SAND-MARTIN. 179 



The Sand-Martin seems to frequent every country where 

 the swallow and house-martin are known, and is also to 

 be met with in North America : to give particular locali- 

 ties would, therefore, be an unnecessary repetition. They 

 are delicate birds, and visit us only in the middle of summer, 

 arriving in May, and departing in August or September. 

 They are particularly attached to the neighbourhood of 

 water, and are more partial to it than the foregoing, al- 

 though we can mention several places where the Sand- 

 Martin abounds where there is very little water. Sand- 

 banks are their most frequented haunts, whether by the 

 waterside or by the roadside. 



The food of the Sand-Martin consists in flying insects 

 of different sorts, chiefly such as undergo their changes 

 in the water or in swampy places. Ephemera, gnats and 

 their larvae seem to be their chief food, and it appears 

 to be in pursuit of the latter that they are seen, not 

 unfrequently, to dip their heads into the water. They may 

 be seen flying incessantly about for food, and, on account 

 of their quick digestion, amply fulfil their duty of de- 

 stroying the surplus of the smaller flying insects. 



The places chosen by the Sand-Martins for breeding are 

 the banks of rivers, cliffs by the road-side, sand-pits, &c, 

 and they generally dig holes in the sand not far apart 

 from each other, and may be said to belong to the sociable 

 class of birds. When they have chosen the spot for the 

 purpose above-named, they begin to excavate their holes 

 in a horizontal direction, but sloping a little upwards, as 

 they proceed ; the opening is from two to two inches and 

 a half wide, but becomes more roomy at the further end, 

 for the accommodation of the nest and young family, and 

 we have known some to be excavated nearly four feet deep 

 into the bank. 



How these little birds can possibly perform such hard 



