Mr. Gates gives the following account in his 'Handbook to the Birds of British 

 Burniah ' : — 



" This little Sand-Martin is a very common bird at all seasons of the year. It is 

 mostly found on and near large rivers where the banks are steep, but not unfrequenth- 

 it may be observed far inland, hawking after insects like ordinary Swallows. It lavs its 

 eggs in a hole in a river-bank, the tunnel leading to the nest varying from one to four 

 feet in length. The entrance to the tunnel and the passage itself is very small, but the 

 egg-chamber is a roomy hollow. The eggs, which are four or five in number, are laid 

 upon a pad of grass and are white. The excavation of the nest-holes is commenced in 

 Burmah about November. The birds usually breed in large colonies, a firm and ncarlv 

 perpendicular bank being selected for the purpose." 



The evidence given above tends to prove that the Indian Sand-Martin nests in most 

 parts of India, and is a resident, though no specimens in the British Museum bear a 

 later date than May. The migrations in China, of which Consul Swinhoe and Abbe 

 David speak, refer in all probability to the disappearance of the species in the cold 

 weather to more southern latitudes; but it is questionable whether any great influx of 

 individuals takes place at that season into the Indian region from China. 



The descriptions are taken from specimens in the British Museum, and the figures 

 in the Plate are drawn from some birds in tlie Ilume collection. 



