March, 1904. 



53 



THE BIRDS OF A NEIGHBOURHOOD. 



BY N. H. FOSTER, M.B.O.U. 



During the past year I have noted month by month the various 

 species of birds observed by me in this neighbourhood. 



This district, an undulating tract of country rising above 

 sea-level from one hundred feet at the river Lagan to almost 

 six hundred feet, is mainly situated in Co. Down, and 

 would be enclosed by a circle of about eight miles in diameter, 

 having the village of Hillsborough as its centre ; it is princi- 

 pally composed of well-cultivated land, but includes several 

 lakes and ponds, and a number of small peat bogs, and though 

 comprising no extensive woods, it contains many small planta- 

 tions and a large number of trees. 



The species observed amount to seventy-two, of which de- 

 tails are given in the two subjoined tables. 



It may be well to state that these observations were casually 

 made, i.e., I did not go specially to different localities each 

 month to look for a particular species, or doubtless the lists 

 would have been considerably extended, as some of these 

 birds mainly frequent limited areas in the district, while the 

 great majority of my observations were made along the mile 

 of road intervening between my residence and place of 

 business. 



TABI.K I.— Number of Species observed during each Month 



IN 1903. 



January, 



February, 



March, 



April, 



May, 



June, 



July, 



August, 



September, 



October, 



November, 



December, 



