COTILE. 179 



Dr. Scully says, writing from Nepal : " The bird is usually 

 found over wet fields and marshy ground, and along the course of 

 streams. It has its holes and breeds in the banks of rivers and 

 in the sides of the alluvial cliffs so common in the valley of 

 Nepal." 



The late Captain Cock sent me the following note many years 

 ago : " I first found this Martin breeding in colonies in high 

 saud-banks at Nowshera during the month of February ; the place 

 selected was the bank of the river Cabul, and the nests were often 

 placed so close together that by enlarging one hole I could work 

 laterally to the nest-chambers of other nests, for the nests were 

 from two feet to three feet deep in the bank. The nest-chamber 

 was always lined with dry grass, stalks, and a few feathers, and 

 the eggs were usually four in number, pure white. In digging 

 out these eggs and similar ones I use a narrow heavy trowel, and 

 am invariably provided with a looking-glass to flash in the light to 

 see what is in the hole before putting in my hand, as I once 

 touched Biinyarusfasdatus, and shall not forget it." 



Mr. Doig took numerous nests in the E. Narra, Sind, on the 

 I "tli February. He himself writes: "Found numbers of the 

 nests of these little birds in holes in the steep sandy banks along 

 the Xarra on the 21st February; of some 30 nests the greatest 

 number of eggs in any one nest was four. The holes were from 

 2 to 3 feet in the bank, and the nest consisted of grass, lined with 

 a few feathers." 



Writing of Rajputana in general, Lieut. H. E. Barnes says : 

 " The Indian Sand -Martin breeds during February and March." 



Colonel Butler remarks : " The Indian Sand-Martin breeds in 

 the neighbourhood of Deesa in the cold weather. I found seven 

 nests in the bank of a river near Deesa on the 23rd January, 

 1>7<), and dug them all out with the following results : No. 1, 1| 

 feet from entrance of the hole, contained three eggs slightly incu- 

 bated. No. 2, 2 feet from, entrance, contained four fresh eggs. 

 Nos. 3, 4, 5, aud 6 contained young ones nearly ready to leave the 

 nest ; others, young ones only just hatched. Most of the nests 

 were within 2 feet of the entrance, but one was about 3 feet. 

 The numbers of young birds varied from 3 to 4. The nests, as a 

 rule, were thick pads of dry grass, fibrous roots, &c., thickly lined 

 with good-sized soft feathers, loosely placed at the bottom of the 

 nest. Some nests were thick and solid, others slight, small, and 

 loosely put together. One nest was empty. I found another 

 nest on the 2nd February in the same bank, containing one fresh 

 egg. I took another nest in a river-bank on the 15th March, 

 containing three fresh eggs ; it was composed exteriorly of coarse 

 dry rushy grass, and lined with fine dark-coloured fibrous roots, 

 with one large solitary Kullum's feather at the bottom for the eggs 

 to rest upon." 



Messrs. Davidson and Wenden tell us that in the Deccan this 

 species is " tolerably common. At Sangoia it breeds singly, in 



