I900-] Notes, 293 



of the Porbeagle Shark, Lauina corniibica (Yarrell) ; it was about four feet 

 in length. It appears to be very rare on this coast, being the only 

 specimen I have ever met, 



On the same day I found a specimen of the Tope Dogfish, Galeus 

 vulgaris (Yarrell), about a hundred yards from where the Porbeagle was 

 lying, and in appearance the contrast between the two fishes was very 

 remarkable, the rounded pig-like form of the Porbeagle with its large 

 round eyes, looking so utterly different, from the long, slender body of 

 the Tope, with its flattened, depressed head and small oval-shaped eyes. 



Robe;rt Warren. 



Moyview, Ballina, 



BIMDS. 



Crossbills nesting^ In South Cork. 



Mr. Moffat's remark (see p, 254 above), that the Crossbill is increasing 

 as a breeding species in Ireland reminds me that among our bird visitors 

 during the severe weather of Februarj' last we had a pair of Crossbills 

 which .nested with us, and I have seen no record of their yet nesting in 

 Cork, though they nested in Tipperary in 1839. 



I first noticed them on the morning of February 20th, before the snow 

 which fell on the loth had all melted, and though I did not actually see 

 their nest till a fortnight later, I am sure that it was then finished. So 

 that the brave little birds had commenced building while long icicles were 

 still hanging in places from the pine branches, and perhaps while many 

 other birds were dj-ing of cold. Starlings especially suffered. On the 

 morning of the 14th fifteen of them died in our stable about thirty yards 

 from the site of the Crossbills' nest, and from the loth to the 14th very 

 many Starlings, Redwings, Song Thrushes, Fieldfares, and Blackbirds, 

 besides some smaller birds, died, though haws and ivy berries were 

 plentiful then and long after. I, however, saw no dead Mistle Thrushes. 



Well, as I have already said, the Crossbills had their nest quite finished 

 before the 20th ; they very obligingly nested right in front of the house, 

 where from either my bedroom or breakfast-room windows I could 

 easily watch them coming and going until I left at 10 o'clock, though 

 the nest was hidden by a br?nch. And in the evenings after school my 

 little son kept sharper eyes than mine on their movements during 

 preparation time, and reported anything unusual. They were very tame, 

 the cock often allowed us to come quite close while he rested on a bare 

 ash branch or hacked at a fir cone. We never saw either of them on the 

 ground save once when the cock rose from some Raspberry canes, but 

 occasionally he alighted on the eave-shoots perhaps for water. The nest 

 was hard to see from the ground, and I was afraid of frightening them 

 by climbing the tree on which for a long time before we saw it we knew 

 it was. Hatching commenced on February 23rd; before then the pair 

 were always together, but afterwards the cock was usually alone. I did 

 not go to see the nest till March 9th. Nothing disturbed them. Our cat 

 had disappeared for ever since last year. I saw him from the window 



