I; t
lio u n d a ry o f E t aw a li a n d Cawnpoi-e. I s h o t tw o o f th e b ird s a n d g o t som e e g g s . I
r e v is ite d th e s p o t o n t l ie 1 2 th o f M a r c li, a n d a g a in s lio t a p a ir o f th e liird s a n d o b ta in e d
m o re eg g s .
" T h e y b u ild in c om m u n itie s in s a n d y b a n k s o v e rh a n g in g r iv e r s . T h e y lio re a sm a ll
h o le , a b o u t 3 in c lio s in d iam e te r, from 1-J to 3 fe e t d ee p , in to th e b a n k , u s u a l ly s lo p in g
a l i t t l e u pw a rd s , a t tlie e n d o f w liic h th e y sco o p o u t a s o rt o f c h am b e r, s a y 0 in c lie s in
d i a m e t e r ; th e r e th e y m a k e a n e s t o f v e r y fin e tw ig s a n d g ra s s lin e d w i th a few so ft
fe a tlie rs o f th e IT ild Goose, B v aliiiiiiiy , a n d s u c h lik e w a tc r-fow l; th e y la y from tw o to
th r e e eg g s .
T h e n e s tin g - tim e is from N o v em h e r to E e h r u a ry in som e p a r ts o f th e c o u n try , a n d
d u r in g A p r il a n d H a y in o th e r s , a n d a g a in a t b o th p e r io d s in o tlie rs .
“ M r. B ly tli rem a rk s ( J . A . 8 . x v i. p . 1 1 9 ) ‘ I h a v e fo u n d b o th n ew ly - la id eg g s
a n d y o u n g r e a d y to fly in th e b c g iu n in g o f D e c cm h o r (a t C a lc u tta ) , a n d a lso a t th e e n d
o f E e h r u a ry . T h e u e st-Iio lo s v a r y in d e p th from l - l fe e t to o o n s id c ra b ly m o re , a c c o rd in g
a s th e b a n k s a r e m o re o r le s s h a r d , a n d th e n e s t it s e l f is c om p o sed o f d ry g ra s s , w ith
occ a.sionally a few fe a th e r s in th e l in in g ; th e e g g s a r e p u r e w h ite , lik e th o s e o f C.
r ip a r ia .'
“ C o lo n e l G. F . 1 . M a r s h a ll, w r it in g fr om S a h a r a n pm ', s a y s t h a t th i s sp e c ie s ‘ liu ild s
iu th e firs t h a l f o f A p r il, in a h o le a b o u t 4 fe e t in to a h a n k , l in in g tlie e n d o f th e Iiolo
w ith g ra s s a n d a few f e a th e r s , a u d la y s f o u r p u r e w liite e g g s .’ I m y s e lf h a v e t a k e n th e
e g g s in M a y o n th e J h e lu m , a n d o n tlio J u m n a , in th e E t aw a l i d i s tr i c t , in F e b r u a r y a n d
A p r il, h u t I h a v e n e v e r fo u n d m o re th a n fo u r e g g s .”
“ F r o m th e S am b liu r L a k e , M r. 11. M. A d am te lls u s ‘ T h e l i tt l e E a n k -M a r t iu is
v e r y c om m o n a b o u t th i s . I o b ta in e d a n e s t o n th e l o t l i o f A p r il w i th tw o v e r y lia rd -
se t eg g s . T lie n e s t w a s fo u n d in a h o le in a h a n k , a n d w a s a c om p a c tly b u i l t c u p sh
a p e d s t r u c tu r e , o u te r d iam e te r 4 in c h e s ; e g g - re c e p ta c le a l i tt l e o v e r tw o in c h e s . T h e
n e s t w a s m a d e o f g ra s s a n d fib re s w e ll ro u n d e d to g e th e r ; th e o u t e r p o r tio n o f th e u c s t
wa s o f a c o a r s e r q u a l i ty th a n th o lin in g , b u t m a d e o f th e s am e m a t e r i a l ; d e p f li o f eg g -
c a v ity { in c li.’ I n O u d li I to o k a n e s t o f th i s b ird o n t h e 2 3 r d 'A p r i l . T lie n e s t was
c om p o se d o f c o a rs e g ra s s lo o se ly p u t to g e th e r , a n d lia v in g a l in in g o f b ig g isli fe a th e r s .
