40 The Irish Naturalist. April, 



ZOOLOGY. 



Raven in Co. Wexford. 



About three months ago two birds made their appearance on the sand- 

 hills here at the mouth of the harbour. The writer's attention was first 

 attracted by the " croak " which they uttered, which is quite unlike the 

 cry of the Hoodie, a very common bird here. Further observation showed 

 them to be Ravens. They are very shy and wary, but their large size and 

 " social aloofness " are very noticeable. When flying in a wind they seem 

 to let themselves go with an abandon quite unlike their ordinary mode 

 of progression and are then a delight to watch. Just before sunset they 

 fly inland, but I have no idea hew for tlieir roosting-place lies from their 

 daily beat. 



Leslie Huggard. 

 Wexford. 



Migration of Swallows in South-east Wexford. 



The following observations were made last autumn on a part of the 

 coast of south-east Wexford extending from Blackw^ater Harbour on the 

 north to Ballytrent, about half way between Greenore and Carnsore Points, 

 on the south. 



I spent August 19 and 20 at Curracloe, a small place on the coast, 

 north of Wexford Harbour. On both days I found parties of Swallows, 

 ranging from about 20 to 50 birds in each, flying steadily along in a 

 southerly direction. These parties were not closely packed, that is to 

 say the individuals were scattered, but each party was well defined and 

 an interval, sometimes of only a few minutes, but generally somewhat 

 longer, lapsed between the parties. All these birds flew along the shore, 

 between the cliffs or sandhills, as the case might be, and the tide-line ; 

 a few occasionally being just beyond the latter. When I climbed the 

 cliffs the stream of birds was passing below me and I could see the local 

 birds flying around as usual inland. Indeed I watched several of the 

 parties pass through a colony of Sand-Martins, whose nesting holes were 

 visible in the cliff-face, but neither seemed to pay any attention to the 

 other. It must be understood that this was not a continuous, but rather 

 an intermittent, stream of birds. On the 19th inst. it was in full swing 

 at 5 p.m. (summer time) when I arrived on the shore, but ceased about 

 an hour and a half later. On. the following day it commenced about 

 II a.m., and I saw no migrating birds after 3 p.m., but between those 

 hours the passage of parties was constant. I noticed also that longer 

 intervals elapsed between the parties at the commencement and nearing 

 the termination of the flight, so that the stream was at its greatest density 

 from about 12.30 to 1.30 p.m. On perhaps half a dozen occasions I saw 

 birds drop on the sand to rest, and when this occurred the birds following 

 on would swoop down close to their tired compan,ions, at the same time 

 twittering gently as if to encourage them. After resting a few seconds 



