DUBUW NATT7BAL HI8T0RT 80CIETT. 75 



••oty-black f^ull on the shores of South America and in the Gulf of Darien, * but 

 never aught like this.* I am, therefore, very glad it has fallen into such good 

 quarters, where his visit (though, no doubt, unfortunate) can be so well appre- 

 ciated and honourably commuuicated. 



*<Geo. Gbat Creighton, M. D. 

 ** J, R. Harvey, M. Dr 



The donations announced were, from Mr Williams, two fine specimens of the 

 female hawfinch {Coccothraustea vulgaris), shot in the Phoenix Park; and from 

 Mr. Dombrain one male and two females of the mountain-finch {Fringilla montu 

 fringilla), obtained at the Meeting of the Waters. 



MAY 3, 1850. 



OCCURRENCE OF HOOPOE (UPUPA EPOPS), AND ORIOLE (ORIOLUS GALBCLA). 



Mr. R. p. Williams brought forward a communication from Mr. William 

 Ashton Hackett, of Cork, relative to the occurrence of two Hoopoes ( Upttpa 

 epops), which were shot in the county of Cork during last month (April), one by 

 Lieutenant-Colonel Alcock Stawell, of Kilbrittan House, near ^andon; the 

 other by Edward Hodder, Esq., Fountainstown, Cork. 



Mr. Whitla submitted to the Society a very beautiful specimen of the Golden 

 Oriole (Oriolus galbitla). It had been very lately met, having been shot off Dan> 

 cannon Fort, county of Wexford. It was presented by Mr. Gordon. 



JUNE 15, 1855. 



RECORD OF RARE BIRDS. 



Mr. Williams wished to record the occurrence of the turtle dove ( Columba 

 turtur), seen in a potato field between Howth and Baldoyle, on the 9th of July, 

 1854. 



Dr. Farran mentioned the occurrence of this bird in Carrick-on-Suir, in Sep- 

 tember last ; Mr. Montgomery noticed its having been obtained in Donegal ; and 

 the Chairman (Mr. R. Callwell) observed that he had seen a recent specimen, 

 which was yesterday shot in the neighbourhood of Castleknock. 



Mr. Andrews recorded the breeding of the scaup duck (Ful. marila), the nest, 

 eggs, and the old bird having been obtained in an inland lake in the western part 

 of Kerry. Fine specimens of the red- breasted merganser {Mergus serrator), were 

 also obtained, which inclined him to believe that that bird also bred there. 



Dr. Farran exhibited a beautiful specimen of the Larus ridibundus in its 

 adult and most perfect plumage. 



Mr. Andrews observed that this beautiful bird, which was shot at Edenderry, 

 was in its fourth change, and most perfect state of plumage. The head had as- 

 sumed the dark hood, the back and wing coverts had lost the markings, and were 

 of a uniform pearl ^ray colour, and the dark bar or band on the tan had disap- 

 peared, the tail having become pure white. At the approach of the breeding sea- 

 son the feathers of the head become of a dark colour, forming a kind of hood or 

 mask, and this change was caused, not by a process of moulting, but by an altera- 

 tion of colour. The autumnal moulting changed the colour of the plumage, the 

 black hood disappeared, and the head was perfectly white through the winter 

 months. 



DECEMBER 9, 1853. 



OM AN ADDITION TO THE ORNITUOLOOT OF GREAT BRITAIN. BT WILLIAM 

 ANDREWS, M.R.I.A. 



Mr. Andrews said in the records of the natural history of a country, the dis- 

 covery of any new object in its zoology or botany, affording some proof of 



