THE MARTIN. 509 



deliberate than Swallow's. Seen from below light throat and 

 absence of steel blue gorget form good distinctions. (F.C.R.J.) 



BREEDING-HABITS. Breeds on cliff -faces as well as on walls of 

 buildings. Nest. Built of mud, mixed with bits of grass, but 

 differs from that of Swallow or Martin in having entrance through 

 a projecting spout, so that nest is retort shaped, lined with feathers, 

 bits of wool, etc. Eggs. 4-5. White. Average size of 81 eggs, 

 20x14.3 mm. Breeding-season. From beginning of May onward 

 in Mediterranean Region. Apparently double brooded. 



FOOD. Insects taken on the wing, but exact data lacking. 



DISTRIBUTION. Great Britain. Two obtained and two seen. 

 One shot (and picked up dead ten days later) and two others seen, 

 Fair Isle (Shetlands), June 2, 1906 (ut supra). Adult female Jury 

 Gap, Romney Marsh (Kent), May 16, 1909 (M. J. NicoU, Bull. 

 B.O.C., xxin, p. 93). 



DISTRIBUTION. Abroad. Turkestan, Persia, Baluchistan, Afghani- 

 stan, Syria, Egypt (? only as migrant), Asia Minor, Cyprus, Greece, 

 also Marocco, western Algeria, and Tunisia. Sometimes seen 

 in Italy, perhaps breeding in Sicily and south Italy, has occurred 

 once Heligoland, and south France. Replaced by allied races in 

 east Siberia, Mongolia, and north China (once [two specimens] in 

 June in Assam), in the mountains south of the Brahmaputra, 

 India, south China, and the East Indian Archipelago (probably 

 only in winter). 



Genus DELICHON Moore. 



DELICHON Moore, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, xxii " 1854 " p. 104 (1855 

 Monotype : D. nipalensis Moore). 



Differs from all other genera of Hirundinidce by thickly feathered 

 tarsus and toes. Tail forked, but lateral rectrices never greatly 

 attenuated and elongated. Rump white, back metallic, eggs always 

 white. Europe, north-west Africa, Asia. 



DELICHON URBICA 



209. Delichon urbica urbica (L). THE MARTIN. 



HIRUNDO TJRBICA Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i, p. 192 (1758 Europe. 



Restricted typical locality : Sweden). 



Chelidon urbica (Linnaeus), Yarrell, n, p. 349 ; Saunders, p. 165. 



DESCRIPTION. Adult male and female. Winter. Fore-head, crown, 

 mantle and scapulars dark metallic -blue, feathers of nape and 

 mantle with their central portions white often showing on nape but 

 usually concealed on mantle ; feathers of back brown glossed blue 



