THE SAND-MARTIN. 37 



bank ma}- consist, the Sand-Martin proceeds to excavate a slightly sloping, or at 

 times even a very obliquely upward slanting tunnel. In the first season this tunnel 

 rarely exceeds a foot, or at most eighteen inches, in length ; and, if the bird finds 

 any obstruction, such as a flint-stone or tough root in the way, the tunnel some- 

 times turns almost at right angles, or even slopes obliquely backwards and upwards : 

 year by year this tunnel is excavated further inwards, until it sometimes reaches 

 a length of from three to four feet. At the end of the tunnel a small chamber 

 is hollowed out, sometimes a little above, but in a line with the tunnel, but often 

 on one side of it ; and in the bottom of this chamber the nest is formed. 



The nest of the Sand-Martin is very slight, and loosely constructed of a little 

 dry grass, rootlets, and rarely a straw or two ; the lining, when there is one, consists 

 of feathers ; when the nest is not far from the entrance the feather lining is either 

 absent, or a few collected at random are carelessly pushed into the centre ; but 

 when at a great distance from the light, white feathers are usually selected and 

 neatly arranged, each feather lying on its face with the curved under surface 

 upwards, aud the base of the shaft in the centre of the nest : when carefully 

 removed from the burrows, nests of this character are very pretty ; the pinky-white 

 eggs appearing to lie in a pure white flower-like cup ; unhappily a very slight 

 puff of wind disturbs their symmetry, whilst the removal of the eggs inevitably 

 displaces the lining, so that one never sees a really perfect Sand-Martin's nest in 

 any collection. One reason for the slovenliness of many cabinet nests probably 

 may be, that where nests are abundant, the collector is satisfied with those most 

 readily attainable, and thus fails to secure the best-formed specimens. 



The eggs vary in number from four to six, and in form from a long to a 

 short oval ; in colour they are pure white, very slightly glossy, and when freshly 

 laid show the yolk through the shell, which gives them a rosy appearance. 



The burrows of Saud-Martins, although an irresistible attraction to the birds- 

 nester, are often a source of considerable annoyance to railway companies : every 

 year fresh tunnels are added, as those first formed extend too far inwards to please 

 the birds, one tunnel runs into another, is abandoned, and a new one excavated : 

 thus the bank of the cutting becomes so much undermined, that frosts and thaws 

 bring about a land-slip, and a temporary block to traffic is occasioned. 



Of all nests which I have taken, I know of none which so swarms with fleas 

 and ticks as that of the Sand-Martin ; the young birds if taken out and examined, 

 will frequently be found to have large ticks attached to their heads, usually either 

 on the crown or nape ; whilst, in old colonies, the fleas skip about in myriads : 

 how the poor birds exist under the incessant irritation of these lively vermin is a 

 puzzle ; but perhaps, like the African attacked by chigos, they enjoy the sensation. 



