SWALLOWS AND MARTINS. 47 



Possibly they roosted there for the night, or else flew off after dark. 

 I never saw any flocks fly off, so they most probably vvent after dark. 

 From now to the 9th of October, there was a gathering nearly every 

 morning. On some mornings, however, there were no birds, or very 

 few, and on others a very great number. On the morning of October 

 9th there was a large gathering, apparently all that had been left 

 behind, for 1 saw none after that date. 



The time of these gatherings was almost always from 6.30 to 7.30. 

 The last week, however, it was rather later, from 7 to 8, or even from 

 7.30 to 8.30. Where they went to after that, and what they did 

 during the day, I never could make out. 



Now I noticed a good many facts during these gatherings which 

 have interested me, as not being according to the descriptions of 

 martins in books. 



First, in the case of young martins. On the morning of Sept- 

 ember 30th there was one of the large gatherings, and as soon as I 

 was dressed, I went up into the room above mine, as, being directly 

 under the roof, 1 thought I could get a better view of them from 

 there, and a curious sight met my view. On the window sill outside 

 was a row of young martins, tightly packed. The sills of the 

 windows of the rooms on each side were covered with martins in the 

 same way. The gutters were full of young swallows, with a few 

 paartins amongst them. The roofs were covered with old birds, both 

 swallows and martins. Wherever there was a ledge handy it was full, 

 either of old or young. Whether there were birds on other houses 

 near I could not see, very probably there were. 



What struck me at once, however, was the colour of the young 

 martins. They were brown and white, with hardly any blue-black 

 on them, and yet they had the white rump most distinctly. There 

 was much white on them, in patches. Unfortunately I did not take 

 a detailed description of them, as I meant to have done. I should 

 like to know whether any of the members of the College N.H.S. 

 have carefully observed the colours of young martins and of young 

 sand martins in the nest, and if so, what they have noticed. I have 

 not seen a martin's nest, or been able to get to it for a long time now, 

 and have no personal observations on young martins except those 

 now made. If these were sand martins, then young sand martins 

 have white rumps. 



There was another thing that struck me, and that was the shape 

 of the martin's tail when flying. The distinctions commonly given 

 between martins and swallows, are, 



