S84 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. 



The beak of the Sand Martin is dark brown, 

 nearly black ; the irides are hazel ; the head, neck, 

 back and all the upper parts are uniform dark hair- 

 brown ; the quills are a darker brown, almost black ; 

 the tail is the same ; the chin and throat are white ; 

 there is a broadish dark brown band on the breast, 

 and the flanks also are brown; all the rest of the 

 under parts are white ; the legs, toes and claws are 

 dark brown ; there are a few lightish feathers just 

 above the hind toe. In the young birds of the year 

 the feathers on the head, neck, back, scapulars, 

 wing-coverts, tertial- quills, rump and tail-coverts, are 

 margined with light rusty brown ; the margins on 

 the head and neck appear to wear away first ; there 

 is a light streak on the outer w r eb of each of the tail- 

 feathers, except the two centre ones. Varieties, 

 mostly white or cream-colour, occasionally make 

 their appearance. 



The egg is plain white, rather smaller than that 

 of the Swallow. 



SWIFT, Cypselus apus. This peculiar- looking bird 

 is the last to arrive of all the Hirundinidse and the 

 earliest to depart, making so short a stay with us 

 that it would hardly appear worth its while to make 

 so long a journey : my own notes of its arrival vary 

 from the 28th of April to the 2nd of May, and the 

 notes of its departure nearly agree ; " Seen no Swifts 

 since the 18th of August." One year I was crossing 

 from Weymouth to Guernsey in the steamer, on the 



