276 BRITISH BIRDS' NESTS. 



extremely waiy, and I have lain for hours and hours 

 together watching a pair through my hinoculars 

 witliout heiug able to discover the nest. 



SWALLOW. 



JJescfiptioii of Fdrc/tt Birds. — -Length about 

 eight and a half inches ; bill short, straight, some- 

 what flat, and black. Irides hazel. Forehead 

 chestimt ; crown, neck, back, rump, and upper 

 tail-coverts steely blue ; wings and tail sooty black, 

 the former long and sword-like, and the latter very 

 much forked. From several specimens examined 

 I have found that one side of the tail (sometimes 

 the right and at others the left) is a trifle longer 

 than the other ; chin and throat chestnut. Eound 

 the lower part of the throat and upper part of 

 the breast is a broad steely-blue collar ; lower breast, 

 bell}', vent, and under tail-coverts huffy white ; 

 legs, toes, and claws short, slender, and black. 



The female is not so richly marked in her 

 plumage, and her tail is not so long. 



Situation oiut Locolit/j. — Generally, as shown in 

 our illustration, on the rafter of a barn, stable, or 

 shed. Sometimes on ledges and other projections 

 in chimneys and from walls. I recollect once 

 finding one inside an old disused mountain lime- 

 kiln. We discovered several nests in a Surrey 

 bothy last summer that were built against the 

 whitewashed wall, and were exactly like those of 

 the Martin, except that the tops were open. Un- 

 fortunately, our photograph turned out a failure, 

 and when we returned to the district a few weeks 

 after, for the express purpose of securing a picture, 

 some farm boys had destroyed the nests. 



