Mr. W. Thompson on the Birds of Ireland, 283 



an easterly direction than in Ireland, which to birds flying 

 before it westerly would be the last place of resort in its lati- 

 tude in the eastern hemisphere. In like manner, mountain 

 finches may have crossed the Irish Sea in the very severe 

 weather early in the present year (1841), as Mr. R. Davis, 

 writing to me from Clonmel, states, that a flock of them were 

 seen near that town, and several shot on the 5th of February* 

 — he had not known them as visitants to that neighbourhood 

 before. I have seen specimens of this bird which were shot 

 during frost in the spacious yard of the Royal Society House, 

 Dublin ; and by T. W. Warren, Esq., of that city, have been 

 assured, that at the most inclement period of the severe winter 

 of 1837-38, some of these birds took shelter in the houses in 

 the town of Dundalk. A pair of mountain finches kept in 

 a very large cage with other species in a greenhouse attached 

 to the dwelling of a relative near Belfast, screamed so con- 

 stantly throughout moonlight nights as to disturb the family, 

 and consequently they had to be expelled the place. 



The House Sparrow, Fringilla domestica, Linn., 



Is common in Ireland. This bird is in some places much 

 persecuted by individuals, who, knowing only the injury com- 

 mitted on the grain-crops and in the garden, are yet ignorant 

 of the great benefit it confers by the destruction of caterpillars, 

 &c. A notable illustration of a sparrow-destroying order 

 which was given forth in our juvenile days may here be men- 

 tioned. An old soldier, who had been in the Peninsular War, 

 was selected from the farm-labourers as being of course the 

 best shot. With plenary instructions to destroy all sparrows, 

 he spent day after day in going about the corn-fields for the 

 purpose of shooting them. Although reports of the gun were 

 frequently heard, there appeared no testimony to convict him 

 of the shedding of blood. We spent one day with him, and 

 whenever he saw .that two or three sparrows had alighted 

 together on the standing corn sufficiently near to him, and 

 this was by no means seldom, he fired at them. Often as he 

 did so, we can attest that not a bird fell, though how much 

 of the grain was thereby sacrificed we cannot take upon our- 

 selves to say, for it could not be missed. The shooter would 

 not believe that this was owing to his want of skill, and more 



* When lately at Freshwater Bay, in the Isle of Wight, I saw several 

 stuffed specimens of the mountain finch on sale at the " Museum," as it 

 is called. I learned that they had been shot in the vicinity during the 

 frost and excessive cold above noticed, when many of them made their ap- 

 pearance, a circumstance of such rare occurrence that their species was un- 

 known. 



