87 
Perching Birds. 
of the upper surface is blue black, and the under surface pure white, with the tail 
black and only slightly forked. This is the species which frequents the suburbs of 
our large cities, and builds a clay nest under the shelter of the eaves of our houses. 
The House- Martin arrives about the middle of April from its winter quarters 
in Africa, and is common all over Europe, nesting in colonies in the north 
in the scattered farm houses. The nest is composed of small nodules of sand and 
mud, impressed with the saliva of the birds, and forming a compact and feather- 
lined home, with a narrow opening at the top, through which the head of the sitting 
female is often seen peeping out to take food from its industrious mate, while later 
on the small heads of the young ones may be observed projecting and even 
clamouring for the 
insects brought to 
the nest by the 
parent birds. The 
eggs are glossy 
white and from four 
to six in number. 
THE 
SAND-MARTIN. 
( Clivicola riparia.) 
The little Bank 
Martin is the first 
of the Swallows to 
arrive in Great 
Britain, making its 
appearance early in 
April. It is the 
smallest of the 
British Swallows, 
and is of a plain brown colour, white underneath, with a brown collar across 
the fore-neck. It nests throughout Europe and Northern Asia, and is also found 
on the continent of North America, wintering in the Old World in Africa and India, 
and in Central and Southern America. It is found everywhere in summer 
throughout Great Britain, nesting in colonies in sand-banks and railway-cuttings, 
the holes in which are excavated to a considerable depth by the birds them- 
selves. There, at the end of the tunnel, a scanty nest of grass is prepared with 
a few feathers for the lining, and four or five pure white eggs are laid. In flight and 
in general habits the Sand-Martin resembles our other British Swallows, but is 
more frequently seen flying over water than the other two species. In the autumn 
vast hordes of Sand-Martins congregate to roost in the reed-beds of our southern 
