THE SAND-MARTIN. 401 



came together. In 1843, a single bird was seen on the borders 

 of the bay, on the 28th of March, and at the same place in 

 1844, one was observed on the 31st of this month. On the 2nd 

 of April, 1845, I saw about twenty over the sand-pit already 

 alluded to ; and on the 6th, double that number. I remarked 

 them on the latter occasion, flying in and out of their burrows as 

 in the breeding season. In 1846, three or four were noticed 

 on the borders of the bay on the 7th of April ; and from twenty 

 to thirty in another locality, on the 9th of that month. The 

 earliest in 1847, were two, seen flying over the bay on the 5th of 

 April. I visited their chief haunt on the 14th, J. 6th, and 23rd ; 

 not one was seen on either of the first days, but numbers 

 appeared on the last ; the spring migrants generally were very late 

 in arrival that year. In 1848, they were, on the contrary, very 

 early. I saw a considerable number of sand-martins at their 

 chief burrow on the 2nd of April, and they probably came some 

 time before that date ; having been absent from home for a fort- 

 night previously, I had not the opportunity of noticing them 

 earlier. One was seen near Armagh, on the 29th of March. 



The observation of the eloquent Wilson (Amer. Ornith.), that 

 the sand-martin " appears to be the most sociable with its kind, 

 and the least intimate with man of all our swallows," has been 

 objected to as erroneous by Rennie, in his edition of Montagu's 

 Ornithological Dictionary (p. 20), but my observation leads me 

 to consider it as critically correct. Although the sand-martin 

 never tenants the swift's favourite abode, the tower or the steeple; 

 attaches not its nest to our dwellings like the martin ; nor with 

 the swallow, claims the roof of our out-houses for protection ; yet 

 is it in a considerable degree benefited by the operations of man. 

 The excavations in the sand-pit, when carried to such an extent 

 as to form a high perpendicular front, are the means of affording 

 to this bird a place to rear its young in comparative security. It 

 appears to me, that such banks are selected, whether adjacent to, 

 or remote from houses, solely from their adaptation to the pur- 

 poses of the sand-martin, and not because the bird either seeks 

 or " shuns human neighbourhood." It is as partial to the preci- 



vol. i. 2d 



