188 BIRDS OF TUNISIA 



of them through a pair of opera-glasses, and after obtaining a single 

 specimen of each species for identification, proceeded on my journey. 



In towns and villages the House-Martin builds its nest under the 

 eaves of buildings or similar sheltered sites. The nest is composed 

 of mud and straw, with a lining of feathers, and the eggs, from three 

 to five in number, are pure white, measuring about 19 X 13 mm. 

 Two and even three broods are reared in a season by the same pair. 



COTILE RIPARIA (Linnseus). 

 SAND-MAETIN. 



Hirundo riparia, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 344 (1766) ; Malherbe, Faune 



Orn. de VAhj. p. 10 (1855). 

 Cotile riparia, Boie, Isis, 1822, p. 550; Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. 



X, p. 96 ; Whitaker, Ibis, 1895, p. 97. 

 Cotyle riparia, Loche, Expl. Sci. Alg. Ois. ii, p. 70(1867); Koenig, 



J. f. 0. 1888, p. 166 ; id. J. f. 0. 1892, p. 365 ; Erlanger, J. f. 0. 



1899, p. 510. 



Description. — Adult male, spring, from Kairouan, Central Tunisia. 

 Above mouse colour, slightly darker on the crown, wings and tail ; chest 

 and sides also mouse-colour, rest of underparts white. 

 Iris dark hazel ; bill dark brown ; feet brown. 

 Total length 5 inches, wing 4, culmen -25, gape -50, tarsus 'lO. 

 Adult female similar to the male. 



The Sand-Martin, although appearing in far smaller numbers than 

 either of the two preceding species, is a common summer migrant in 

 Tunisia, arriving in spring and leaving again in the autumn, a certain 

 number of the birds remaining throughout the summer and breeding 

 in the Regency. The date of its arrival in Tunisia in spring seems 

 to be somewhat later than that of the Swallow and House-Martin, 

 and probably does not commence until about the middle of March. 

 Owing to the fact that it usually frequents the neighbourhood of 

 water, the Sand-Martin can scarcely be described as universally 

 distributed throughout the Regency, where so large a proportion of 

 the country is practically waterless, but in suitable localities it is not 



