b y fo rm in g a sm a ll h o le w i t h th e i r h ills a s th e y c lin g to th e su rf a c e o f th e b a n k , som e-
tim e s w i th b e a d s doAvnwards. -Vs th i s b o le in c re a s e s in size, th e y s ta n d in th e e x c a v a tio n ,
a n d tlir ow o u t a l l tb e loose s a n d o r c h a lk Avith th e i r fe e t, b o r in g aw a y a t tim e s a s m u c h
as fo u r fe e t in to tb e so lid b a n k , b u t a t o th e rs o n ly tw o o r tl ir e e fe e t. I n som e c a se s a
s in g le p a i r o f b ird s m a k e tw o o r th r e e h o le s b e fo re th e y a r e s u ite d . O c c a s io n a lly a la rg e
b o u ld e r s to p s tb e AA-ay; o r p e r h a p s tb e sa n d is to o b a r d o r to o s o f t ; Avbilst m a n y ho les
a r e a b a n d o n e d a t a d e p th o f a few in c h e s fo r n o a p p a r e n t c a u s e Avhatever. T h e b ird s
se em Avell aAvarc o f tb e p rin c ip le s o f d ra in a g e , a n d p ro v id e fo r i t b y m a k in g th e i r b o le s
s l a n t s lig h t ly u pw a rd s . T b e b o le s v a r y c o n s id e ra b ly in size a n d s h a p e ; som e Avill r u n
a lm o s t s t r a ig h t , o th e r s t u r n to th e r ig h t o r le ft, n o t in a c u t e an g le s , b u t se em in g ly
b y a c c id e n t, o r to av o id o b s tru c tio n s in t h e i r Avay. S om e tim e s tb e b o le s a re p e r fe c tly
ro u n d , a t o th e rs th e y Avill b e r e c ta n g u la r , a n d o fte n o\-al, a n d a r e u s u a lly tAvo o r th r e e
in c h e s in d iam e te r. T b e e n d o f th e h o le is w id e n e d a n d h o llow e d in to a k in d o f
c h am b e r, a b o u t s ix in c h e s in d i am e t e r ; a n d h e r e th e n e s t is fo rm e d . I t is u s u a lly
v e ry s l ig h t— a m e re b e d o f d ry g ra s s , c o a rs e tw itc h , a fcAv straAvs, a n d lin e d w i th o n e
o r tAA-o la rg e f e a th e r s . T b e e g g s o f tb e S a n d -M a r tin a re from fo u r to s ix in n um b e r.
T h e y a ro s c a rc e ly so p o lish e d a s th e e g g s o f th e H o u s e -A Ia rtin , b u t a r c a s p u r e a AA'bite,
a n d v a r y in l e n g th from -70 to -G2 in c h , a n d in b r e a d th from -51 to -dG in c h .
“ E a rly in J u n e o r late in Alay, in favourable seasons, is th e time to collect fresh
eggs of th is bird ; b u t m any Sand-AIartins have a second brood, which a re rarely on tb e
Aving before th e middle of August. Some of th e colonies of these birds consist of
enormous numbers, and on tb e fro n t o f tb e cliffs Avbere th ey breed they have all the
appearance of bees in the process of swarming. On tb e banks of th e Danube, tb e Volga,
and th e g re a t Siberian rivers, th e numbers are sometimes almost incredible. One of
these colonics is a most an im atin g s ig h t ; the a ir is full of birds coming and going, and
in fro n t of th e nests th e croAvd is so great th a t i t is diflicult to u nderstand how each bird
can th re ad th e lab y rin th . Tbe Sand-AIartin is almost as n imble on tlio Aviiig as tbe
Swallow, perhaps more so th a n tb e H o u se -M artin ; and, like both these birds, it often
dips for a moment in tb e AA'ater as i t skims over th e surface to d rin k or to b athe. Now and
th en th e birds cling to tb e face of th e cliff, an d th e nearly fledged y oung often sit a t the
mouth of tlie hole to be fed by th e ir parents. Sand-AIartins are bold in defending th e ir
colony from in tru d e rs ; and I have seen th em leave th e b an k iu a body to drive away a
Alerlin, Avbicb th ey pursued with g re a t p e rtin ac ity .”
l a America some excellent accounts of th e Sand-AIartin’s habits have also been
published, b u t th ey agree a lm ost entirely witli those of E uropean naturalists.
Air. Alaynard Avrites as folloAVS:—“ These a rc tbe las t of all tlie Swallows to make
th e ir appearance in N c a v England, a rriv in g about th e middle of Alay. They th en quickly
repair to some sandy b an k aud begin to dig burrows iu Avhicli to place tlieir nests. They
excavate th e boles AA'itli th e ir feet, aided by th e ir bills, and alth o u g h these members are
seemingly weak th e birds manage to get on q u ite rapidly, often p en e tra tin g a bank to
th e depth of th re e or four feet in a Io a v days. These birds a re highly gregarious, and
from five h u n d red to a thousand pairs may be fouud breeding in a favourable locality.
