[ 94 3 



how fine-feathered land-birds can fubfift during 

 a three -months heavy rain. 



Mr. Clineus fays, that the Sand-Martins, or 

 Shore-Birds, continue in their holes all the win* 

 ter : but Mr. Colinfon, of London, F. R. S. 

 has examined into that matter, this prefent 

 month (Odober 1757) after the Sand-Martins 

 had wholly difappeared, by defiring a clergyman, 

 his particular friend, in Surry, who lived near a 

 convenient fpot for the experiment, to open a 

 place wh^re a great number of Sand-Martins 

 had bee« obferved to build their nefts in the 

 foregoing fummer. The earth was accordingly 

 opened near the edge of a pit whére many of 

 their holes were made ; and, on digging down 

 to them, no birds were found ; though the nefts 

 were found perfedl, in fome of which were found 

 corrupted white eggs, and in others fome flies, of 

 the Bee kind, had taken fhelter. To be the more 

 certain, the paflages into the nefts, which were 

 about a foot and a half in length, little more 

 or lefs, were quite free of any lodgments of 



birds J 



