1898] Warren. — The White Wagtail in Ireland. 161 



knowledge and acute observation of my informant." Such 

 was all the meagre information that was obtained by Mr. 

 Thompson of this bird in Ireland ; and for several years after, 

 nothing more was heard or seen of the White Wagtail, until 

 the 25th of April, 185 1, on which day I had the good fortune 

 of shooting on Bartragh Island, the first authentic speci- 

 men known to have been obtained in Ireland. I met the bird 

 in a field where some men were sowing barley, and as it 

 followed the harrows picking up insects, my attention was 

 attracted by its quiet demeanor and light grey plumage, so 

 different from that of our native wagtails, and after observing 

 it for some time, it occurred to me that it might be the rare 

 M. alba, so, drawing the larger shot from my gun (that I had 

 for rabbits) I put in a charge of no. 8, and knocked over the 

 bird ; on picking up and examining it, I felt confident that 

 it was the rare wagtail, but to be certain of its identity, I sent 

 the specimen to my old friend the late Dr. J. R. Harvey, of Cork, 

 and he wrote to say, that he had no doubt of its being the 

 iiWQMotacilla albd^hwt unfortunately it had been so long delayed 

 in the post office, that on its arrival it was unfit for preser- 

 vation, and to his great disappointment, the .specimen was lost. 

 For many j^ears after, nothing more was heard of the White 

 Wagtail in Ireland, until the 29tli of April, 1893. 



On that date, visiting Bartragh with some friends, we met 

 a pair of wagtails feeding on a wet plot at the base of the sand- 

 hills and about 300 yards from where I shot the bird in 1851. 

 These birds walked about quietly, with none of the restlessness 

 of the common species, evidently tired after their long flight 

 from their winter-quarters in Spain or Africa. After observ- 

 ing them for some time with my glass, admiring their lovely 

 plumage, I shot one, the other bird flying right off out of sight, 

 and we did not see it again. 



The specimen was a well-marked type of M, alba, and is 

 now in the collection of the Museum of Science and Art, in 

 Dublin. Having shown the bird to my friend Mr. A. C. 

 Kirkwood (who resides on the island), I asked him to keep a 

 sharp look-out for these wagtails every season during the 

 month of April, and the result of my suggestion was, that last 

 season, towards the end of that month, he observed a beautiful 

 bird in the light grey plumage, resting on the hill a short 



