40 The Irish Naturalist. [February, 



In 1875, Mr. Walter Raleigh Trevelyan, of the Junior 

 Carlton Club, IyOndon, 1 wrote that some years previously black 

 game had been "introduced into Co. Wicklow from Scotland, 

 and that they crossed over the mountains intervening between 

 Lord Powerscourt's and the Marquis of Downshire's estates, 

 and settled in the large plantation of firs, which runs along 

 the road from Sally Gap to Kilbride. They there seem to 

 have made themselves at home, although there is no birch in 

 the coverts, and to have subsisted on the heath, berries, &c, 

 which abound there." Mr. Trevelyan also stated that two 

 very fine specimens of black game obtained in that locality 

 were in the possession of Mr. Owen, of Blessington, who 

 believed " that if the birds had been let alone, and not shot, 

 they would have flourished and increased now as they did at 

 the time of which I am now writing." 



In a letter, dated June 9, 1898, Mr. W. R. Trevelyan was 

 good enough to confirm the above statements, and to add that 

 the introduction in question, which he characterises as success- 

 ful, took place on the shootings of the Marquis of Downshire 

 on the Wicklow Hills at Ballylaw, near Blessington. The 

 chicks were brought out under Dorking hens, and successfully 

 reared, but were all shot " by accident," either by searchers after 

 "queer specimens of the grouse tribe," or by poachers when 

 straying on to adjoining estates. 



Mr. A» L,. Owen has also been good enough to inform me 

 that the two Wicklow-shot specimens alluded to as having 

 been in his possession were finally destroyed by moths. He 

 adds, that before the Black Grouse were exterminated in the 

 country, a few of them had " nested and produced and hatched 

 eggs. 4 ' 



Yet another attempt to introduce the Black Grouse into the 

 Co. Wicklow, was that of L,ord Powerscourt, who informs me, 2 

 that about the year 1868 or 1869 he obtained the per- 

 mission of the Duke of Roxburghe to send his gamekeeper, 

 Mr. James Anton (still gamekeeper at Powerscourt), to Floor's 

 Castle, Roxburghshire, with the object of bringing over some 

 eggs of the black game to Ireland. Although twenty-five 

 eggs were brought over, only six hatched out, and four of these 



1 The Fields of Feb. 6, 1875, p. 125, quoted without acknowledgment 

 in the Irish Field of Feb. 1. 1896, at p. 211. 



2 In lit. of June 2, 1898. 



