igiy- RuTTLEDGE — Ornithological Notcs fvom S. M ayo. 149 



Brambling. — A small flock feeding on a road where stable litter had been 

 put down during the frost. They were seen on December 22nd and 

 23rd. This is the first I have seen of these birds in the district. 

 Lesser Redpoll. — Fewer about this spring. 



Corn Bunting. — I had never observed the Corn-Bunting here until April 



23rd, 191 7, when I saw a flock of about twenty, and on the succeeding 



days saw them in the same place, namely, in a hedge by the roadside, 



and I also heard them in the vicinity of Mayo village. 



Hooded Crow. — Flocks numbering upwards of twenty seen going to roost 



during the autumn and winter. 

 Nightjar. — These birds w^ere heard during the month of August, 19 16, 

 and one was seen on the evening of August 12th. The Nightjar 

 appears to be a regular summer visitor to this district. 

 Cuckoo. — First heard this year on April 25th ; several days earlier than 



usual. 

 Sparrow Hawk. — Seen in about equal numbers with the following species. 



Both are pretty numerous. 

 Kestrel. — Seen at nest on April 26th ,and another pair nesting on April 30th. 

 I watched a pair for a long time on April 20th, feeding on the " watch- 

 man " beetle. 

 Cormorant. — Cormorants were observed almost daily flying in the direction 

 of, or away from, Lough Carra, and were often seen fishing in " bog- 

 lakes." In the evening one could see them collecting on Hag Island, 

 Lough Carra, where they breed. 

 Bean Goose. — Two shot on February ist, 1917, out of a flock of from 

 seventy to eighty birds. This goose is scarce here in comparison 

 with the White-fronted species, and the above occurrence seems to 

 be the first for some time. 

 White-fronted Goose. — Apparently these geese were driven away from 

 this district by the severe weather. At the beginning of the frost, 

 however, they were exceptionally numerous. 

 Mute Swan. — A great many swans were noticed moving about during the 

 winter, and were to be found on many small lakes throughout the 

 spring. 

 Mallard. — Particularly numerous throughout the winter and many more 



seemed to remain to breed this spring than usual. 

 Shoveler. — I found a nest containing nine eggs in Coolmeen Bog, Mayo, 

 on April 28th, 1917. There were several Mallard " Spoonbills " or 

 " Spooners," as they are locally called, in the marsh. The bird left 

 the nest very close, so that she was easily identified. The Shoveler 

 is numerous in the swampy ground in the Plains of Mayo in winter, 

 and I am told by the man who preserves the marsh, mentioned above, 

 that the birds have been increasing for the last five years, breeding 

 nearly every spring. A small bog near Lough Carra had a pair of 

 Shovelers on a small pond in it on April 21st, and the birds were seen 

 again on another occasion. 

 Pintail. — A flock consisting of fourteen Pintail were observed on a " flash " 

 of water on April i^th. The majority were males in beautiful 



