1 86 The Irish Naturalist. [Jul}', 1900. 



BIRDS. 



Birds' Nests In Strange Places. 



I have at present (May 24) two birds' uests in a rather unusual place. 

 A new hay-shed was put up last summer — timber with iron roof; need- 

 less to say it is quite empty now. There is a large square tie-beam going 

 across underneath the roof. An American hand-rake was left lying with 

 its head on this beam and the end of the handle resting on the wall 

 plate. On the head of this rake— just on the wooden bows that are used 

 to strengthen the heads of such rakes — a Blackbird has built her nest 

 and is hatching quite contentedl}', while only a few yards away a 

 Song-thrush has built hers on the smooth, white surface of the wall 

 plate. The shed is in a very unfrequented place, so that I hope the 

 young songsters may get away safely. Last June I saw a Wild Duck 

 hatching on top of a wall more than 15 feet high on Devenish Island in 

 Lough Erne, Query, how did she expect to get the young ones down } 



Corr, Cornafean. John A. Faris. 



Birds of Ireland and S\AAltzerIand. 



In the Zoologist for May, 1900, Messrs, C. J. Patten and W. J. Williams 

 publish a paper in which they record in comparative form a number of 

 observations on the relative frequency of birds in Ireland and Switzer- 

 land. 



Curious Note of a Cuckoo. 



A Cuckoo has come to this place regularly for the past ten summers 

 (the length of time I have been in the locality), and does not seem to 

 move far from the house. Its voice is the most peculiar I ever heard, 

 being a cross between a stutter and a hiccough, and some seasons it has 

 been very bad, other seasons not quite so bad, but continues the same 

 the whole season through. Can any reader account for this oddity, or 

 say how long a Cuckoo lives .-' 



Killinchy, Co. Down. J. G. Burton. 



MAMMALS. 



Wlartcn in Co. Londonderry. 



On June 4th, 1900, a fine male Marten {Martes sylvaticd) was caught in a 

 rabbit-trap on the river-bank at The Umbra, Benone, near Magilligan, 

 and sent to the Belfast Museum. The fur was almost black. It had 

 been in the neighbourhood for some time, as an underkeeper had seen it 

 twice on the mountain and wondered what it was ; it then took up its 

 quarters near the river, as it had worn a regular j^ath to the edge of the 

 water, being probably attracted by the numerous young Waterhens at 

 present there. It was caught at day- break, as its cries were heard at 

 that time. 



Belfast. Robert Patte;rson. 



