MARTINS 43 
_ Eggs. Usually 5. White with reddish-brown and grey 
markings. Av. size, °77x°54 in. Laying begins in May. 
Two broods usual. 
81. House-martin [Hirundo urbica urbica Linneus ; Cheli- 
don urbica raga Generally distributed. Summer visitor. 
More local than swallow. Bird of passage. 
Bird. See 80. Length 54in. Sexesalike. 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 Fig. 48. 
in colonies. 
Eggs. Usually 4-5. White. Av. size, ‘74x ‘54 in. Laying 
begins end May to early June. Broods 2-3. 
82. Sand-martin [Riparia riparia riparia (Linneeus) ; Cotile 
riparia (Linneeus)|. Summer visitor. Bird of passage. Local. 
Bird. Length 48 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, 68x °49 in. Laying 
begins May. Two broods usual. 
II. ORDER: CORACIIFORMES 
(1) Family : Picide—Woodpeckers 
83. Green-woodpecker [Picus viridus pluvius (Hartert) ; 
Gecinus viridis (Linneeus)]. Subspecies confined to the British 
Isles in woodland districts. Rare in Scotland and Ireland. 