They a re qu ite num erous in th e inte rior, b u t seem to have a predilection for the coast,
a n d Avilievcn in h a b it is la n d s ; in fa c t, I fo u n d a sm a ll colony n e s tin g o n a lo n e ly is le t,
o n e o f th e A la g d a le n e g ro u p , c a lle d S h a g g R o c k , w h ich s ta n d s in tb e m id s t o f th e G u lf
o f St. L aw re n c e , m o re th a n a h u n d r e d m ile s from tb e m a in la n d . T h e ro c k ro se a b r u p t ly
from th e w a te r to th e h e ig h t o f 9 0 fe e t, b u t th e to p Avas co v e red Avitb soil, p o rtio n s o f
AA’liic b o v e rh u n g t h e w a te r, a ffo rd in g th e SwalloAA's a fine o p p o rtu n ity to b u ild . T h e
ro c k y fa c e o f th e c liff A\'as in h a b ite d b y C o rm o ra n ts ; h u n d re d s o f T e rn s , t h a t wen*
b r e e d in g o n th e u p p e r su rf a c e , h o v e r e d c o n fu s e d ly a b o u t, a u d filled th e a ir Avitb th e i r
h a r s h , c o n tin u o u s crie s , b u t am id s t a ll tb i s d is c o rd tb e soft tw i t te r o f tb e Rank-S\A'alloAvs
co u ld b e b e a rd a s th e y flew q u ie tly a b o u t tlie ir s tra n g e ly ch o se n homes.
“ E ith e r these birds do n o t m ate u n til th ey begin to construct th eir nests, or else they
are polygamous, for i t is quite common to see two or th re e males in p ursuit of a single
female ; b u t I tliin k tb e former hypothesis more probable, as both sexes iucubate. The
Bank-SwalloAvs b ring o u t th e ir young early in J u ly , and by the la tte r p a rt of th at month
th ey accompany th e ir p aren ts in th e ir aerial flight in search of insects ; later, in August,
th ey all disappear, being th e first of all tb e Swallows to d ep art for tb e South.”
Air. S te a rn s , in h is ‘ Ncav E n g la n d B ir d L ife ,’ h a s tb e fo llow in g n o t e :— “ T h e ir
n e s tin g -h a b its a r e v e ry in te r e s tin g . G iv e n a n em b a n km e n t o f e a r th so ft e n o u g h
to b e w o rk e d—a n a tu r a l e x p o su re iu tb e b e d o f a s tre am , a s ite le f t in r u n n in g a
ra ilro a d , a g ra v e l p i t— s t r a ig h t tb e b u sy b ird s co n ic flo ck in g to colonize . Soon th e
fa ce o f tb e e s c a rpm e n t Avill b e seen s tu d d e d Avitb l i tt l e ro u n d b o le s, b e fo re Avhieb tb e
l ig h t w in g s d a sh in a iry c irc les. T h e p la c e s a r e n o t u n lik e th o s e th e K in g fis lic r selec ts,
a u d tb e la rg e r e n tra n c e o f tb e s tu rd y r a t t l e r ’s h o le m a y som e tim e s b e se e n in th e m id s t
o f th e le s se r o p en in g s . I t is a s to n is h in g hoAv f a r th e Aveak b ird s , Avitb t h e i r s l ig h t b ills
a n d claw s , Avill m a n a g e to p e n e tr a te th e g ro u n d ; som e tim e s to th e e x t e n t o f tw o fe et,
th o u g h th e b u rrow s a re n o t o rd in a r ily so e x te n s iv e a s tb is . T h e y a lso d isp la y m u c li ta c t
in se le c tin g tb e m o s t s u ita b le soil toAvork in , n e i th e r to o b a r d to b e p e n e tra te d Avitb case,
n o r so so ft a s to c a v e in o r b e u n s a f e from th e fa llin g o f lo o sen ed p e b b le s. A n y o n e m a y
b e satisfied o f tb is b y e x am in in g a b a n k Avhcre d iffe re n t s t r a t a a r e e x p o se d , a n d n o tin g
bow th e SAvallows co n fin e th em s e lv e s to su c h b e lts o f so il a s s u i t th em b e s t. A t tlie
f a r th e r e n d o f th e pjissage-Avay tb e n e s t is p la c e d— a s l ig h t a ffa ir o f d rie d g ra s se s lin e d Avitb
fe a th e rs. T b e eg g s a r e from th r e e to six in im m b e r. I h a v e r e p e a te d ly fo u n d tb e l a t t e r
n um b e r. T h e r e seems to b e some i r r e g u la r ity in th e tim e th e y a r c la id . I h a v e fo u n d
p e r fe c tly fre sh e g g s in tb e s am e n e s t Avitb o th e rs c o n ta in in g Avell-formed em b ry o s , a n d
a f r ie n d in fo rm s m e t h a t b e h a s s e e n in o n e n e s t fre sh e g g s a n d neAvly-batcbed y o u n g .
I s i t p o ssib le , in su c h cases, t h a t m o re th a n o n e b ird h a s m a d e u se o f th e wime n e s t ?
T h e e g g s a r e p u re Avbite Avitliout m a rk in g s , a n d m e a su r e 0-GS to 0 73 b y a b o u t 0-50.
T h e y a re firs t la id th e l a t t e r p a r t o f Alay, Avith a sec o n d s e t l a t e r in tb e s um m e r.”
I n tb e N a tu ra l History Alnseum a t South Kensington is a group of mounted birds,
illu stra tin g th e nesting of tbe Sand-AIartin, and presented to th e nation by L ird "Wal-
singbam, to Avliose liberality so many of the most imp o rtan t of tbo groups of Britisli
Birds, Avbich a re one of the principal attractions of th e Aluseum in the present day, are
due. The sandbank in which tlie Alartins nested has n o t only boon faithfully reproduced,
b u t tbe actual dimensions of tbe tunnels, nine in number, have been preserved.
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