500 
6 
Mr. Seebohm, who has examined nests of this species in many parts of Europe, sends me the 
following notes:—‘‘The House-Martin generally arrives in the neighbourhood of Sheffield 
early in April. In Greece and Asia Minor I learned from Dr. Kriiper, Herr von Gonzenbach, 
and others that this bird regularly arrives during the first week of March, whilst in the north 
of Norway, in the few places where it is found, as for instance in some of the more sheltered 
villages on the Varanger Fjord, Mr. Nordvi informed me that it does not make its appearance 
until the first week in May. Everyone is familiar with its well-known nest under the eaves of 
cottages and other houses. I have, however, met with small colonies in Dovedale (a limestone 
district in North Derbyshire), as well as at Malin Cove near Settle in North Yorkshire (also a 
mountain-limestone district), which had built their nests against the cliffs. In the Parnassus 
this is usually the case. At Castri (the ancient Delphi) the nests of this bird are common 
under the eaves of the houses in the village, and there is a large colony occupying the cliffs (in 
company with the Rock-Sparrow, Passer petronia) in the picturesque gorge from which the 
famous spring flows. We also met with other colonies in the mountain-limestone cliffs at 
Agoriane and Belitza. But by far the largest colony I have ever seen is in a romantic glen in 
the mountains overlooking Missolonghi. The rocks overhang very much, and there must have 
been hundreds of nests under the overhanging part; whilst outside and in the valley the birds 
themselves were flying in thousands, like a swarm of bees. Ina cleft of the rock, in the midst 
of the Martins’ nests, was a huge nest of the White-tailed Eagle; and many of the nests of the 
Martin were in the possession of Sparrows (Passer domesticus), who seem to have the same 
propensity for annexing their neighbours’ houses as the Sparrows in this country. At Rustchuk, 
on the Danube, there is a very interesting colony of these birds, breeding in great numbers 
together with the Barn-Swallow. The nests are all placed against the beams of the railway- 
station; and both species breed indiscriminately side by side. At first I could hardly tell one 
from the other; but I soon found out that the Swallow made a disk of mud, level at the top, 
about an inch or more from the overhanging beam, whilst the Martin built right up to the 
overhanging beam, leaving only an oval hole in the centre for ingress and egress.” 
The eggs of this species, usually four or five in number, are rather elongated in form, 
tapering rather towards one end, pure white in colour, and in size measure about #0 by $2 inch. 
Mr. Benzon tells me that he has carefully watched them collecting mud for their nests, and 
that they take small pieces in their mouth, and when they have collected several they fly to the 
nest and work the mud into the structure, the spittle assisting to fix it. Not unfrequently, he 
says, two or three nests are fastened close together, the entrance-holes being made on different 
sides for the sake of convenience; and occasionally the hole is made almost in the centre of the 
side, and not above. In Denmark it breeds twice in the year—in June, and again in July or 
August; and Mr. Benzon relates an instance where a pair, after having built a nest as late as 
July, were driven out by Sparrows, and then repaired an old nest and reared two broods—one 
in August, and the other in September. Referring to the often told tale of Martins walling up 
Sparrows in their nests when they could not drive them out, the latter having taken and kept 
forcible possession, he says that a most reliable man at Falster assured him that he had more 
than once taken out Sparrows dead from Martins’ nests, they having been walled up by the 
Martins. He also relates a rather interesting history of a travelling Martin’s nest, which I 
