452 ' Natural History in Ireland, 



Aspidium Pilix-fce'mina, with a scaly stalk. J51echnum borekle. At Foxholes, and on the 



In the rocky wood, Finny Rough, near Stone. StourportRoad.near the Larch es,Kiddermin- 



.^isplfenium Trichomanes. At Blackstone Rock, ster ; Rock Wood, Burnt Wood, and Black, 



near Bewdley. stone Rock, near Bewdley ; in the rocky 



ilsplfenium /^tita-muraria. On the church at wood. Finny Rough, near Stone; and in a 



Stone. dingle between Dunley Hall and Abberley, 



Art. II. Natural History in Ireland. 



Birds at and near Londonderry. {Continued from p. 270.) — The 

 fieldfare arrives in October, departs in the first week of May, and some- 

 times in the second : the country people call it the felt. The fallowchat, 

 or wheatear (provincially stone-checker), arrives about the 21st of March, 

 departs in September. Whinchat arrives about the 1st of May, departs 

 earlier in September than the fallowchat. Stonechat, resident. The reed- 

 bunting, common, resident. Chaffinch in considerable numbers. I think 

 none of these birds migrate from or to this district, nor do the males sepa- 

 rate in flocks from the females. There are no bullfinches in this district. 

 Grey linnet makes its nest in low bushes. Lesser linnet : I had the nest 

 of this little bird in high pear trees in my garden. Golden-crowned wren : 

 this charming British humming-bird is common here from the middle of 

 September till about the same time in April ; but I have never seen more 

 than one (and that but once) in summer : it arrives in September, from 

 places more northerly, I should think. The great titmouse, the cole- 

 mouse, and the blue titmouse, all resident ; a lively handsome family. The 

 skylark (laverock): this "herald of the morn" is very numerous, building 

 its nest frequently in the mosses, or turf bogs, which abound in this district. 

 [Pied] wagtail, grey wagtail, yellow wagtail : I have never seen the latter 

 at any time except April. House swallow, marten, sand-marten, and swift : 

 all these arrive and depart as usual in the British Isles. Bunting, yellow- 

 hammer (yellow yorlan) : I saw a bunting last January, with the whole 

 head and part of its neck yellow, like the yellowhammer. Green gros- 

 beak or linnet, goldfinch, hedge sparrow, redbreast, and wren : all pleasing 

 songsters. Ringdove. Red-grouse is found in floes (mosses [morasses] 

 uncut and undrained, covered with heath, bog myrtle [ilfyrica Gdle\ and 

 diiFerent kinds of mosses,) remote from hills or mountains : it is also found 

 in the mountains in abundance. Partridge, quail : not numerous, from 

 May till October. Heron. Bittern : not common. Common curlew : a 

 few breed in the mosses. Woodcock : from the beginning of October till 

 April. Common snipe serenades us with the ^' heather bleat" all spring 

 and summer, almost as numerous as in winter. Jack-snipe : a winter visit- 

 ant. Common sandpiper : numerous in summer, along shallow streams. 

 Green or golden plover : in large flocks during winter ; breeds, I believe, 

 in large floes and mountains. Redshank : a summer visitant. Common wild 

 duck resident. Teal : resident, on small lakes. Widgeon : a winter visitant. 

 Pochard widgeon, wild-goose widgeon, wild-swan widgeon, water ousel, corn- 

 crake, water hen or common gallinule : all resident, except the corncrake, 

 which arrives in the latter end of April, and departs in September. Raven, 

 crow, rook, magpie, jackdaw. Golden eagle, in the mountains. Kestrel, or 

 windhover, very common. Hen harrier, common. Kite, not common. 

 Sparrow hawk, common. Long-horned owl, seen chiefly in harvest. 



lAst of some of the Quadrupeds of this district, in the county London- 

 derry, viz. twenty miles south of the Giant's Causeway. — Common fox, in 

 the mountains chiefly. Badger (brock), in the mountains. Otter. Mar- 

 ten. Hedgehog. Hare. Rabbit. Weasel. Black rat, not common. 

 Brown rat, very common. Common mouse. Field mouse. Shrew mouse. 

 The sheep of this district have scarcely any disease : we have no trouble 

 in examining them whether they are fly-struck. I never heard of their 

 suffering from it. We shear them the 1st of May, and I have seen wethers 



