ON BIRDS. 357 



man, who was this week on a visit at Waverley, took 

 the opportunity of examining some of the holes in 

 the sand-banks with which that district abounds. 

 As these are undoubtedly bored by bank-martins, 

 and are the places where they avowedly breed, he 

 was in hopes they might have slept there also, and 

 that he might have surprised them just as they 

 were awaking from their winter slumbers. When 

 he had dug for some time, he found the holes were 

 horizontal and serpentine, as I had observed before ; 

 and that the nests were deposited at the inner end, 

 and had been occupied by broods in former summers ; 

 but no torpid birds were to be found. He opened 

 and examined about a dozen holes. Another gentle- 

 man made the same search many years ago, with as 

 little success. These holes were in depth about two 

 feet. 



March 21, 1790. A single bank or sand-martin 

 was seen hovering and playing round the sand pit at 

 Short Heath, where in the summer they abound. 



April 9, 1793. A sober hind assures us, that this 

 day, on Wish- Hanger Common, between Hedleigh 

 and Frinsham, he saw several bank-martins playing 

 in and out, and hanging before some nest holes in a 

 sand hill, where these birds usually nestle. 



This incident confirms my suspicions that this 

 species of hirundo is to be seen first of any ; and 

 gives great reason to suppose that they do not leave 

 their wild haunts at all, but are secreted amidst the 

 clefts and caverns of those abrupt cliffs where they 

 usually spend their summers. 



The late severe weather considered, it is not very 

 probable that these birds should have migrated so 

 early from a tropical region, through all these cutting 

 winds and pinching frosts : but it is easy to suppose 

 that they may, like bats and flies, have been awakened 

 by the influence of the sun amidst their secret latebrce, 



