1 82 The Irish Naturalist. 



On the "Inch," a low gravelly island on the western side 

 of the Pool, a colon}^ of the Common and Lesser Terns breed, 

 as well as Ringed Plovers ; while on the sandhills of 

 Bartragh Island Sheldrakes breed in the Rabbit-holes. 



For six miles west of Killcummin Head no breeding-haunt 

 (unless that of a pair or two of the ubiquitous Green 

 Cormorants) is met with until Downpatrick Head is reached, 

 with its pillar-like rock of Doonbrista standing upright 126 

 feet out of the water, and 100 3^ards from the head. This 

 rock is perfectly inaccessable, its wall-like sides (in some 

 places overhanging) rising out of deep water, and although 

 now so isolated, and inaccessable to man, was at some remote 

 period of time joined to the mainland, and inhabited, which 

 is proved by the remains of a stone w^all still to be seen on the 

 summit. 



On the ledges of the head and rock, Kittiwakes swarmed in 

 thousands, and when disturbed by the report of a gun, looked 

 like a shower of snow as they darted out from the face of 

 the cliffs. Green Cormorants were also in large numbers both 

 on the rocks and head ; while on the flat grassy summit of the 

 former a colony of twelve to fifteen pairs of the Great Black- 

 backed Gull held undisputed possession ; a few pairs of 

 Herring Gulls having to content themselves with the ledges 

 just below the top. Razorbills and Guillemots thickly crowded 

 together on the shelves of the head and rocks, in some places 

 in dense masses, quite innumerable, though not in such large 

 numbers as at Aughriss Head. 



Leaving Ball3xastle (or Buntraher Bay, as it is named on 

 the maps), a few pairs of Black Guillemots were seen in the 

 sheltered cove, and the cliffs begin to rise in height westward, 

 until Keadue is reached, between two and three miles from Bally- 

 castle ; just before reaching Keadue, and situated about 150 

 yards from the sea, in the centre of a grass field, a curious 

 chaldron-like hole is seen, almost circular, and about 30 yards 

 in diameter, the sides perpendicular and about 50 or 60 feet in 

 depth to the rocky bottom, into which the tide flows through 

 a tunnel-like cavern. It was low tide when we were there, 

 but when the tide is high it rushes in with tremendous force 

 in stormy weather, sending the spray up to a great height. 

 While sitting on the edge of the cliff over the hole we observed 



