284 T^he Irish Naturalist. [Oct., 1897. 



Bupalus pfnlarla In Co. Klldare. 



In the August number of the Entomologists' Monthly Magazine Mr. G. V. 



Hart mentions having taken this moth at Glendalough during Whitsun- 



tide, I presume of this year. It may be worth mentioning that I took it 



in Co. Kildare in May, 1896. 



Percy E. Freke. 



BIRDS. 



Montagu's Harrier Breeding: In Ireland. 



On the 24th August last I received a letter from a cousin of mine in 



Co. Kerry, enclosing in the flesh what I identified as a young female 



Montagu's Harrier. He had shot it on the 20th August, and says: — 



*' I have seen six birds of this kind (four young and two old) constantly 



about in a rocky ravine near here and the one I enclose is a young bird 



..." The old hawks make a strange clucking noise and the young a kind 



of whistling scream." I have skinned the bird, and Dr. Bowdler Sharpe 



on inspection kindly confirmed my identification. The exact spot where 



the specimen was killed has been given me, but I refrain from dis- 



closing it in case any of the birds should nest there again next year. 



According to Mr. Howard Saunders' "Manual of British Birds," Circus 



cineraceiis has only occurred three times in Ireland, and has never 



before been reported as having nested, so that the above facts seem well 



worth recording. 



John H. Teesdai^e. 



A Marked Plg^eon. 



On August 9th, Mr. Welch and I were climbing round the base of the 

 great cliff at the eastern end of Ireland's Eye, when he picked 

 up, on a bare rock near tide-level, a pigeon's leg, encircled by an 

 aluminium ring. We had just flushed a fine Peregrine Falcon off" the 

 cliff" over our heads, and no doubt the pigeon had been killed and eaten 

 by him. The leg was picked clean, nothing but the claw, bone, and 

 ring remaining ; and it was evident that the pigeon had been recently 

 killed. On the ring, in raised letters, was the legend " 65 L 18 F 97 C." 



The daily press has been full of notices of pigeons during the last 

 several weeks, but the information is somewhat contradictory, and I 

 cannot match this pigeon with any of which notice has been taken. 

 100 pigeons were liberated near Heligoland on July 13 (June 13 accord- 

 ing to another account) by the Altona Club or other German pigeon- 

 flying societies. It would appear that these pigeons bore an aluminium 

 ring with the word " Nordpoh " on it. 2,000 German pigeons were 

 liberated at Dover about the middle of July, but these are stated to have 

 been marked by a rubber band. Herr Andree's pigeons, it is stated 

 were marked •' Andree Expedition, A.D. 1897." 



R. IvT.OYD Praeger. 



