164 SAND MARTINS AT WEYBRIDGE. [PART II. 
birds, he exclaimed, “My G—, what a lot of Par- 
rots!” The prize was immediately voted to him 
by acclamation. 
Whilst waiting for the train one afternoon at 
Weybridge, I amused myself with watching the 
Sand Martins, who have there a large establish- 
ment on either side of the cutting, and got into 
conversation with one of the porters about them. 
On my saying, I supposed that the boys robbed a 
good many of the nests, he answered, “Oh! Sir, 
they would if they was allowed, but the birds are 
such good friends to us, that we won't let any body 
meddle with them.” I fancied at first that he 
spoke of them as friends in the way of company 
only, but he explained his meaning to be that the 
flies about the station would be quite intolerable 
if they were not cleared off by the Martins, which 
are always hawking up and down in front of it; 
adding that even during the few hot days which 
occurred in the spring before their arrival, the 
flies were becoming very troublesome. “Now,” 
he said, “we may now and then see one, but that 
is all.” 
It was a bright sunny day in July, and the 
scene was a very lively and interesting one. The 
mouths of the holes on both sides of the cutting 
