66 The hish Naturalist. April, 



place, and then there may be several hundreds all together. 

 Again, especially on foggy mornings, numbers may stop and 

 rest on the telegraph wires, party after party coming in till 

 many hundreds are collected, all leaving together. 



An attempt was made three years ago to determine the 

 width and direction of this stream, and it was found to extend 

 at least half a mile inland or west from this point, and it was 

 noticed that when travelling by rail from there to Wexford 

 during the flight, birds could be seen from the train on both 

 sides, all the way, all going north. From the ridge of the 

 Mountain of Forth, 4 miles west of Wexford, Swallows could 

 be seen crossing from south to north in a thin but steady 

 stream. Swallows were also to be seen going north-west 

 for at least half a mile from the coast -line. 



In 1909 the writer had occasion to spend much of his time 

 afloat in Wexford Bay, his range extending to some f mile 

 north-east of Rosslare Pier. It was then noticed that the 

 Swallows, instead of travelling along the coast, were coming 

 in off the sea from the east or south-east. This was con- 

 firmed by many observations in 1910, and again this year 

 careful note was taken of all Swallows seen. Generally it 

 was found that the further out to sea the birds were seen, 

 the more truly from E. by S. to W. by N. was the direction 

 of their flight ; on approaching the coast -line this direction 

 was modified, in most cases b}^ becoming more nearly 

 northerly, but where birds made the coast to the north of 

 Rosslare Pier or Greenore Point, they very often, especially 

 on v/indy days, turned in a more southerly direction, so as to 

 pick up the land at the nearest possible point. Almost 

 invariably when birds were seen travelling at any distance 

 in from the coast -line, their course was as nearly as possible 

 due north. These observations are confirmed by Mr. 

 Glanville, head light -keeper on Tuskar Light, who tells 

 the writer that he has noticed numerous Swallows passing 

 the lighthouse during the autumn, all going from east to 

 west. 



The Swallows which arrive here in the spring apparently 

 come from exactly the same direction, but not nearly so 

 many are seen then ; those that are seen usually arrive in 



