The Breeding Birds of Lough Conn, Carra, and Mask. 121 



We took the newly-hatclied young from one nest, which are 

 certainly Arctic Terns, for on comparing them with young 

 Common Terns of about the same age, we found their tarsi so 

 much shorter, as to leave no doubt of them being the Arctic 

 species. I found a nest containing an ^g<g of the Lesser 

 Black-backed Gull, placed under a thick bush, and several 

 empty ones on other parts of the island, while as usual the 

 Common Sandpipers were on the islands ; indeed on every 

 island visited these birds were seen. The wind still blowing 

 too hard for any further exploration of the lake, we returned 

 and again spent some hours in Creagh demesne on our way to 

 Ballinrobe. 



Next morning being our last day, and finding it still too 

 stormy for the lake, we drove to Cong to visit Lord Ardilaun's 

 beautiful demesne on the shores of Lough Corrib, and searched 

 the woods and plantations for the Wood Wren, Garden 

 Warbler, and Blackcap, but after walking for hours, saw 

 nothing of these birds, and returned thoroughly disappointed 

 to Ballinrobe, where after dinner we set out for a walk to 

 Lough Carra, to have a last look at the Yellow Wagtails, and 

 have another search for their nests. We met them in their 

 old haunt near the bridge, but although we remained about 

 the place until dusk, failed, as before, in our search. 

 Returning to Ballinrobe, about half a mile from the lough, 

 we came to a fir-wood that extended from Creagh demesne to 

 a bog on the side of the road, and just when passing the wood, 

 Mr. Williams hearing the churring of the Nightjar, we stopped 

 to listen to its curious notes ; here we remained for a time, 

 but a noisy cart passing along the road scared the bird, which 

 went deeper into the wood where we could scarcely hear him. 

 It was unfortunate the weather turning out so storni}^ on 

 our last three days, for it prevented a thorough exploration 

 of Lough Mask, especially the Galwa}^ side and the lower end, 

 where there are a number of islands. However I was glad to 

 have ascertained that the range of the Yellow Wagtail and 

 Nightjar extended so far west, and that neither the Wood 

 Wren, Garden Warbler, nor Blackcap frequented the woods 

 of the lake district, at least so far as our observations went, 

 though of course it is not improbable that all these birds, or 

 perhaps some of them, may yet be discovered in some part of 



that district. 



• A4 



