SAND-MARTIN. 177 



INSESSORES. 

 FISSJROSTRES. HIRUNDJNIDJE. 



PLATE XXXV. 



SAND-MARTIN. 



HlRUNDO RIPARIA. (Lintl.) 



The Sand-Martin is the smallest of the species that visit 

 our country. Its entire length is from five and a quarter 

 to five and a half inches, and its expanse twelve inches. 

 Its wing measures four inches and a half in length ; its 

 first primary quill-feathers are rounded, and the succeeding 

 ones pointed towards their extremities, the secondaries are 

 notched, the tertials rounded. The tail is two inches one 

 eighth in length, and the fork is half an inch in depth : 

 the wings, when closed, reach beyond the extremity of the tail. 



The beak is small, short, weak, and broad at the base, 

 like the rest of its family, three lines in length and the 

 same in width across the forehead, and one line in height : 

 the nostrils are very small, the iris very dark chesnut, the 

 beak black. The naked feet are small and tender, the 

 claws middling in size, finely arched, extremely pointed, 

 grooved beneath, and close above the hinder toe is a bunch 

 of short and stiff grey feathers. The legs and feet arc 

 broadly scaled, their colour is a reddish-black, varying to 

 yellowish-grey on the tarsi. The tarsus measures five lines, 

 the middle toe six lines, including the claw, which is two 

 and a half lines, the hinder toe five lines, of which the claw 

 occupies one half. 



