152 THE NATURAL HISTORY 



swallow and house-martin, are remarkably gentle and 

 domesticated, and never seem to think themselves safe but 

 under the protection of man. 



Here are in this parish, in the sand-pits and banks of 

 the lakes of Wolmer-forest, several colonies of these birds ; 

 and yet they are never seen in the village ; nor do they at 

 all frequent the cottages that are scattered about in that 

 wild district. The only instance I ever remember where 

 this species haunts any building is at the town of Bishop's 

 Waltham, in this county, where many sand-martins nestle 

 and breed in the scaffold-holes of the back-wall of William 

 of Wykeham's stables : but then this wall stands in a very 

 sequestered and retired enclosure, and faces upon a large 

 and beautiful lake. And indeed this species seems so to 

 delight in large waters, that no instance occurs of their 

 abounding, but near vast pools or rivers : and in particular 

 it has been remarked that they swarm in the banks of the 

 Thames in some places below London-bridge. 



It is curious to observe with what different degrees of 

 architectonic skill Providence has endowed birds of the 

 same genus, and so nearly correspondent in their general 

 mode of life ! for while the swallow and the house-martin 

 discover the greatest address in raising and securely fixing 

 crusts or shells of loam as cunabula for their young, the 

 bank-martin terebrates a round and regular hole in the 

 sand or earth, which is serpentine, horizontal, and about 

 two feet deep. At the inner end of this burrow does this 

 bird deposit, in a good degree of safety, her rude nest, 

 consisting of fine grasses and feathers, usually goose- 

 feathers, very inartificially laid together. 



Perseverance will accomplish anything : though at first 

 one would be disinclined to believe that this weak bird, with 

 her soft and tender bill and claws, should ever be able to 

 bore the stubborn sand-bank without entirely disabling 

 herself; yet with these feeble instruments have I seen a 

 pair of them make great dispatch : and could remark how 

 much they had scooped that day by the fresh sand which 

 ran down the bank, and was of a different colour from that 

 which lay loose and bleached in the sun. 



