232 HIRUNDINID.E. 



across tlic Mediterranean to Africa, and is believed to go 

 nearly as far south as the Capo. Vieillot says it is resident 

 at Malta all the year round. Major James Franklin brought 

 specimens from India, -which were exhibited Avith his col- 

 lection at the Zoological Society ; and in North America, 

 according to the testimony of Wilson, Mr. Audubon, and 

 Dr. Richardson, this species is found from Florida over the 

 United States, and as high as the 68tli parallel, where they 

 were seen in the month of July ; but they are not supposed 

 to produce more than one brood in a season anywhere north 

 of Lake Superior. 



The adult birds have the beak dark brown, nearly black ; 

 the irides hazel ; the head, neck, back, wing-coverts, rump, 

 and upper tail-coverts, uniform hair-brown, or mouse-brown ; 

 the quill-feathers of the wing and the tail-feathers darker 

 brown, almost blackish brown ; chin, throat, breast, belly, 

 and under tail-coverts, pure white ; across the upper part 

 of the breast a band of hair-brown ; legs, toes, and claws, 

 dark brown, with a few short bufFy white feathers on the 

 posterior edge of the tarsus, just above the junction of the 

 hind toe. 



The whole length four inches and three quarters. From 

 the carpal joint to the end of the wing four inches : the 

 wings, when closed, reaching beyond the end of the tail, 

 which is forked ; the first quill-feather in the wing is the 

 longest ; the others in succession diminishing gradually. 



Young birds of the year, before leaving this country, 

 have the brown feathers of the back and upper tail-coverts, 

 as also those of the wing-coverts and the tertials, tipped 

 with bufFy white, as shown in the upper figure of the two 

 representations given at the head of this subject ; the chin 

 is also bufty white. 



White and yellowish white varieties of the Sand Martin 

 are occasionally obtained. 



