MARTIN. 173 



The young male and female are perfectly alike. 



Varieties of this species are not uncommon ; the white 

 are the most beautiful, with red or amber-coloured iris ; 

 some are pied, with white wings and tail, or white heads. 

 The variety in which all the black is dirty or brownish white, 

 and the remainder, as usual, pure white, is very hand- 

 some, but must not be mistaken for the bird of the same 

 name (H. U. pallida) of Latham and Bechstein, which 

 differs in many respects. 



The Martin is distributed over all the countries inhabited 

 by the swallow, and goes further north even than that species. 

 During the summer this bird frequents our country, arriving 

 as soon as the spring is sufficiently advanced, towards the end 

 of April or beginning of May, and generally after the swal- 

 lows have made their appearance. A few forerunners are, 

 by chance, seen earlier, but the great flocks do not generally 

 come before the month of May. Their departure com- 

 mences usually in September, and takes place a few days 

 before that of the swallows ; they fly, it is said, by night, 

 and travel in flocks at a great height. These birds are re- 

 marked to congregate in large numbers together some days 

 before they take their departure ; and, after settling on some 

 raised object early in the morning, and basking in the sun, 

 they start off repeatedly as if by a given signal, and return 

 again and again with great clamouring ; it almost seems as 

 if they practise their mode of travelling, and train them- 

 selves for their journey. During these manoeuvres, they 

 mount quickly to a great height, and the same minute de- 

 scend again with such velocity that the noise occasioned 

 by their wings may be heard very plainly. It has been said 

 that Martins prefer towns to country places, but we cannot 

 agree in that supposition, as there must be more insects in 

 the sweet air of the country than in smoky towns. 



The flight of the Martin is not so quick as that of the 



