THE MARTIN. 511 



of upper-breast darker brown than rest, forming sometimes almost 

 an incomplete band, rest of under-parts white ; under tail-coverts 

 with dark brown shaft -lines and often with irregular brown marks ; 

 under wing-coverts and axillaries as adult but slightly paler ; tail- 

 and wing-feathers and coverts dark brown, innermost secondaries 

 with white tips. 



First winter. New feathers like adult winter but many juvenile 

 feathers are retained until spring. The juvenile body-feathers 

 commence to moult Aug., but wing- and tail-feathers not before 

 Nov. Summer. Like adult and moult same and doubtful if wings 

 and tail moult twice though wings commence to moult in Nov. 



Measurements and structure. wing 106-113 mm., tail : central 

 pair 35-45, outermost pair 58-63, tarsus 10.5-13, bill from skull 

 8.5-9 (12 measured). $ wing 104-112, tail : central pair 35-43, 

 outermost pair 57-63. Primaries : 1st minute about half primary- 

 coverts, 2nd longest, 3rd occasionally equal, rarely 1 mm. longer, 

 usually 1-3 shorter than 2nd, 4th 7-10 shorter, 5th 13-20 shorter, 

 6th 20-27 shorter, outer webs not emarginated. Secondaries very 

 short, shorter than 10th primary, tips rather deeply notched except 

 innermost which are longer with rounded tips. Tail deeply forked, 

 12 feathers, tips sharply sloped off on inner webs. Tarsi and feet 

 short and feathered. Bill broad and flat almost an equilateral 

 triangle in shape, tip slightly curved. Gape wide. Nostrils par- 

 tially covered by membrane. Some fine and short rictal and nasal 

 bristles. 



Soft parts. Bill black ; legs and feet pink-flesh tinged yellow 

 and covered with white feathers ; iris dark brown. 



CHARACTERS AND ALLIED FORMS. D. u. meridionalis (north-west 

 Africa) has slightly shorter wing, but secondaries are proportionately 

 longer and birds from south-west Persia are similar ; D. u. whiteleyi 

 (Siberia, Manchuria) has longer upper tail-coverts white instead of 

 blue ; D. u. cashmiriensis (Himalayas) is smaller and has brownish 

 under-parts ; D. u. nigrimentalis (Fokien, China) is still smaller and 

 has black at point of chin ; D. u. dasypus (Japan) is much like last 

 but larger. White rump and under-paits, blue mantle and forked tail 

 with no long " streamers " and feathered tarsi and feet distinguish 

 House-Martin from other British Swallows. 



FIELD -CHARACTERS. Tail less deeply forked than Swallow's, and 

 entire under-parts pure white, but readiest distinction is white 

 rump which contrasts strongly with blue-black back and wings. 

 White-feathered legs conspicuous when bird is on ground or clinging 

 to nest. Essentially sociable both during nesting-season and after- 

 wards. Song, a contented twittering often warbled whilst clinging 

 to, or actually inside, nest. Call-notes, a soft " preet-a-preet " and 

 a coarse " screet," often uttered on wing. Alarm -note, sharp, 

 shrill "prt." 



