MARTINS 43 



Eggs. Usually 5. White with reddish-brown and grey 

 markings. Av. size, -77 x '54 in. Laying begins in May. 

 Two broods usual. 



81. House-martin [Hirundo urbica urbica Linnaeus ; Cheli- 

 don urbica (Linnaeus)]. Generally distributed. Summer visitor. 

 More local than swallow. Bird of passage. 



Bird. See 80. Length 5 J in. Sexes alike. Upper-parts glossy 

 dark blue except the rump, which is 

 white. Wings and tail brown with 

 green reflections. Under-parts all 

 white. 



Nest. Place : outside under eaves 

 or under a ledge on a cliff face. 

 Sometimes, like the swallow's, under 

 cover in caves or outbuildings. 

 Built usually against a wall with 

 the top against the eave or ledge, 

 thus forming a closed nest, an en- 

 trance hole being left on one side 

 at the top. Material: mud with 

 little admixture of grass, lined mainly 

 with feathers. The species breeds 

 in colonies. 



Eggs. Usually 4-5. White. Av. size, '74 x '54 in. Laying 

 begins end May to early June. Broods 2-3. 



82. Sand-martin [Riparia riparia riparia (Linnaeus) ; Cotile 

 riparia (Linnaeus)]. Summer visitor. Bird of passage. Local. 



Bird. Length 4*8 in. Easily distinguished from the two 

 preceding by the pale or sandy brown of the upper-parts. 

 Under-parts white with pale brown on the flanks and across 

 the breast. Wings and tail dark brown. 



Nest. Place : in a rounded hole at the end of a burrow, 

 usually 2-3 feet long, bored by the birds in the face of a 

 sand-pit, cutting, steep bank, or the like. Occasionally in 

 holes in walls, trees and elsewhere. Material : chiefly feathers. 

 The species breeds in colonies. 



Eggs. Usually 4-5. White. Av. size, '68 x '49 in. Laying 

 begins May. Two broods usual. 



II. ORDER: CORACIIFORMES 



(1) Family : Picidce Woodpeckers 



83. Green-woodpecker [Picus viridus pluvius (Hartert) ; 

 Gecinus viridis (Linnaeus)]. Subspecies confined to the British 

 Isles in woodland districts. Rare in Scotland and Ireland. 



