Swallows and Martins 



539 



rhotul'tiJ. T. A'ui- 



A I'AU! OF WliKNS. 

 .>\vn nearly ovLnTwiioio in Kiiiilaml as tin- *■ Kitty' 



■ .Tillin' ' Wren. 



iiiiuld ol' tli-y Li;rass niid iikiss, 



liiit'tl witli liciisc-liair and cdNcrfd 



extfviiallv wilh spiili'v-wchs and 



liflifns, is usually |ilac('d in 



s(Mm> siicHtM'i'tl ]iiisil i(in, sufli as 



!i cvcvit'i' in (1h.^ barU iif a. tviH^ 



tiv in tilt' cn't'iH'vs fcni'i'ing the 



tvt'llis-wdik !)[' a. lioiisf ; ami 



iiwini;- (o (lit' sl<iii'id way in wliicii 



it is coxt'iiHl externally, so as 



to resenihlt> its surrountlino's, is 



dilKi'ult to find. 



T li e S w A 1, 1,1) \y s a u il 



.Maktins eiinslitnte an exeeed- 



inglv well-tlelined ofon|) of liirils, 



and one \yliieli lioltls a eon- 



spieuously liii^li iilaei" in the 



veijavd of niankintl. iindinn' a 



weU'onie eyerywhere on aeeouiil of the i^'reat benefits tliey confer by tlie reinoyal of iiisect- 



]ie>ls in the shaiie of the smaller i^nats and flies. These. \yc>re tlu-'V not ke|it in cheek 



by the Swallow Tribe, wiudtl rentier most jiarts of the worltl nninliabitable. Ixarelv seen 



niicm the grtmml, sa\'e \yhen jirocnring nmd for tlie construction of their nests, the l>irils of 



this eroup are all peculiarly stroni;- fliers, 

 turning- tmd twisting with the greatest 

 s}ieetl and precisit)n. All ha\e \ery slnirt 

 beaks and wide motiths, long wings and 

 tails, and small and weak feet. 



A large number builtl their nests of 

 mud, collected in small pellets and held 

 together by the secretion of the saliyarv 

 glands. These nests are commonly more 

 or less cup-sliapetl. anil fastenetl umler 

 the eayes of tlwelling-liouses or other 

 builtlings, or placetl on a conyenient 

 beam or other leilge. The liED-iUMrEn 

 Swallows and Faikv ^Martins — species 

 enjoying an enormous distrilnitit>n, 

 being founil in India, Africa, .\merica, 

 antl Australia — build yery large tfask- 

 sliapetl nests, lia\ing the entrance pro- 

 dircetl into a funnel often eight or 

 nine inches in length. Others, like the 

 Sand-.mai;tix. excaxtite long tunnels, ter- 

 minating in kirger chambers, in the faces 

 of santl-banks — a performance which must 

 certainly be regarded as wonderful, when 

 one realises the feeble ttxils with which 

 file task of exca\";Uing has to be per- 

 formetl. Some species utilise the holes 

 maile bv t~>ther binls. in one species this 

 hole being itself bored within the burrow 

 of the \iscacha. 



(•/,,.(.> I'll Aiiolastic I'liolo. Co.] I'''"' 



iMMMON wiu-.Ns, wrru j;i:sT r.rii.T in tukasaxt' 



In «intor wrons liavi' a on.-^toni 

 a'ul InuUllin^ l.'sli'tlu'r 



i-liins s.^nK' hvU- or ..llu 

 lall lurlios for llic siko 



Slvl'I.F.rilN. 



■onu-nt ^luIt.M 



