THE SAND-MARTIN. 515 



Beeeding-habits.— Nests in sand and gravel pits, banks of rivers, 

 raih\ay cuttings, etc., making a burroAv 2-3 feet long. Occasionally 

 breeds in drain pipes projecting from Avail, or hole in Avail, saAvdust 

 heaps, etc. ^YesL— Carelessly built of straAvs and freely lined 

 feathers. Eggs. — Usually 4-5, sometimes 3 to 6 or 7. White, 

 Avithout gloss. Av-erage of 50 eggs, 17.6x12.4 mm. Breeding- 

 season. — From about May 10 ouAvard, but later in north. Double 

 brooded. 



Food. — Insects taken on the Aving ; chiefly smaller diptera but 

 undoubtedly also neuroptera. 



Distribution. — British Isles. — Summer -resident. Widely distri- 

 buted, but local. In Ireland more frequent than Martin. Scarce 

 in extreme north of Scotland and O. Hebrides, rare breeder Orkneys, 

 and someAA'hat scarce migrant, once recorded nesting, Shetlands. 



Migrations. — British Isles. — Early arrivals of summer-residents 

 begin middle of third AA-eek Mar. (early dates Mar. 13, Cardigan ; 

 Mar. 15, 1913, Cheshire) ; main arriA'al A^ariable, last three daj^s 

 March to second Aveek April, lasting to beginning June ; no evidence 

 of passage -migration and but fcAv birds reach northern isles. 

 Slimmer -residents begin to move south mid-July in Scotland and 

 early Aug. (occasionally end Jiily) England and Wales, emigration 

 from south coast end (occasionally first Aveek) Aug. to end third 

 Aveek Sept. Some CAddence passage-migration east coast, south of 

 Humber, end Aug. and Sept. none elscAvhere. Stragglers frequent 

 to mid-Oct. (late dates, Oct. 19, 1909, S.E. Suffolk; Oct. 26, 

 1908, Monach Isles (O.H.) ; Oct. 30, 1911, Nov. 11, 1912, Sussex ; 

 Dec. 1914, Berks.). Irish summer -residents apparently arrive 

 and depart mainly by south-east coast ; no evidence of passage- 

 migration. 



Distribution. — Abroad. — Europe generally from 70° north, south 

 to Tunisia and Algeria, east to Siberia, Syria, Palestine, but limits 

 not Avell knoAvn, also North America. Wintering in east and south 

 Africa, India, also in South America. Replaced by other forms 

 (limits in Asia imperfectly knoA\n) in Siberia, north-A\est India, 

 Turkestan, and Nile Valley. 



[Note. — The American Pukple ]\Iartin, Progne siibis siihis (L.), said 

 to have been sliot near Kingstown, Ireland, in 1840 (Yarrell, ii, p. ;{(il ; 

 Saunders, p. Itj6), and tlie American Tree-Swallow, Tachycineta bicolor 

 (Vieill.), said to have been killed at Derby in 1850, cannot be admitted.] 



