Mr. W. Thompson's Additions to the Fauna of Ireland. 171 



in. lin. 



Length, total (stuffed), to end of longest tail-feathers 20 3 



of bill above from forehead to point 2 6 



of bill from rictus to point 3 4 



of wing from carpus 13 9 



of tarsus about 1 



of middle toe to base of nail 11 



of nail itself measured in a straight line about ... 4 



Wing and longest tail-feathers about of equal length ; outer or 

 longest tail-feathers exceed the middle by three inches. Bill wholly- 

 yellowish horn-colour ; legs and toes wholly black. Colour of en- 

 tire plumage the same as that of the common Tern (&. hirundo), but 

 the back is rather of a darker shade than that of the latter when 

 adult. The black of the head does not reach within one-third of an 

 inch of the bill j space between the termination of the black plumage 

 and the bill, pure white. The specimen is evidently adult. 



On visiting the collection of birds in the British Museum — where 

 the utmost facility for reference and comparison has always been 

 most kindly afforded me by George R. Gray, Esq. — I saw the same 

 Tern labelled " Sterna velox, Huppell, Red Sea." It was from this 

 locality that Ruppell had the species, which is figured in his ' Atlas/ 

 pi. 13 (1826). To Prince Bonaparte it is not known to have occurred 

 farther west in the Mediterranean than Sicily, and so far, only acci- 

 dentally. The Sterna cristata described by Swainson in his ' Birds 

 of Western Africa,' p. 247. pi. 30, agrees in all details with my notes 

 of S. velox, except in the colour of the back, which is said to be almost 

 as white as the under parts. 



Ruddy Shieldrake, Tadorna rutila, Pallas (sp.). 

 I learn by letter from T. W. Warren, Esq., of Dublin, that he has 

 lately added to his fine collection of rare birds obtained in Ireland, 

 an example of this species. The bird on the second day after being 

 killed was presented to Mr. Glennon, bird-preserver, by Mr. John 

 P. Prendergast, whose letter respecting it was kindly sent for my 

 perusal. It was there stated that the bird was shot on the Murrogh of 

 Wicklow* on the 7th July 1847, by Mr. John Moreton of that town. 

 The abode of this species in Europe is in the more southern portion 

 of the eastern countries ; the individuals met with in the western 

 parts are considered only accidental visitants : three have been ob- 

 tained in England. 



Fishes. 



Argentine. 



Scopelus borealis, Nilsson. 

 Argentina spyrcena, Penn. 



A specimen of this extremely beautiful little fish was found in a 

 dying state on the beach at Killiney bay, near Dublin, by Professor 



* This is an extensive sandy tract bordering the sea near the town of 

 Wicklow ; such a locality as is resorted to by the common Shieldrake 

 ( T. vulpanser) for the purpose of breeding. 



