40 BIRDS OF LA PLATA 



reconciled to the Owls, but perpetually flutter about 

 them, protesting against their presence with long 

 complaining notes. 



The nest, made of dry grass lined with feathers, 

 is placed at the extremity of the long, straight, 

 cylindrical burrow, and contains five or six white 

 pointed eggs* I have never seen these Martins 

 fighting with the Minera to obtain possession of the 

 burrows, for this industrious little bird makes itself 

 a fresh one every spring, so that there are always 

 houses enough for the Martins. After the young 

 have flown, they sit huddled together on a weed or 

 thistle-top, and the parents continue to feed them 

 for many days* 



As in size and brightness of plumage, so in language 

 is the Bank-Martin inferior to other species, its only 

 song being a single weak trilling note, much pro- 

 longed, which the bird repeats with great frequency 

 when on the wing. Its voice has ever a mournful, 

 monotonous sound, and even when it is greatly 

 excited and alarmed, as at the approach of a fox or 

 hawk, its notes are neither loud nor shrill. When 

 flying they glide along close to the earth, and fre- 

 quently alight on the ground to rest, which is 

 contrary to the custom of other Swallows. Like 

 other species of this family, they possess the habit 

 of gliding to and fro before a traveller's horse, to 

 catch the small twilight-moths driven up from the 

 grass. A person riding on the pampas usually has a 

 number of Swallows flying round him, and I have 

 often thought that more than a hundred were before 



