BRITISH BIRDS. 



THE MARTIN. 



MARTLET, MARTINET, OR WINDOW SWALLOW 



(Hirundo Urbica y Linn. Hirondcllc dc 

 Temm. 



LENGTH about five inches and a half. Bill 

 black; eyes dark hazel; inside of the mouth yel- 

 low; the top of the head, the wings, and tail 

 dusky brown ; back black, glossed with blue ; 

 the rump and all the under parts from the chin 

 to the vent, are pure white ; ends of the se- 

 condary quill feathers finely edged with white; 

 the legs are covered with white downy feathers 

 down to the claws, which are white also, very 

 sharp, and much hooked; the middle toe is much 

 longer than the others, and is connected with 

 the inner one as far as the first joint. 



This bird visits us in great numbers ; it has 

 generally two broods, sometimes three, in the 

 year; it builds in craggy precipices near the 

 sea, or by the sides of lakes, most frequently, 



VOL. I. 2 Q 



