320 IJie Irish Naiiualist. December, 1903 



An instance of Deception on the part of a Thrush. 



The bird referred to was observed to gather a large bunch of short 

 grass from where it had been cut on the lawn in front of the house. 

 Having done so it stood quite still for about half a minute, and then flew 

 into a perfectly bare tree in the middle of lawn. Having gone through 

 the form, apparently, of depositing a few blades of the grass in a fork of 

 this tree it flew off" into another leafless tree and went through the same 

 vshow, evidently pretending to begin the building of its nest there. 



After pausing a moment, and taking a sharp look round, it very quickly 

 flew, and disappeared into a thick cypress, where presumably it was 

 making its nest, and where its nest was afterwards found. 



R. M. Patterson. 

 Strandtown, Co. Down. 



Late stay of Swift. 



Lord Antrim writes me that on October 8tli he saw one Swift hawking 



strong with six House-Martins, at Glenarm, Co. Antrim— an unusually 



late date for the North of Ireland. 



Robert Patter.son. 

 Belfast. 



Live Marten in Co. Wexford. 



A pair of fine Martens (often known locally as "Marten Cats") 

 frequented this place last spring (1903). One of them, a female, fell a 

 victim to a rabbit-trapper. The other, as I am pleased to say, escaped 

 so ignominious a death. This locality lies at some distance from any 

 district regularly frequented by Martens, so that their occurrence here 

 would seem to be an interesting instance of their tendency to wander. 



G. B. H. Barrett-Hamii^ton. 



Kilmanock, Arthurstown, Co. "Wexford. 



The Hairy armed Bat. 



This uncommon Bat ( Vesperngo Leislert) has been taken twice here 



within a fortnight. On August 19th one flew into a house at Whitehead 



Co. Antrim, in the early hours of the morning, and was brought to me the 



same day. It was a full-grown male. On September ist, as Mr. John 



Cottney informs me, attention was drawn to sounds coming from a hole 



in a tree about 15 feet from the ground, at Hillsborough, Co. Down. On 



examination, three bats were found ; one was a full-grown male, another 



was a smaller male, while the third was very small and apparently quite 



young. Unfortunately it was not preserved, but I saw the other two, and 



both are Hairy-armed Bats. It seems curious that two males should be 



found with such a ver}' young one, which could hardly have survived a 



severe winter. It is 5 years and i\ years respectively since this bat has 



been recorded from Counties Antrim and Down. 



Robert Patterson. 

 Belfast. 



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