this Martin breeding in colonies in high sandbanks at Nowshera during the month of 

 February ; the place selected Avas the bank of the river Cabul, and the nests were often 

 placed so close together that by enlarging one hole I could work laterally to the nesN 

 chambers of other nests, for the nests were from two feet to three feet deep in the bank. 

 The nest-chamber was always lined with dry grass, stalks, and a few feathers, and the 

 eggs were usually four in number, pure white. In digging out these eggs and similar 

 ones I use a narrow heavy trowel, and am invariably provided with a looking-glass to 

 flash in the light to see what is in the hole before putting in my hand, as I once touched 

 Bungarus fasciatus, and shall not forget it.' 



" Mr. Doig took numerous nests in the Eastern Narra, in Sind, on the 17th Pebruary. 

 He himself writes : — ' Found numbers of the nests of these little birds in holes in the steep 

 sandy banks along the Narra on the 21st February ; of some 30 nests the greatest number 

 of eggs in any one nest was four. The holes were from 2 to 3 feet in the bank, and the 

 nest consisted of grass, lined with a few feathers.' 



" Colonel Butler remarks : — ' The Indian Sand-Martin breeds in the neighbourhood of 

 Deesa in the cold weather. I found seven nests in the bank of a river near Deesa on tin- 

 23rd January, 1876, and dug them all out with the following results : No. 1, 1^ feet from 

 entrance of the hole, contained three eggs slightly incubated. No. 2, 2 feet from entrance, 

 contained four fresh eggs. Nos. 3, 4, 5, and 6 contained young ones nearly ready to leave 

 the nest; others, young ones only just hatched. Most of the nests were within 2 feet of 

 the entrance, but one was about 3 feet. The numbers of young birds varied from 3 to 4, 

 The nests, as a rule, were thick pads of dry grass, fibrous roots, &c., thickly lined with 

 good-sized soft feathers, loosely placed at the bottom of the nest. Some nests were thick 

 and solid, others slight, small, and loosely put together. One nest was empty. I found 

 another nest on the 2nd February in the same bank, containing one fresh e^s. I took 

 another nest in a river-bank on the 15th March, containing three fresh eggs ; it was 

 composed exteriorly of coarse, dry, rushy grass, and lined with fine dark-coloured 

 fibrous roots, with one large solitary KuUum's feather at the bottom for the eggs to 

 rest upon.' " 



For the geographical distribution of this species, vide infra, Plate 32 [Map]. 



