20th. of October, Y^angi^irds in the n ê s f ié ie been* seen
also in othèfcj>arts as late' as the 21*st and 23rd of October
About the'middle of October^he^e^y Martins' generally
leave this country fin large flocks; having previously assembled
on Muse-'topS“,vabdótnhurcheS^ and lofty trees t ' While
gsrsv a small flock- as late as the 3rd of November. * Alffèék
of more than one hundred were ;ffi^fe%Ifeefe'dt^t ©over 4>n
the 13th of November TSUI, and apparently going' ■ off.
Montagu, in hisSnppifeniènt; melatieEs^flavin^^^BSSirfls®
daily in themeighbourh'aod ofd^ingsbr§%|''as-.'latd'as' the 15th'
of .November,- • in thé. year- 1 8 0 5 ^ A fiock-'tbf two hundred
werei^een at -Barnstaple on the* l^ t& ’o ï Noyembfer-
and the llev. W. F. Cornish mentions-fnu ing'bmi>bif\e;v-rïca'r
the cliff, over the brook, atRSid mouth, in- a \\ u m*’-'ilu ii ion
fronthfg thotSouth, 'sl^Jllr&'as the 10th of December, -h^ 8‘35:
The i Martin is a tegular-"-summer - Jvlstte^t^WS’ British
Islands^&d^orisiderable numbex^gb’ annuaH-ysto Denmark,
Sweden,' Norway,^>and the -southern* partfqfcLaplanÉ^'. Mr.
Lloyd, in his Field Sports of the North of Furopp,^mention's
that in Lapland he has -frequently--seen iTtfabér &ïfofipqtë ■%tl-
taehed to housfis^pl'acèdi -tlleféftö induce^the, Martins!5® build-
in them, in-‘order, to secure th e b e n e fito f their services in
devouring tKeT musquitpesV • The Fkhërs^ and other northern
naturalists;* include our Martin among -Itlie' regular’ #m m e r
visiters to. the Faroes Islands, and'^oi^to loelahdi FeplMf
says it is common in-Siberia, ahd hbom -tMetice^soutli^ard is’
found in most of the countries'visited'by the^Swa'llaw*-
In the adult male bird the beak is ;Short and bl&c-k; the
hides brown %-■ the top- of the head,^ear-eoverti^ -back of the-
neek, wing-^overts, and back, are o f'a rich, -;glossy||$lbMi-
black ; rump, and upper tail-qq^erts, ^whiteg feathers ' óf ’the
wings and tail dull black: .the wings leaching t'oi‘tierend- tfe
the feil, wlneh is.fittked ; chin, and all the néder -surface of
thé body, white; :legs and tbes'srnall, and’eoverêd" with short
downy- v^Lfte.- fea||Lersii:;|%l'aws curved, sharp, and of a greyish
. bbrn
The wholerlehgth. rather, exfeeding five-inches and one
From .the carpal*.joint to the end of the first quill-
feath e^o |||k t wing^hi'ch is.dho|longest, dour inches and one
quarter!.
v J-Mre is. bui^litlife*distinctiomfe^een the sexes. Females
ahd young ’bkdsispjlth^ ^ a^far^n'ot >soiq3ure<in ‘‘dfilour above,
an^ the glpn amir throbb arc'^psoiled^oiHlgreyfste white.
White variCtfes^of^l Martin are' soihetimes obtained.
Thes y ig n e tf ll^ thel edible hes'fsbf the Chi-r*
alloy«- -efT-Hcki iteffs-,- a\ Inch look- something' like isin-
arc’ ^ u‘iy quiteudrafl^ d i^ h ed .agS o u p to thicken and
flavour i|l§ of the-dark coloured: and, dirty nests they make
gjlte.,—;Lathaiy,*