THE HOUSE MARTIN 83 



THE HOUSE MARTIN 



CHELlDON URBICA 



Head, nape and upper part of the back, black with violet reflections ; lower 

 part of the back, and all the under parts, pure white ; feet and toes covered 

 with downy feathers ; tail forked, moderate. Length five inches and a 

 half. Eggs pure white. 



The swallows and the Martins are so much alike in their leading 

 habits, namely, migration, mode of flight, and food, that a descrip- 

 tion of either will in many respects be applicable to the other. The 

 House Martin generally arrives a few days after the Swallow, and 

 resorts to similar localities. In the early part of the season the most 

 sheltered places are sought out, and the two species may frequently 

 be seen hawking for flies in company. Later in the season its num- 

 bers are observed to be greatly increased, and it is joined by the 

 Swift and Sand Martin. Not that any society is entered into by 

 the different species, or that they even sport together ; but one 

 may often stand on the bank of a canal, or by the margin of a pond, 

 and see all four kinds glance by in varied succession, and in pro- 

 portions which differ according as one or the other is most abundant 

 in the neighbourhood. Acute listeners can, it is said, hear a snap- 

 ping noise made by the bird as it closes its beak on a captured insect, 

 but I must confess that though I have often tried to detect this sound, 

 I have never succeeded. Swift as their passage is, and similar though 

 the flight of all the species, no difficulty is found in distinguishing 

 them. The Chimney-Swallow is sufficiently marked by its long 

 forked tail and red chin ; the House Martin by the snow-white 

 hue of its abdomen and lower part of the back, and by its shorter 

 tail, which is also forked ; the Sand Martin by its smaller size, its 

 greyish brown back and dirty-white under plumage, as well as by 

 its shorter, slightly forked tail ; and the Swift can be distinguished 

 at any distance by its shape, which resembles a bent bow, with the 

 body representing an arrow ready to be shot. On a nearer view, 

 the Swift is marked by its general black hue relieved only by a spot 

 of white on the chin, which it requires a sharp eye to detect. All 

 the species have the power of suddenly, and with the greatest 

 rapidity, altering their course by a slight movement of the wings 

 and tail. 



Immediately on its arrival in this country, the Martin pays a 

 visit to its old dwelling, clings to its walls, peeps in or even enters 

 many times a day. It has been proved by several experiments, 

 that the same birds return year after year to their old nests, and 

 it is hard to believe, so thoroughly delighted do they seem, that 

 they are guided simply by an impassive instinct. If so, why should 

 they hang about the ' old house at home ' so many days before 

 they begin to set in order again the future nursery ? No elaborate 

 plans of alterations and improvements are to be devised ; last 



