io6 The Irish Nahcralist. ^^lay, 



season by Lapwings, Ringed Plovers, Redshanks, Common 

 Sandpipers, Dnnlins, and Tufted Ducks, while here, as else- 

 where on Lough Ree, Mergansers make their home. 



Further north, on an island in the middle of the lake 

 called Inchcleraun, stands a group of ruined churches. The 

 rich grass is broken in places by huge masses of briars. 

 From these proceeded, during my visit, the song of the 

 Garden Warbler, which I had heard in 1S92 and 1893 on 

 Nun's Island lower down the lake. I heard this song again 

 in the woods of Castle Forbes, which skirt Lough Forbes, a 

 smaller expansion of the Shannon further north than Lough 

 Ree, and I was fortunate in finding the nest of the Garden 

 Warbler, containing young. It was among low briars in the 

 wood, and was composed of fine dry grass stems. On the 

 stony beach were Ringed Plovers and Sandpipers, and a 

 Lesser Black-backed Gull appeared on the wing, which 

 seemed much discomposed at my presence. Tufted Duck 

 vSwam off from the reed beds, where Wild Ducks were accom- 

 panied by their young broods. I saw several Terns and 

 Black-headed Gulls over ilie lake, and, from the number of 

 the latter seen from the train at one spot on a neighbouring 

 bog: they must have a breeding-ground there. 



I next explored Lough Allen, which lies nearest to the 

 source of the Shannon. Its upper portion is closely shut in 

 by mountains, which makes it liable to those dangerous gusts 

 so much dreaded b}^ boatmen. On tw^o small islands, com- 

 posed of boulder stones and gravel, I found that colonies of 

 Black-headed Gulls and Common Terns had eggs on 3rd 

 June, but no young were yet hatched. A male Wigeon was 

 plainh^ seen taking flight from one of these islands. He was 

 accompanied by another bird, presumably the female. Lesser 

 Black-backs were on this lake also. At the north-west corner 

 of Lough Allen is a small wooded island ; between the low 

 trees and the stony beach is a margin of Meadow-sweet and 

 other rank herbage. In this I found the tortuous run of a 

 Duck, and on following it up found a female Merganser, which 

 flapped away almost from my feet. The ten fresh eggs were 

 well surrounded with down in a comfortable nest. 



Cappagh, Go. Waterford; 



