1 82 The Irish Naturalist. September, 



with the dark brown of the rest of its plumage and there was no white to 

 be seen. From its shiggish demeanour I think it possible that on some of 

 my three former visits to this cliff an Eagle may have been perched there 

 in some nook undiscovered, as the precipices are so vast. The four masses 

 of sticks built up by the Eagles from time to time remain ; out of some of 

 them green plants are now growing, but two others look fresher on the 

 top. It is probably years since eggs were laid on any of them, as but 

 one Eagle survives in Mayo. I am informed by Mr. Richard Pike of 

 Glendarary House, Achill, that on ist June last he saw an Eagle pursued by 

 two Ravens fl}^ over Glendarary towards the east, and that about the time 

 I saw the bird in the north Mayo coast he saw an Eagle on the wing be- 

 tween Meenawn and Dooega cliffs in Achill. I am disposed to think that 

 this is the same bird that I saw on 9th July, for if there were a second it 

 is probable that they would be seen together. Mr. Pike heard that in 

 1894 a pair were seen on Clare Island. 



The colony of Fulmars that I discovered a year ago is decidedly in- 

 creased, and a lower portion of the same great cliff is the part most 

 occupied by them now, though many scattered pairs are resting on the 

 higher ledges. I should say they are breeding at from 400 to 600 feet 

 above the sea. \ have seen at least forty Fulmars sitting on this cliif 

 besides those that were wheeling in the air, but several were probably 

 males. There seems to be another small colony on a neighbour- 

 ing island, as eggs are said to have been taken. 



R. J. USSHER. 



Cappagh, Co. Waterford. 



(( 



Birds New to Ireland." 



In reply to Mr. Barrington's criticism re my provisionally-named Blue- 

 headed Wagtail which I obtained last autumn at the Tuskar [vide Irish 

 Nat., 1912, p. 84) I wish that Mr. Barrington would describe his " doubtful 

 specimen " obtained at the Tuskar on September, 1895 {vide Irish Natura- 

 list, 1912, foot-note, p. 50) as I feel confident that after Mr. Barrington 

 has very carefully scrutinised his specimen he can, to the best of his belief, 

 put a name upon it. In the interests of Irish ornithology the specimen 

 demands a label. It seems to me highly improbable that Motacilla Raii 

 and M. flava are indistinguishable when in immature dress. It is more 

 likely that ornithologists have as yet not detected the cardinal points 

 by which they can be distinguished with absolute certainty. On the 

 9th June I spent three solid hours in the British Museum re-examining 

 the Blue -headed and Yellow Wagtails, and comparing them with my 

 specimens, and I am bound to say that I am not at all sure that the labels 

 attached to the immature of each are infallibly correct. I say this owing 

 to the great difficulty there is in following up a given characteristic of 

 one of the species. As I went through the large collection of skins this or 

 that characteristic was maintained for, say, a dozen or so specimens ; then 

 one found oneself dealing with the corresponding characteristic of the 



