106 BRITISH BIRDS’ EGGS. 
SAND MARTIN. 
CoTILE RripaRia, Linn. 
Pl. XVIL., figs. 10, 11. 
Geogr. distr.—Europe, Asia, N. Africa, and America as far south- 
ward as Brazil: common and generally distributed in Great Britain. 
Food.—Insects. 
Nest.—Loosely constructed of hay, rootlets, and a little vegetable 
fibre; lined with feathers, which are almost invariably all white. 
Position of nest.—In an angle or shelf at the end of a long hole 
bored by the bird itself in the walls of sand or gravel-pits, or the sand- 
bank of a railway cutting or sunken road. 
Number of eggs.—4-5; usually 5. 
Time of nidification.—V-V1; beginning of June. 
This species arrives in Great Britain late in April or 
early in May, and soon afterwards commences to excavate 
its holes, or deepen those already made: some of these 
holes extend so far into the sand that it is impossible to 
reach them without the help of a long fork; I have used a 
telescopic toasting-fork for this purpose, but it is apt to 
break the eggs; a small, long-handled metal bowl lined 
with wool would be far better. Sometimes, however, the 
nest is quite out of reach. I have buried my arm to the 
shoulder, with a wire over two feet in length held between 
my fingers, and have not been able to touch the end of the 
tunnel. 
The holes made by the Sand Martin are frequently taken 
possession of by other birds, but especially by House 
Sparrows and Starlings, so that they get filled with 
rubbish; the Blue Tit and Kingfisher also are not averse 
to utilizing them; the Martins are therefore compelled to 
unnecessarily multiply their tunnels, thus not unfrequently 
causing a land-slip during the succeeding winter. 
As a rule this species is gregarious in its habits, but 
instances have been recorded of one pair nesting by itself. 
Mr. Seebohm (Hist. Brit. Birds, i1., p. 185) mentions that 
he has seen Sand Martins flying in and out of tunnels which 
they had excavated in enormous heaps of half-rotten 
sawdust. 
