DUBLIV NATVBAL HI8T0BT SOCIETY. 89 



Coming home late one evening afUT dark, I waa surprised, whilst 

 walking along the road to the north of the lough, to hear a tremendous 

 chattering, which would sometimes suddenly cease, and one heard a long 

 continuous whirr, like that of a strong rushing wind. It was then too 

 dark to see anything, and although I knew they must be birds, yet their 

 kind I could not say. I could hear the whirr, caused by the flocks 

 getting up, nearly the whole way into Rathkeale (over a mile). The 

 next day, on returning the same way, the noise of the preceding night 

 was fully explained by my seeing innumerable starlings congregated 

 about the lake. 



Some evenings afterwards I went on purpose to watch the birds ; I 

 arrived at the spot about half an hour before sunset, and immediately 

 afterwards the stares began to arrive in flocks of three and four hun- 

 dred. The first flock flew round the lake, and then lit in a field to 

 the south ; a few minutes more, and another flock arrived, which, after 

 flying round the lake, joined the first comers ; these immediately rose, 

 and fdl took a circuit round the fields, and then alighted again. 



Flocks now came in thickly from all sides, the same performance 

 being gone through at each arrival, until the flocks began to come so 

 fast that they had no time to remain on the ground at all. The main 

 flock then adjourned to the lake ; arriving there, it took two or three 

 circuits of the lake, and then alighted among the reeds ; the arrivals 

 now were not so numerous as they had been, but many flocks still came 

 in, and each arrival was the signal for a general move and promenade 

 as before. This procedure was kept up till about half an hour after 

 dark, and then ceased, so that T presumed all had arrived in that time 

 (two and half hours). When I left, a constant chattering and gossip 

 was going on among the reeds. 



I could form no accurate estimate of the numbers that were there, 

 but the reeds on the north of the lake are about a quarter of a mile long, 

 and two hundred yards wide, and every reed seemed to have a half a 

 dozen on it. I could always tell, ever afterwards, when it was getting 

 late by seeing the starlings going Doohylewards. 



With regard to the breeding-place of starlings — in the Court-house 

 square, Rathkeale, at the rere of one of the dwellings, there is an old 

 pigeon-house, in which a lot of starlings build ; and tiie owner of the 

 house says that they remain there summer and winter. I saw them 

 there in the spring, I suppose over forty of them, just as tame as pigeons 

 about the yard and house. 



[Since my last communication I find that the stares have left Doo- 

 hyle, chiefly, I think, on account of the shooting parties (nearly every 

 evening there after dusk) this winter. When I found Doohyle was 

 deserted, my curiosity was aroused to discover their present abiding 

 place. I, therefore, watched the flights every evening, and found that 

 they were in a direction to the west of Newcastle. Knowing the 

 country well thereabouts, I thought it might be in one of the planted 

 glens in Coal-measure Hill, no lakes being in that quarter ; and on com- 



