid upon scanty beds of fine twigs
Avitbout straw or other lining. Richardson found colonies, n um bering thousands, of
these birds about tb e mo u th of tb e Alaekenzie River, in lat. 69°, and i t is common all
a long tb e rivers of Arctic America. A single bird taken by the Point RarroAV party,
and a few others seen th ere tbe last of J u ly and 1st of August, sliow th a t tbis species
extends its range to th e extreme n o rth e rn point of tbe mainland. I t arrives a t tbe
Yukon mouth from tb e 20tb to the 2otb of Alay, and leaves th a t region the last of
August. There is no record of tb e Bank-SAvallow’s presence on tb e south-east coast of
th e Tei-ritory, th o u g h i t is to be expected there owing to its Avide distribution. I t is
unknoAvn on tb e islands of Bering Sea.”
Dr. Alurdoeb observes th a t tbe Sand-AIartin was first seen on migration a t Point
Barrow on J u ly 29tb, and tbe last on Au g u st lOtb. Air. Alacfarlane, in bis paper on
th e birds of Arctic America, writes as f o l l o A v s “ T his speeies is to be met A v ith in
considerable numbers d u rin g tb e season o f nidification. I t builds its nests in boles in
sandy clayey banks on Anderson River. Several birds and eggs Avere taken, but, not
being in much request, th eir collection was discoui’aged.”
Air. E rn e st Thompson giA'es the following note on tb e species in Alanitoba “ Somewh
a t common summer resid en t; local in distribution. P em b in a : breeding in colonies
and along tb e line to tb e Rockies {Coues); AVinnipeg, summer resident, abundant
{R in e ) ; Portage la Prairie, tolerably common resident, a rriv e about tb e 22nd of Alay,
depart about August 23 {Nash); abu n d an t in tb e north-west {Macoim); P ortage la
Pra irie, Assiniboine, near Souris’ m o u th ; Yellowquills F e rry {Thompson); Shell
River, 1885, first seen on April 30, afterAvards seen every day, is common a ll summer,
and breeds here {Calcutt); Qu ’Appelle, summer resident, breeds, arrives about Aluy 10
{Guernsey).
“ Sash y win c pesheu (Alartin).—I t resorts b itb e r in tbe beginning of Ju n c, liarbours
about tbe steep banks of rivers, Avbere i t breeds in boles, m aking a slight nest of straAv
and feathers, and lays five white eggs. I t is tb e latest breeder of tbe Hudson’s Bay
feathered tribes. I have repeatedly found new-laid eggs in the la tte r end of J u ly , and
by the middle of August not one of th e Swallow species is to bo seen. A fcAV days
before th eir disappearance they collect in numbers to p articular ponds nigh Severn
Settlement, and fly about along tbe surface of tb e Avater.
“ These birds do not breed in colonies here, b u t excavate th eir boles in th e b an k of
tbe Assiniboine River, singly, and some distance apart. They are late in nesting. On
the 21st of Ju ly I took out a nest. I t Avas quite nCAV, b u t conffiined uo eggs. I saAv the
old birds going in and out of th e hole tb e day before, and ju s t previous to my examining
it. {Nash, M S S .)”
Air. Thompson has also very kindly communicated to us tbe accompanying notes on
the range of tbe Sand-AIartin throughout Can ad a:—
“ Distrihuiion in Ontario :
“ London and vicinity. Abundant along water. No t nearly so common as formerly
near the city, on account of the constant persecution of boys. On Erie coast,
I'l