164 PBOCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 



nell was led to suppose the bird American from numerous incidents he 

 had noticed : he was an admirable shot and sportsman, and a great 

 admirer of the writings of " glorious old White of Selborne," as he 

 termed him. 



Thus in one of his numerous communications he remarks with regard 

 to the woodcocks : — 



11 My observations lead me to suppose that we have two immigra- 

 tions — one from the northern parts of Europe, the other from America. 

 I have shot what certainly appeared to be two varieties, if not distinct 

 species : one much smaller than the ordinary woodcock, more of a rufous 

 colour, and destitute of the varied markings which distinguish the 

 latter. I have met male and female of both kinds, and have shot both 

 kinds late in the season when paired, each with a mate of its own de- 

 scription. A friend who was with me in the winter of 1840 (Captain 

 Broderick, 34th Regt.), and who had just returned from Canada, where 

 he had shot many dozen braces of woodcocks, -was at first incredulous as 

 to the fact of the immigration from America. On going out with me it 

 happened that the first couple of birds we flushed were of the smaller 

 kind. "We met them at some hundred yards' distance from each other, 

 and at an interval of a quarter of an hour on an open mountain, where we 

 had a full opportunity of observing them. He appeared surprised on 

 seeing the first ; but when the second rose he turned to me and said, 

 * You are right — these are exactly the American birds, wherever they 

 came from.' Unfortunately we did not get shots at either of these birds, 

 and killed but one of the kind after, as the day became bad; but he ad- 

 mitted, on examining that closely, that it was, as he called it, ' a Yankee 

 bird.' " 



The American woodcock differs much in size from that of Europe, 

 the male bird scarcely averaging six ounces, and the female eight ounces; 

 while the European birds exceed twelve ounces. The lower parts and 

 breast of the European woodcock are marked with large spots and zig- 

 zag transverse lines and bars of black on a pale dull yellow and gray 

 ground. These marks are altogether absent in the American bird, whose 

 colour on the breast is bright ferruginous ; the back and scapulars are of 

 a lighter colour, and not so deeply marked. The small specimen which 

 is now exhibited was obtained from Nova Scotia. 



One of the Mr. O'Connells, of Grena, near Killarney, informed me 

 that some years since he had seen nailed on a door by one of the game- 

 keepers a jay, identical with the American blue jay (Garrulus cris- 

 tatus). 



In the month of June, 1855, when for a few days at Killarney, I met 

 on the grounds of the Lakeview Hotel a man with a young bird of the 

 spotted eagle (Aquila ncevia). I was anxious to obtain it, but he said 

 that he had promised it for sale to a gentleman whose return he was 

 waiting from boating on the lake ; his price was £1. On the following 

 morning he called to leave the bird with me ; but both at the Hotel and 

 at Mr. Boy Ian' s (Lord Kenmare's steward), in whose charge he wished 

 to leave it, it was refused, as I was absent. I could obtain no trace of 



