of the Birds of Ireland. 271 



many, as amid the seclusion of that little earthly paradise, 

 with all the " kindly aspects, and sloping coverts," pourtrayed 

 in the pages of its amiable historian. By drawing a circuit 

 of thirty miles around Belfast, and its most populous neigh- 

 bourhood (the boundary line being a mile and a half inland 

 from the town, and eight miles and a half seaward, so that 

 the opposite verge may include the greater portion of the 

 bay), we shall find that at least 185 species have been seen 

 within it, some of them, too, possessing very high interest. 

 Within that circle have appeared the first individuals of 

 several species placed on record as visiting Ireland, and the 

 only examples of three species yet obtained, namely, the 

 spotted redshank, the flat-billed sandpiper, and the surf- 

 scoter. Within the limited circle of thirty miles, alighted in 

 1802, the first white-banded crossbill (Loxia bifasciata) known 

 to visit Europe, its native country being Siberia ; nor for many 

 years afterwards was the species observed in Great Britain, or 

 in any country of continental Europe. Indeed, within the last 

 few years only has it been distinguished from a nearly allied 

 North American bird. Within the same range occurred the 

 only individual of the Bonapartian gull {Larus Bonapartii) 

 yet ascertained to have migrated to Europe, the species being 

 a native of North America, and common in the fur countries, 

 &;c. Within that area was also obtained the first fork-tailed 

 gull [Larus Sabini), known to wing its way southward, not 

 only to temperate climes, but towards the continent of Europe ; 

 and being a young bird of the year, it appeared in a garb in 

 which the species had never before come under the notice of 

 the naturalist. 



But to return to the remark of White, respecting the 

 parish of Selborne producing more species than the half of 

 those found in all Sweden, it must be observed, that as a 

 general rule the number of species bears no comparison to 

 the area ; thus, there are in the parish of Selborne 120 spe- 

 cies, within the same space around Belfast 185, in Ire- 

 land 262, in the British Islands generally 320,* in Europe 



* Jenyns in 1843 ; several species since added. 



