low and the house-martin discover the greatest ad- 

 dress in raising and securel}^ fixing crusts or shells 

 of loam as cunabula for their young, the bank-martin 

 terebrates a round and regular hole in the sand or 

 earth, which is serpentine, horizontal, and about two 

 feet deep. At the inner end of this burrow does this 

 bird deposit, in a good degree of safety, her rude 

 nest, consisting of fine grasses and feathers, usually 

 goose-feathers, very inartificially laid together. 



Perseverance will accomplish anything : though 

 at first one would be disinclined to believe that this 

 weak bird, with her soft and tender bill and claws, 

 should ever be able to bore the stubborn sand-bank 

 without entirely disabling herself ; yet with these 

 feeble instruments have I seen a pair of them make 

 great despatch : and could remark how much they 

 had scooped that day by the fresh sand which ran 

 down the bank, and was of a different colour from 

 that which lay loose and bleached in the sun. 



In what space of time these little artists are able 

 to mine and finish these cavities I have never been 

 able to discover, for reasons given above ; but it 

 would be a matter worthy of observation, where it 

 falls in the way of any naturalist to make his remarks. 

 This I have often taken notice of, that several holes 

 of different depths are left unfinished at the end of 

 summer. To imagine that these beginnings were 

 intentionally made in order to be in the greater for- 

 wardness for next spring is allowing perhaps too 



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