I9I2. Patten. — 7^>ee Pipit on the luska> Rock. 21^ 



Weight — 4 drams, i grain. Condition — Rather poor. Plu- 

 mage—Moulting, from first autumn to first winter garb. Age- 

 Immature bird of the year. Sex — Female. Gizzard — Full of 

 insect remains. 



Now that I have the pleasure of placing this long-expected 

 and welcome species on the Irish List, and have been fortunate 

 in capturing not only one, but two specimens, obtained on emi- 

 gration at different dates in September, 1912, an interval of 

 twelve days elapsing between the two captures ; and beUeving 

 that each of these two specimens represents only a single bird 

 secured from several of their own species which accompanied 

 them (though, perhaps, their companions avoided the Tuskar 

 Rock or lantern) ; and inasmuch as these two specimens 

 taken at the Tuskar light -station show no indications of 

 having been storm-driven, half -starved, or even tempo- 

 rarily exhausted ; and bearing in mind that the meteoro- 

 logical conditions (especially in regard to the direction of 

 the wind) were quite different on the days that they were 

 captured, so that one cannot argue that these birds were 

 coming from a certain focus, and had been blown out of their 

 course ; the probabilities are that these, and other Tree- 

 Pipits which passed by unobserved, were emigrating from 

 Ireland. It now remains for ornithologists resident in 

 Ireland to set to work and use every effort to prove that 

 the Tree -Pipit is a regular visitant during the summer, 

 and to obtain authentic evidence that it breeds in Ireland. 

 It is indeed likely that the Tree-Pipit, such a common 

 and widespread annual summer migrant to England, occurs 

 annually as a summer migrant to Ireland. 



Tuskar Lighthouse, Co. Wexford. : 



Description of Plate 4. 



A : Tree- Pipit, collected September loth, 19 12. 



B : Meadow-Pipit, collected same day. 



It may be observed that of the two, A is the larger bird, and possesses 

 the stouter beak, and shorter and more strongly curved hind-claw. 



C : Tree-Pipit, collected September 22nd, 1912. 



This bird is seen lying on the drift sea -weed on which it had been 

 foraging for food. Its short and strongly curved hind- claws shew up 

 clearly against the background. 



