£3 The Irish Natuyalist. January, 



1894. Then they returned and built in another bank close at 

 hand. But of late years they have almost deserted the localit}-. 

 It is hard to explain these erratic movements, as the banks 

 are almost unchanged. At Magilligan,. Lough Foyle, I found 

 the Sand-Martins nesting singly for miles along the shore in 

 holes about 50 to 100 yards apart. I had the pleasure of seeing 

 the Swallow, Martin, Sand-Martin and Swift all flying together 

 at same time and place at Inch. 



The Finches are represented by the usual species. The 

 Greenfinch {Ligtirinus chloris, Linn.), Chaffinch {Ffhigilla 

 civlebs, Linn.)j and House-Sparrow {Passer domcsticiis, Linn.) 

 are of course very common. 



The Goldfinch {Carduelis elegans, Stephens) used to visit 

 Inch in some numbers, but has almost disappeared. Of the 

 Hawfinch {Coccothra^cstes vulgaris^ Pallas) I have one record, 

 and a most interesting one regarding the date. A fine speci- 

 men was shot by Mr. T. Motherwell at Garsherr}-, a few miles 

 from Inch, on 5th July, 1901 {L N., vol. x., p. 174). It was 

 feeding on cherries in the garden. This species was reported 

 to me as nesting near Derry in 1907, but I could never 

 authenticate the record. The Bram])ling {Fringi/ia monti- 

 fringilla, Linn) visits the district in winter. The Siskin 

 {Chrysomitris spi7iiis, Linn.) is seen in winter, and has been 

 reported by Mr. H. C. Hart as breeding near Rathmullan- 



T\\Q^l^.\\nQ\. {Aea7ifhis cannabina^ Linn.), called the " Whin 

 Grey," is common, also the Lesser Redpoll {A. rufescens^ 

 Meillot), which is called " Mossy Grey " or •' Mosey Grey." 

 The Tv.'ite {A. flavirostris, Linn.) nests on the moorlands, 

 probably all over the district. It is called locally the " Thistle 

 Grey " or " Thristle Grey." The Bullfinch (Pyrrhula europcca, 

 Vieillot) is not common. It is an increasing specieS; however, 

 in some localities. I have seen three nests within a very small 

 radius — two of them only some 10 to 15 yards apart. 



The Corn-Bunting {Junberiza miliaria, Linn.), the Yellow 

 Bunting (/f. citrinclla, Linn.;, and the Reed-Bunting (/f. 

 sehienicJvs, Linn.), are all common. The two former visit our 

 city in winter and feed upon the grain about the quays and 

 markets. The Reed-Bunting is called the " Blackcap." The 

 local name in some parts of Co. Antrim is " Ringrash " ( = 

 Ringrush). The Snow Bunting {Plectropheyiax 7iivalis, Linn.) 

 visits the moors and mountains in winter. A flock frequented 



