164 BIRDS OF INDIA. 



breast ; tarsus almost naked, with only a few downy feathers pos- 

 teriorly ; wings as lon^j as the tail ; length 4^ inches." 



'I'his species, of which there are no specimens in the Museum 

 Asiatic Society Bengal, nor apparently in the India House ^Iiiscum, 

 appears to be very closely related to C. Sinensis, and indeed 

 Hodgson's species is put as a synonym of that bird in Horsfield's 

 Catalogue, and in Gray's Catalogue of the Fissirostres, B, M ; but 

 according to Sir. W. Jardine, to whom Adams sent specimens, it 

 differs in size, being smaller than sinensis, and the riunp, instead 

 of being pale, is uniform with the colouring of the back. It may 

 not be lioiigson's species, subsoccnta, but more probably it is, for 

 that gentleman appears to have distinguished it from sinensis, and 

 it is not likt-ly that there will be a third small ]\Iartin from the same 

 localities. Hodgson obtained this jMartin in Nepal, and Adams in 

 Cashmere and Ladakh, and, during the cold weather, on lakes and 

 pools among the salt ranges of the Punjab. 



89. Cotyle Sinensis, Gkay. 



Gray, and Hard., 111. Ind Zook 1 pi. 35 f. 3 — Bltth, Cat. 



1206— HoRSF., Cat. 119-Jerdon, Cat. 263—11. brevicaudata, 



McLelland — H. minuta, Hodgs. — Abali, 11, and Nakuti, Beng. 



(Buch. Ham.) 



The Indian Bank Martin. 



Desv. — Above, earthy grey brown, darker on the crown, upper 

 tail coverts somewhat albescent; throat and breast, p;de greyish; 

 crown, wings, and tail, dusky brown ; belly and lower tail coverts 

 white ; tarsus not feathered, but with a small tuft. 



Length about 4-j-'|j inches; Aving 3^, or slightly more; tail 1~, 

 very slightly forked ; the wings exceed the tail by ^ inch. The 

 young birds have more or less of a rufous tinge. 



This little Bank Martin is r;irc in the South of India, where t'liere 

 are few rivers with high alluvial banks, but very common in the 

 Korth of India, in every large river from the Godavery 

 northwards, and, swarming on the Ganges. It makes its nest in 

 a hole in high river banks, often several hundreds toi'.ethcr. 

 The hole is from 1^ to nearly 3 feet deep, and the nest is lined 



