5° 



The Irish Naturalist. February, 



ZOOLOGY. 



Snowy Owl in Co. Donegal. 



A female -Snowy Owl {Nyctea scandiaca, Iy.) was shot on 15th December, 

 1900, by Mr. John Olphert's keeper at Ballyconnell House, Falcaragh. 

 It was on the grassy sheep-downs beside the sea, and the keeper thought 

 it was an enormous sea-gull ! It measured 4 feet 10 inches from tip to 

 tip of wings, and 24 inches from tip of tail to top of the head, and the 

 remains of a rabbit were in its stomach. It was in perfect plumage, and 

 is being preserved by Mr. Rohu, of Great Brunswick-street, Dublin, to 

 whom I am indebted for some of the above particulars. 



Robert Patterson. 

 Belfast. 



King-Eider Duck in Co. Down. 



On November 10th, 1897, a mature male King-Eider {Somateria specta- 

 bilis, Iy.) was shot in the Foreland Bay, off Donaghadee, by Mr. Wm. H. 

 Shaw. It was accompanied by another bird which, from Mr. Shaw's 

 description, must have been a male L/Ong-tailed Duck. Although fired 

 at several times the latter bird managed to escape by its splendid diving 

 powers. Mr. Shaw had the King-Eider preserved, and very kindly sent 

 it to me last month for my inspection. It agreed in every particular with 

 the coloured plate in Morris, except that the white patch on the flank was 

 nearer the tail and larger than in the drawing. I exhibited this bird at a 

 meeting of the Belfast Naturalists' Field Club on 19th December last, and 

 Mr. Welch kindly photographed it. 



Robert Patterson. 



Belfast. 



A Young Cuckoo on Migration. 



Early in December I received from Skulmartin lightship, Co. Down, 

 the leg and wing of a young Cuckoo., which was killed striking the 

 lantern on November 26th. The bird was quite dead when picked up, 

 and Mr. Charles H. M'Cabe, the master of the light-vessel, states that 

 he would have sent the bird entire had not he thought it was a young 

 hawk. It was labelled " Sparrow Hawk" — a bird, by the way, which 

 has never yet been sent from an Irish light-station. 



The occurrence is very remarkable, and a further instance of the 

 absolute necessity for producing specimens when very unlikely events 

 are chronicled by unskilled observers or beginners. 



Richard M. Barrington. 

 Fassaroe, Bray. 



