27*2 HIRUNDINTD.I. 



Key to the Species. 



a. A well-defined collar across the upper breast ; a 



tuft of feathers on tarsus C. riparia, p. 272. 



b. No collar across breast and no tuft of feathers 0:1 



tarsus C. sinensis, p. 273 



808. Cotile riparia. The Sand-Martin. 



Hirundo riparia, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 344 (170(5) ; Blyth, Cat. 



p. 199. 

 Cotyle riparia (Linn.}, Horsf. 8f M. Cat. i, p. 95 ; Jcrd. B. I. i, 



p. 163 ; Blanf. S. F. iv, p. 507 ; Hume, Cat. no. 87 ; id. S. F. 



xi, p. 28 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 82. 

 Cotile riparia (Linn.), Oates, B. B. i, p. 310 : Sharne. Cat. B. M. x, 



p. 96. 



The European Sand-Martin, Jerd. 



Fig. 70. Foot of C. riparia. 



Coloration. The whole upper plumage greyish brown, each 

 feather with a more or less distinct pale margin ; a dark spot in 

 front of the eye ; lores and ear-coverts brown ; quills and coverts 

 dark brown ; tail dark brown, narrowly margined with whitish ; 

 a broad and distinct band across the 'breast brown; cheeks and 

 remainder of lower plumage pure white. 



Young birds have all the feathers of the upper plumage and 

 the wings margined with rufous, the chin and throat fulvous, and 

 the breast broadly brown. 



Bill black ; iris brown ; legs dark brown. 



Length about 5 ; tail 2-3 ; wing 4 ; tarsus '45 ; bill from gape 

 5 ; bifurcation of tail '4. 



Distribution. The Sand-Martin is probably spread over the 

 whole of the northern portion of India proper as far south as the 

 latitude of Bombay. It appears to be rare in India, for the Hume 

 Collection contains but very few specimens, and these from Sind 

 only; specimens from the eastern part of the Empire are more 

 numerous. This species extends from Assam to Tenasserim, the 

 most southern locality from which I have seen a specimen being 

 Thatone near Moulmein. It appears to be a winter visitor to 

 India for the most part, but specimens procured in May and 

 .June are contained in the Hume Collection. This Martin is found 

 over the whole northern hemisphere. 



