10 



blocking up the entrance. A similar curious variation in the nesting-habits of the 

 Martin has also been noticed in this country, for our friend Mr. Howard Saunders 

 informs us that in June, 1893, he watched a colony of these birds on the Pembrokeshire 

 coast, which liad their nests inside the fissures of the rocks, and completely out of sight. 

 He watched the birds for a coui^le of hours with the aid of a jjowerful binocular, and 

 saw the sitting bird fed and afterwards " relieved guard," both birds coming out and one 

 returning. The flying birds completely disappeared within the crevice, and the sitting 

 bird never appeared at the entrance, so that the nest must have been some way inside. 

 By landing in the bay below the crags, he was able to observe with certainty that there 

 was not in that cliff a single external nest ; all were in fissures. This colony consisted 

 of about twenty pairs, and there were others in almost every gully, but none so easily 

 observed as tlie one mentioned, near Newport, Pembrokeshire. 



In English towns and villages the mud-built nest of the Martin is usually placed 

 under the overhanging eaves of a house or cottage, and the little architects mdcj be seen 

 in spring-time busily engaged at the puddles in tlie road or at the sides of ponds, 

 collecting the nodules of mud Avith which they build tlieir nests. These are generally 

 built in the shape of a half-cup with an aperture near the top, and the interior is lined 

 with dry grass and a few feathers. About the latter the Martin seems to be very careful 

 to have enough, as will be seen by the note given Ijelow. The greatest enemy to the 

 peace of the harmless and useful little Martin is the mischievous Sparrow, who often 

 enters into the labours of tlie hard-working little pair and appropriates the nest, though 

 instances have been recorded in which the members of a colony of Martins have united 

 too'cther and walled up the intruder within the nest which he had so ruthlessly 

 appropriated. 



A most fervent protector of the Martin in tiiis country was the late Colonel 

 PlUsscU, of Stubbers, near Rumford. One of the authors once paid a visit to this 

 genial old naturalist and spent a couple of pleasant days in his society. Driving 

 from the station to the Hall, a distance of a few miles, we passed several farms on the 

 Colonel's estate, and his estimate of the intelligence of his tenants seemed to be in propor- 

 tion to the extent in which each farmer backed up his efforts to protect the Martins and 

 exterminate the House-Sparrows. We had not then heard of the Martin-loving enthusiasm 

 of our host, but, sitting imder the shade of the house on that beautiful summer evening, 

 we listened to his arguments in favour of the Martin, while our postprandial talk took 

 place to the accompaniment of the crooning twitter of dozens of Martins in the nests a 

 few feet above our heads. The next morning we accompanied our host in his round of 

 visits to the various colonies which flourished under his protection, and he explained to 

 us that as there was no proper clay for nest-building within a quarter of a mile of the 

 house, he was obliged to fetch a supply which he deposited near the edge of a neigh- 

 bouring pond ; and his first duty every morning was to moisten this clay with water, so 

 that the birds should always have a supply of proper material for the building or repair 

 of their nests. This proceeding on the part of tlie Colonel was thoroughly understood 



