[Three Hundred Animals Contents]
IS something less than the swallow, and often confounded with him. He has a great head comparatively, and a wide mouth; his legs are very short but thick, and the feet very small. They very seldom alight on the ground, but sit upon the top of chimneys, church towers, and old buildings. In heraldry the Martlet is painted without feet, and is a most ancient and noble bearing, and this bird is fond of nestling under the gates or windows of old castles, as it is observed in the above quotation from our illustrious bard.
