m
20
T h e n e s ts ivci-e p la c e d in th o b a n k o f a d isu s e d p i t , a n d th e so il c o n s is te d o f c la y m ix ed
w ith s a n d a n d sm a ll p elib le s . T m m e l no. 1 w a s 2 fe e t lo n g . T u n n e ls n o s. 3 a n d 3 r a n
in to a com m o n p a s s a g e 2 f e e t 8 in c h e s lo n g . Nos. -1 a n d 0 wore e a c h 2 f e e t 4 in c h e s
lo n g . N o . 6 wa s a b a n d o n e d , th e p re s e n c e o f a la rg o s to n e p r e v e n tin g th o h ird from
c om p le tin g it. N o . 8 was 2 fe e t 1 iiio h c s lo n g , a u d n o s. 7 a n d 9 w e re 3 fo o t 3 in c h e s in
l e n g th .
I n t h e ‘ B ird s o f N o r th A m e r ic a ,’ b y M e s s rs . B a ird , B rew e r, a n d llid gw a y , o c c u rs
th e folloAvhig n o t e :—
“ M r. A u g u s tu s B ow le r m e n tio n s a rem a rk a b le in s ta n c e o f s a g a c ity a n d p ro v id e n t
t'o re tlio n g lit in th e s e b ird s , n o t e a s ily s e p a ra b le from re a so n . I n th e tow n o f B e v e rly , in
a s t r a tu m o f s a n d y lo am , lie o b se rv e d e a c h sea so n a colony o f som e tw e n ty o r th i r ty j / i r s
o f th e s e b ird s . I n th i s p la c e th e s e b ird s n e v e r b u rrow e d m o re th a n tw o o r th r e e fe e t.
M i th m a m ile o f th is p la c e a n o th e r c o lo n y e x c a v a te d a b a n k in w h ic h th e la y e r o f lo am
w a s m ix e d w ith sm a ll sto n e s . I n th i s h a n k th e y e x c a v a te d to th o d e p th o f five, sev e n ,
a n d o v en n in e fe e t. MTiy w a s th e r e th i s e x tra o rd in a r y d iffe re n c e in th e le iig tli o f
b u rrow s m a d e b y th o s am e sp ec ie s, in s itu a tio n s n o t m o re tiia n a m ile a p a r t ? " T h e
r e a s o n fo r th is diffe ren c e, u p o n e x am in a tio n , b e c am e v e r y o b v io u s . M e g iv e th e e x p la n
a tio n in M r. F ow le r’s ow n w o rd s ■ I n o no b a n k , w h e re th e e a r th was o f a fin e s a n d y
lo am , e a s ily p e r fo r a te d , from th e e n t r a n c e to th e e x t r em ity th e Im rrow s d id n o t ex c e e d
th r e e fe e t in l e n g th ; w h ile in th e o th e r b a n k , w ith lia rd e r lo am to w o rk in , o no b u rrow
was fo u n d n in e fe e t iu l e n g th . A f te r e x am in in g six h o le s o f n e a r ly c q m l l e n r t l i it
a p p e a re d t h a t th e s e l i t t l e b ird s Iiad su fflc ie n t r e a s o n fo r e x te n d in g th e i r labours'"so fa r
in to t h e e a r th . I n ev e ry in s ta n c e w h e re th e y m e t w i th a s p o t fre e from s to n e s th e y
fln is lie d t h e i r b u rrow s ; th u s sh ow in g g r e a t c a re fo r th e w e lfa re e f th e i r e g g s o r y om m ,
b y a v o id in g , in th e s to n y soil, a c a ta s tro p h e so g r e a t a s w o u ld b e fa ll th e i r tr e a s u r e s i f hy
a c c id e n t o n e o f th e s e s to n e s sh o u ld f a ll u p o n th em .’ ”
A s n o tic e d b y D r . T a c z a n ow sk i ab o v e , th e s i tu a tio n o f th e S a n d -M a r tin ’s n e s t in th e
low b a n k s o f riv e r s som e tim e s ex p o se s th e b ird to th o ris k o f d e s tru c tio n b y floods ; b u t
a n u n e x p la in e d c a u s e o f th e d e a th o f som e o f th e s e l i tt l e b ird s is g iv e n by M r. T r e a t in
tlie ‘ A u k ,’ fo r ISOO {p. 9 0 )
“ I m a d e a t r i p to a p la c e w h e re h u n d re d s o f th e s e b ird s b re e d e v e ry y e a r. I saw
no b ird s a b o u t t h e h o le s , a n d a t o n c e c o n c lu d e d t h a t t l ie b ird s h a d ¡lot b re d th e r e
t h a t y e a r, b u t a s th e h o le s se em e d to h a v e b e e n e x c a v a te d re c e n tly , I e x am in e d th em , a n d
fo u n d d e a d b ird s in n e a r ly e v e ry b o le I d u g in to . S om e o f the" b ird s w e re q u ite fr e s h ,
w h ile o th e r s lia d th e a p p e a ra n c e o f lia v in g b e e n d e a d a lo n g tim e . T h e se b ird s wo re
n o t in v e ry goo d c o n d itio n , b u t w e re f a r f r om lie in g p o o r a n d em a c ia te d . A lm o s t a ll
th e b o le s c o n ta in e d n e s ts , b u t v e r y tow liad e g g s in tliem , a n d tw o wo re th o m o s t I fo u n d
ill a n y o n e n e s t. A s to th e c a u s e o f t i ie i r d e s tru c tio n I am w lio lly p e r p le x e d .”
