T909. Patten. — 07nithology of Skerries^ Co. Dublin. 187 



rocks I noticed an adult Wheatear with two others which 

 were immature, and during my whole stay these remained 

 on the beach at the back of the house. They were tame little 

 creatures and their sprighth^ movements and pretty plumage 

 enlisted our interests considerabl}'. It is noteworthy how 

 strongly littoral the Wheatear becomes in some localities dur- 

 ing the autumn prior to migration, and it seems to me that it 

 would be an interesting investigation to find out what food 

 attracts this species to the sea-shore. The Pied Wagtail, 

 another land bird, was a daily occupant of the beach. Its 

 alarm .note, not unlike that of the Swallow, was frequentlj' 

 heard when the Sparrow-Hawk was about, and it was then 

 that the Wagtail kept closely to the rocks. The Rock-Pipit, 

 so familiar along the coast in some localities, was absent,^ its 

 place being taken by its congener the Meadow-Pipit. This 

 species as well as flocks of Linnets no doubt kept to the rocks 

 at times to avoid the attack of the Sparrow-Hawk, which 

 seemed to take its quarry almost entirel}' from the adjacent 

 cornfields. On this day and almost every day during ni}' 

 visit I met the Sparrow-Hawk, and on several occasions saw 

 it dash into a flock of small birds, generally Greenfinches or 

 Linnets, and secure its prey. Immediately afterwards I often 

 noticed numbers of small birds on the beach, where the}" 

 remained for some hours. It thus struck me how beneficial 

 the Sparrow-Hawk can be to the farmer. Here, at all events, 

 it was not the number of the birds killed, amounting to onl^' 

 three or four a day, that saved the crops from being devas- 

 tated, but instinctive fear that the marauder would soon be 

 back again acted as a deterrent in keeping the small birds 

 from incessantly consuming the crops. 



Thursday, September loth. — The weather was fairly fine. 

 Near the pier which separates the north from the south strand 

 I ob.served a Herring-Gull feeding a young one which was 

 not very strong on the wing, and which kept up a 

 melancholy squeal. It was evidently one of a late brood, 

 probably hatched out on Lambay or Ireland's Ej^e. 



Friday, September nth. --The Gulls swarmed on the north 

 strand and along the road in company with great flocks of 

 Rooks. 



' Mr. Wilkins includes this bird in his hst. I probably overlooked it. 



A 2 