I t s d iam e te r m e a su r e d 3 ^ in c h e s .
“ T h e e g g s a r e w h ite a n d g lo s s le s s , c lo se ly r e s em b lin g th o s e o f 0 . r ip a r ia , from
w h ic h i t w o u ld ho d iflic u lt to s e p a r a te tliem . N om in a lly th e y a r e a p o in te d o v a l, b u t
som ew h a t c y liiiilric a l v a r ie tie s o c c u r. T h e y v a r y a g o o d d e a l in size, a s d o th o s e o f a ll
t h e a llie d sp ec ie s. T h e e g g s I to o k v a r ie d from 0 '0 3 to 0 7 5 in c h in le n g th , a n d from
0-48 to C 6.5 in c h in b r e a d th , a n d th e y a v e ra g e d O'GS b y 0*5 in c h .”
N e a r L u c k n ow , w r ite s M r. R e id , “ i t Iirc ed s from F e b r u a r y to M a y , m a k in g i t s n e s t
in v a ria b ly in lio le s in r iv e r -h a n k s , &c., w h ile its d a ily v o c a tio n a p p e a r s to c o n s is t o f a u
in c e s s a n t w h ir lin g to a n d fro , re lie v e d b y f r e q u e n t v is its to i t s s n h tc r r a iie a n q u a r te r s .
D u r in g M a y l a s t I to o k m a n y e g g s from n e s ts in th e h a n k s o f th e G o om ti, o f w liic h O'70
h y 0 -4 8 in c h is th e a v e ra g e m e a s u r em e n t o f t e n .”
Air. O a te s " iv e s th e fo llow in g a c c o u n t in h is ‘ H a n d b o o k to th e B ird s o f B r itis h
B u rm a h ’ :—
“ T liis l i tt l e S a n d -M a rtin is a v e ry com m o n h ird a t a ll sea sons o f th e y e a r. I t is
m o s tly fo u n d o n a n d n e a r la rg e riv e r s w h e re th e h a n k s a r e ste ep , b u t n o t u u fr o q u e n tly
i t m a y b e o b se rv ed f a r in la n d , h aw k in g a f te r in s e c ts lik e o rd in a ry Swallows. I t lay s its
eg g s in a h o le in a r iv e r -h a n k , th e tu n n e l le a d in g to th e iiost v a r y in g from o u e to fo u r
fe e t in le n g th . T h e e n t r a n c e to t h e tu n n e l a n d th e p a ssi\g c i ts e lf is v e ry sm a ll, h u t th e
e g g - c h am b e r is a ro om y h o llow . T h e e g g s , w h ic h a r e fo u r o r five in n um b e r , a r e laid
u p o n a p a d o f g ra s s a n d a r e w h ite . T h e e x c a v a tio n o f th e n e s t-h o le s is com m en c ed in
B u rm a h a b o u t N o v em b e r. T h e b ird s u s u a lly b re e d in la rg e co lo n ie s, a firm a n d n e a rly
p e r p e n d ic u la r b a n k b e in g s e le c ted fo r th e p u rp o s e .”
T h e e v id e n c e g iv e n a b o v e t e n d s to p ro v e t h a t th e I n d i a n S a n d -M a rtin n e s ts in m o s t
p a r ts o f I n d ia , a u d is a re s id e n t, th o u g h no s p e c im e n s iu th e B r itis h M u s e um b e a r a
l a t e r d a te t h a n May . T h e m ig ra tio n s in C h in a , o f w liich C o n su l Sw in h o e a n d A b b é
D a v id sp e a k , re f e r in a l l p r o b a b ility to th e d is a p p e a ra n c e o f th o sp e c ie s iu th e cold
w e a th e r to m o re s o u th e rn la titu d e s ; b u t i t is q u e s tio n a b le w h e th e r a n y g re a t in ilu x of
in d iv id u a ls ta k e s p la c e a t t h a t se a so n in to th e I n d i a n re g io n from C h in a .
T h e d e s c rip tio n s a r e ta k e n from s p e c im e n s in th e B r i t is h M u seum , a n d tlie figure s
iu th o P la te a r e d raw n from som e b ird s in tlie l l u m e co lle c tio u .