10 AMONGST THE WOODLAND BIRDS~— 
The same is the case with the swift, which 
lays two or three eggs. This latter bird rears 
only one brood each year. 
The Sand-Martin closely resembles in shape 
the swallow and the house-martin. It is 
the smallest of our swallow-like visitors, 
measuring scarcely five inches in length. 
Plate XLV is a photograph of the well stuffed 
birds and fine model in the Natural History 
Museum, which I was kindly allowed to take 
with that of the swallow’s. The general 
colour of the bird is a hight brown, even to 
the legs and claws, but the chest and under 
part of the body are white. The tail is only 
slightly forked. Though a good flyer, it does 
not execute the great sweeps made by the 
swallow, the house-martin and especially by 
the swift ; nor does it fly so high, but feeds 
on insect food taken in the air as by its close 
relations. The nest-holes are made by the 
male and female in fairly hard and well- 
packed solid banks of sand (whence their name) 
inland or near the sea. When the birds 
meet with obstructions, such as stones, whilst 
