INSESSORES.
FIS SI ROSTRES.
HIRÏTNDINIDÆ.
T H E SANI) M A R T IN I
OR BANK -MARTIN.
Hirundd Hj, iria^Sand Ma f tin, P ens. Brit. Zool.vot.#. p;. 549V
' 'Mont, 0rmth.
B ewick, Brit. Birds, vol. C p. 30o.'„
Fjlem. Brit. An. p7 61.
S ei-by, Brit. Ornith. vcfl.'h p.A25.
Bank ,, . J enyns, Brit/Vert, p, 158.
•Sand ,, 1 IQoüed, Birds of Europe, pt. xiii.
Hirondelle de rivage, Temm. Man. d’Ornith. v&l.i. p. 429.
T he Sand Martin k jh e smallest, in size,..-and-probably
the least numerous, of the three species of Hirundo visiting
this country. I t mates its appearance here~a little earlier
than the Swallow or Martin; but not frequenting the habitalions#:
of i^s^pats! minimal return is not so regularly or so
■^e^'erally nollifedv Mr. He^s&mf.’'however, has feeerded
that '4® dhr north a^^flisjje,- this birmijaaS' in two different
eteasbn^.^^^nbtic^ll^fee^'lhe^end *©f March; and there are
^itlersaeeords ©f %ts hamff^been ’ohsierved imQumberland on
the^tthSan di kin Lh,d|iyjL th of April|%
li'l^^^^ppeiif^s.valce'ady -de&eribed, this - little wanderer
^cope's towtM^fepuntry--frQtti^^|m^^ ansdifreq&erifsl as its nest-
4®g?plade-', %an d~pifs|j^fnd '-f@th.er ^vertical
«jic^ces of'earth# ^ p t ^ r e 'JsufticMi'bly- spft ^ infc*|ibstane© t©
'enable the bird t o&pi-rf'oratHtitMegfetlia,depthvnecessaryfor its
purpose*. . Tm> such# siftiationS’-ftsfe^little:mitgi-nej^ forms bir-
cular^o® in a .?ho^qls^[^diliotiop;ssibork^ to* the depth of
t u ^witb-a r^iklarity, and an amount
ofvfabaut^fhat' *isf,raMy%^ceedte|b*among^bh^lsipi d C h c mode
m^hi^lH'ithis teerfSjration is accoBapjilsIled1 has %bn Well^cte*
bribed- by Mr. dffehlit'jsin Slri^i. m lmi'i ( i im *<>| liMfe^ain/fche
teinjsjU’jWge* 18 :—a i p t |e ^ ^ y i ^ h a r d J p h&jatg,
and admirr4%|' adaptbd"foVtlig^5i^pi^& email, we admit# b u t
fcts^si|ior’i^^^adds *t a n d | | | e birdewoiks, as we
have, had an o p p ^ ti^ ty ^ o ^ ^ b ^ ^ i^ ^ ^w ith jfo bill Ihut.
This ^faetfour readers may a orif^tfey tib^c rvins» their^opera-
ti'ons early in f ie morning through “an -opefa glass, ^hehf they
begin'in^tee,spring .to forrm tfe ^ fee^eavation^ * In this,,way
we have f|^en:ione of these birdsi'cling with its sharp claws to
the face ffi.;^SaSdbank, and peg m its'lMllt&as- a miner would
dosbis pickaxe, till it had- lop'Sened S#cbn$i:d©rahle portion of
«.hard sandy and tteiwl^dSM^down amongst the rubbish,
below. In* felege** preliminary operatijpnsifit • never makelv&se.
of its claws for digging ^indeed, ib,usejah-pog^ble i t ‘eould,
for they*-' are * indispehsaB!M',l id maintaining its position;' at
liaifwheh it is beginning sits hole. We hive further remarked
that some of thes'e' Martins1 holesddre nearly as circular
as if they had been, planned out with a pair ofcom