T h o P la to r e p re s e n ts a n a d u l t a n d a n im m a tu r e b ird from sp e c im e n s iu M r. W y a t t ’s
c o lle c tio n , a n d tlio d o so rip tio u s a ro re p ro d u c e d from tlie B r itis li M u s e um ‘ C a ta lo " u o o f
B ird s .’
F o r th e r a n g e o f th e p r e s e n t spooies, v id e in f r à , P la t e 30 [M a p ].
COTILE DILUTA, «p.
lAYLE SA ND-JIAllTIN.
Cotile r ip a r ia , p t. a u o t. ex AsiD. c e n tra li.
C. similis C. riparim, sed ubique dilutior c t torque priepectorali vix obvio.
Hab. ill Asia ceutrali.
Adult male. Similar to C. riparia, but very mucli paler brown above, and tbe throat-band also I’ery
light brown and overshaded with ashy, so th at the collar is not distinct. Total length I'S inohes,
culmen O'-i, wing 3'85, tail 1'8, tarsus O'-l.
Adult female. Similar to the male. Total length -FG inches, eulmen O’-i, wiug -i-05, tail TDo, tarsus Q--1.
Hab. The neighbourhood of Tashkend in Central Asia.
T h e l a te D r . T a c z a n ow sk i, in b is ‘ F a u u e O rn itlio lo g iq u e d e l a S ib c rie O r ié n ta le ,’ s ta te s
t h a t Air. JuuskoAvski, th e w e ll-k n ow n e x p lo r e r o f R u s s ia n M a n tc b u r ia , p ro c u re d five
e x am p le s o f a S a n d -A Ia rtin o u th e S id em i R iv e r, close to th e f r o n ti e r b e tw e e n U s su ri
L a n d a u d C h in a , a n d u o t fa r from V la d iow s to c k : th e y w e re o b ta in e d b y h im tow a rd s
th e e n d of Alay. I n tb e d e s c rip tio n o f tb e sp ec ie s, lA'liicii b e re fe rs to C. sin en s is ,
U r . T ac z a n ow sk i d is tin c tly sp e a k s o f a p e c to ra l b a n d , tviiicli, b e say s, is le s s p ro u o u u c e d in
th e U s s u ri b ird th a n in C. r ip a r ia . A s is se e n in o u r ‘ K e y ’ to tb e sp e c ie s o f Cotile,
C. r ip a r ia a n d C. sin en s is b e lo n g to tw o d iffe re n t se c tio n s o f th e g e n u s , a u d a s we
e n te rta in e d g r e a t d o u b t a s to l ) r . T a c z a n ow sk i’s id e n tific a tio n , w e w ro te to o u r Irio n d
Air. S to lzm a n n , wh o v e ry k in d ly s e n t o v e r th e sp e c im e n s in q u e s tio n . W e lin d th em
to b e a b s o lu te ly ty p ic a l C. r ip a r ia , n o t e v e n C. d i lu ta (a s wo e x p e c te d ) , a n d llie y
c e rta in ly h a v e n o th in g to do w ith C. chinensis.
O f th e p a le ra c e o f C. r ip a r ia , w h ic h Ave p ro p o s e to c a ll C. d ilu ta , avc h a v e seen
tAVO sp e c im e n s co lle c te d b y tb e la te U r . Severtzoff, a u d s e n t to tb e N a tu r a l H is to ry
A lu sc um b y D r. P le sk e . T h e se b ird s Avere co lle c ted b y D r . S ev ertz o ff o n th e ik u lam
ll iv c r , n e a r th e fo r tr e s s o f T c lie in k e n t. T h e y lia \'e m u c h tb e a p p e a ra n c e o f 6'. sin en sis,
us th e tb ro a t- b a n d is v e ry in d is tin c t a u d is sh ad e d w ith s ilv e ry g r e y ; b u t th e b a n d is
a b so lu te ly re p re s e n te d , a u d in o rd e r to UA'oid a ll d o u b t a s to tb e re la tio n s o f th e spee ie s,
we m a y a d d t h a t th e d e v e lo pm e n t o f tiie t a r s a l tu f t p ro v e s t h a t i t is a fo rm o f 6’. r ip a r ia
a u d docs n o t b e lo n g to th e C. sin en s is g ro u p .
O f th e AA'inter range o f tbis species Ave h a v e little o r no knowledge. T b e few
specimens i n the Britisli A lu s eum Avhich seem to belong to tb e P a lo íáaud-AIa rtin are