BIRDS. 57 



Order: Passeres (Perching Birds). 



This order is essentially constituted by all those 

 birds with helpless young (p. 51), which do not belong 

 to the two preceding orders or the one next following. 

 Beak without a cere. Three toes forwardly, one 

 backwardly directed. 



Group : Hirundinidae (Swallows). 



With short flat beak, broad at the base, with gape 

 extending far back, and triangular as seen from above. 

 In flight the beak is opened as widely as possible, 

 serving for catching insects. Wings long and pointed. 

 Feet short and weak, entirely unsuited or only poorly 

 adapted for walking ; their chief use is to enable the 

 swaUow to hold fast to difierent objects. Swallows 

 fly quickly and catch insects while on the wing. The 

 insects on which they prey are generally unimportant 

 to agriculture and forestry ; but they may also do good 

 by catching crane flies (Tipula), and ribbon-footed 

 corn flies (Ghlorops), which often fly about our fields 

 in enormous swarms in order to lay their eggs. All 

 swallows are migratory birds. There belong here — 



1. True Swallows (Hi/rundo), with forked tails; 

 three toes directed to the front, one to the back. 

 Here may be reckoned — Swallow {H. rustica), always 

 broods in sheltered spots, e.g. inside a stable, summer- 

 house, or verandah ; House Martin (H. urbica), nests 

 against buildings, under the eaves for example; the 

 Sand Martin (H. riparia), breeds in the neighbourhood 

 of streams, especially in vertical banks of loamy or 

 coherent sandy soil, where it makes its nest at the 

 end of a passage a yard long. The House Martin is 

 shining black on the back, white on the entire under 

 surface and rump. The Bank Martin is brownish 

 grey on the back, white on the under side, with 

 brownish-grey bands on the breast. 



