THE SWALLOW. 53 



THE SWALLOW. 



The Swallow tribe have short bills, which are broad 

 at the root, sharp at the end, and a little hooked : 

 their tails are forked ; their legs short, and in most of 

 them, the toes are placed three forward and one 

 backward. Their wings are long, and they fly with 

 wonderful swiftness. Besides the several kinds of 

 Swallows, known by that rfame, the Marten, and 

 some others belong to this tribe. 



THE MARTEN. 



How large a bird is the Marten ? 



The Marten is considerably larger than the Swallow, 

 being eight inches long, and, with the wings spread, 

 sixteen inches in extent. 



What colour is this bird ? 



The wings and tail are brownish black, the other 

 parts are of a purplish blue, very deep and rich. In 

 the sun beautiful violet reflections are thrown out from 

 the neck and breast. 



What is the shape of the Marten ? 



In shape, this bird resembles the others of the 

 swallow kind. The body, legs, and bill are short, the 

 wings long ; the tail forked ; and the eyes full and 

 dark. 



These innocent birds are well known throughout 

 the country, and are general favorites wherever they 

 take up their residence. 



Like all the swallow tribe, they migrate on the ap- 

 proach of winter to a warmer climate, and make their 

 appearance again sometime in the month of April, 

 when they are hailed with a hearty welcome. The 

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