196 The Irish Naturalist. 



mistaken for that species in many instances when shot by sportsmen. 

 To a careful observer, however, the Stock-dove is unmistakable when 

 upon the wing. Congregating as they do with the Ring-doves, they rise 

 with them when disturbed, but as a rule at once separate themselves 

 from the latter, taking a line of their own for some distant haven of refuge. 

 Their flight is a short, laboured, jerky one, not unlike that of the Blue- 

 rock, the wings being rather closely drawn in to the bod}'' after each 

 stroke, and this, as distinguished from the strong steady flight with 

 distended wings of a Ring-dove in rapid retreat from danger, is easily 

 observable. During the winter of 189 1-2 I obtained a good specimen, 

 now in the hands of Messrs. Williams for preservation ; and having 

 frequently observed these birds since, both during the spring and 

 summer' months, I have little doubt that they breedin the neighbour- 

 hood. The Stock-dove is said to breed at Powerscourt in Co. Wicklow, 

 and other instances may have been recorded. From its similarity to the 

 Ring-dove, and its habits of associating with that species, it is probably 

 much more general in Ireland than it is supposed to be. — H. D. M. 

 Barton, The Bush, Antrim. 



[One of the eggs obtained by Rev. J. G. Holmes was forwarded, together 

 with a detailed description of the nest, to Mr. J. B. Harting, F.Iv.S., who 

 unhesitatingly pronounced it to be the eggs of C. mias (see Proc. Belfast 

 Nat. Field Club, 1889-90, p. 211). This bird has also been known to 

 breed in Down and L/Outh. — E)ds.] 



GBOIvOGY. 



Supposed Tertiary Basai^TS, N. W. Donegai,. In the Memoirs 

 of the Geological Survey the whinstone dykeens of N. W. Donegal, on 

 the authority of Sir A.Geikie, are positively asserted to be of Tertiary age. 

 Proof of this assertion would be most interesting to me. 



In the western portion of Connemara (N. W. Galway), and in west 

 Mayo these dykeens are more numerous than elsewhere in Ireland, 

 except, perhaps, Carlingford, Co. Louth. In western Connaught a good 

 deal of trouble was taken with them, and it was proved they were newer 

 than all the associated rocks except dykeens of felstone. Similarly in 

 S. B. Ireland I could never prove whether whinstone or felstone was 

 the youngest. Some of the whinstone dykes and dykeens of Connemara 

 were so similar to those of Carlingford, that I suspected them to be of 

 the same age as the Antrim Boceues; but in vain were the trials to prove 

 that they were post-Carboniferous, as nowhere in the Carboniferous rocks 

 to the south in Co. Clare, or to the north in Co Mayo could a trace of them 

 be found, and as far as my experience goes, the same may be said of 

 the Co. Donegal. 



In the latter county, they are most conspicuous in the Malin promon- 

 tory, where they have the appearance of a streak of tar across the 

 associated rocks. Here they occur in such a small area that nothing can 

 be found as to their post-Carboniferous age. 



West of Lough Swilly at Ball3anastocken there is a small outlier of the 

 basal Carboniferous conglomerates and sandstones ("Bconomic Geology 

 of Ireland" pp. 246 and 248). In the older terranes to the south and north 

 of this basin, there are, at intervals, a few of these dykeens, but none of 

 them could be found crossing on in connection with the Carboniferous 

 rocks. To the S.W, in the barony of Banagh there is the Mount Charles 

 and Lough Bask Carboniferous basin, and in the country to the north 

 thereof these dykeens are numerous, but I can find no record of these 

 being traced into the Carboniferous rocks. Trappean rocks are indeed 

 associated with these Carboniferous rocks in St. John's Promontory, and 

 at Mount Charles, also at Donegal, etc. ; but these to me seem to be of a 

 distinct breed to the rocks in the d3'keens. I would therefore like to 

 know on what ground this positive assertion is made. My conclusions 

 and the reasons for them were published years ago, but I would now like 

 them to be disproved or confirm.ed. — G. H. Kinahan, Fairview, Dublin. 



