MARTINS. 265 



The Sand Martin, like all its congeners, is joined to 

 its partner for life, and every season we find the old 

 nest and locality frequented by the birds. We find that 

 the Sand Martins, with wonderful instinct, only choose 

 those portions of the bank for their purpose that are 

 sufficiently firm to admit of tunneling. The site selected, 

 the little creatures work away with unceasing zeal, 

 scratching out a hole perhaps three inches in diameter, 

 and extending some two or three feet into the solid bank. 

 The bird also provides for drainage by making the hole 

 rise gradually until it reaches the nest ; and the holes 

 are not always straight, and it is then with difficulty the 

 arm of the observer can reach the nest. At the end of 

 this passage the birds construct a very loose and slovenly 

 nest of dry grass and feathers. The eggs, four or five 

 in number, are of the purest white, and fragile in the ex- 

 treme. They are much smaller than the Swallow's or 

 House Martin's, and before the contents are removed 

 possess a lovely tinge of pink. Most wonderful is the 

 instinct that guides the Sand Martin to its own nesting- 

 hole, especially when that hole is surrounded by hun- 

 dreds of similar ones, differing to the human observer 

 in nothing from the surrounding ones. But maternal 

 love is strong within the mother bird, and her home 

 would be readily found under still more perplexing cir- 

 cumstances. The young birds are fed when on the wing 

 by their parents, and return in company with them to 

 the nesting cavity for repose when the shadows of night 

 are falling. 



The song of the Martin is only occasionally heard, 

 and is a short, wild, and rambling performance. Though 

 the House Martins congregate with Swallows, still you 

 but rarely see either House Martins or Swallows flying 

 with the Sand Martins, especially where they are 



