The Breeding Birds of Lough Conn, Carra, a7id Mask. 119 



and Common Sandpipers ; and then on coming to that upon 

 which Castle Carra stands, we were disappointed at finding 

 that the Great Cormorants were not breeding on the ruins this 

 season in consequence of a great part of the Ivy covering the 

 walls having been torn down by the winter's storms. We 

 however saw some birds resting on the highest part of the 

 castle. 



Continuing our course up the lake we came to a large island 

 at the head of the lough, under Moore Hall. It was covered 

 with old timber of a great size, Ash, Oak, Elm, and Scotch Fir, 

 and in open glades formed by storms cutting lanes through 

 the wood, were large brakes and thickets of Briars over- 

 growing the fallen trees, and in other parts of the island were 

 dense copses of Black- and White-thorn mixed with Hazel, 

 which appeared to us to be a perfect paradise for Warblers, 

 but to our great disappointment we only saw the commoner 

 ones, Willow Wrens, and Chiff- Chaffs, no trace of Wood Wren, 

 Blackcap, or Garden Warbler, I may here remark that 

 although one of the. chief objects of our visit was to ascertain 

 if any of the last-named Warblers visited the district, yet, 

 although we carefully searched the woods of Creagh, the 

 magnificent demesne of Colonel Knox, situated on the shores 

 of L^ough Mask ; Cranmore, that of his brother, near Ballin- 

 robe ; and the lovely demesne of Lord Ardilaun at Cong on 

 the shores of I^ough Corrib, and the various wooded islands 

 on Carra and Mask ; we were unsuccessful in either hearing 

 or seeing these birds, or obtaining any information about them. 



Next morning when going to IvOUgh Carra we saw the 

 Yellow Wagtails in their old haunt, and after going to the 

 island and securing the Merganser's nest and eggs, we took 

 our boat under the bridge, and down the canal-like drain that 

 leads for half a mile to lyough Mask, and entered it through 

 a wilderness of rocks and stones. We then rowed across to 

 the Partry side of the lake where the island upon which the 

 Lesser Black-backed Gulls bred was situated, just opposite to 

 the monastery ; but on our way we landed on a flat stony 

 island towards the middle of the lake ; we saw some Redshanks 

 and Sandpipers, but found only one nest with eggs of the 

 Common Gull. 



The island frequented by the Lesser Black-backed Gulls is 

 very rocky, and with long grass between the rocks ; there 



