AND NEIGHBOURHOOD. 237 



common summer visitor to all parts of Europe, from 

 Archangel to Gibraltar, and in winter visits the Cape 

 of Good Hope. This species, and indeed all the 

 members of the family Hirundo, are of incalculable 

 benefit to man by the destruction of countless myriads 

 of noxious insects, and we cannot sufficiently condemn 

 the abominable cruelty of shooting these beautiful 

 and useful birds for practice or amusement. 



102. MARTIN. 

 Hirundo urbica. 



This pretty little bird is more numerous with us 

 even than the species last treated of, during the 

 summer months, arriving generally a few days later 

 than the Swallow and soon scattering all over the 

 country. Within a very few days of their arrival 

 these birds set about the work of nest-building ; and 

 we have often been amused at their persistent efforts 

 to lay the foundation of their establishments against 

 a wall to which the mud will not adhere. Long rows 

 of nests may be seen under the eaves of the cottages 

 in some of our villages, and not one in others which 

 apparently present exactly the same advantages as 

 those chosen. We have more than once noticed a 

 vast assemblage of Martins on the gravel in front of 

 the house at Lilford, and on investigation found that 

 the birds were devouring minute, black, winged 

 insects which literally covered the gravel, though we 

 could not discover any of them on the turf immedi- 

 ately adjoining ; it is remarkable that on one of these 

 occasions certainly there was not a single Swallow to 

 be seen amongst many hundreds of the present 



