ii8 I he Irish Naturalist. 



joined at Claremorris station by my friend, Mr. W. Williams. 

 After arriving at Ballinrobe in the evening, we walked on to 

 Lough Carra (about two miles from the town), to make some 

 preliminary observations, and see about engaging a boat and 

 men to go up the lake next morning. On reaching the bridge 

 near the foot of the lake, Mr. Williams hearing the call of a 

 Yellow Wagtail, and looking round, saw a female bird with 

 something in her bill sitting on the fence of an oat-field, and 

 shortly after we saw the cock bird standing on a thistle in the 

 oats. They evidently had a nest and young somewhere near, 

 but although we searched carefully all round, were unsuc- 

 cessful in finding it. 



We soon after saw another cock bird whose hen must have 

 been hatching, for she did not appear in sight ; the three 

 birds haunted the oat-field, and a bit of pasture land that 

 extended from the lake to the road. Next morning when 

 walking to our boat, we saw the three birds at the same place, 

 and again in the evening when returning. We row^ed up the 

 lake, visiting several islands, on which we saw Redshanks and 

 Sandpipers; and on a wooded island, having a dense under- 

 growth of brushwood and weeds, situated under Lakeview, we 

 found two Wild Ducks' nests containing six, and nine eggs, 

 and three nests of the Redbreasted Merganser having twelve, 

 eight, and two eggs, those w^th the larger number being 

 densel}^ lined with down. The Merganser's nest with the twelve 

 eggs was situated in a dense thicket of Meadowsweet four 

 feet high, and so thick and close, that when the female left 

 the nest we caught her before she could escape to the water. 

 The nests were easily discovered by the beaten path through 

 the grass and weeds leading from the water. 



We next landed on a long low island under Brown Hall, 

 about 150 yards long, with a few bushes on it, and on either 

 end was a colony of Blackheaded Gulls, having eggs and 

 young, while on a patch of short grassy turf near the centre 

 were a lot of Terns having eggs and some young in their 

 nests. We sat down for some time watching them, and 

 observing a pair hovering over us, screaming in a shriller tone 

 than the others ; one was shot, and it proved to be an Arctic 

 Tern. We found a Wild Duck's nest, and a Water-Hen's, on 

 the end of the island, the former with eight and the latter 

 with ten eggs. Visiting some others we only saw Redshanks 



