102 The Irish Naturalist. May, 



see this sweet songster is seldom possible, the art of hiding it- 

 self among the foliage being practised with great skill, as in 

 the case of the Blackcap and other warblers. 



I subsequently found that the Garden Warbler is a regular 

 summer visitor to the islands of L^ough Ree, to the woods of 

 Castle Forbes, and to I^oughs Key and Arrow, further north, 

 as well as to Castle Caul dwell on Lough Erne, where it was 

 known to Sir Douglas Brooke and Mr. Bloomfield. 



Launching on Lough Derg, a little stony islet overshadowed 

 with willow trees was found to contain the nest of the Com- 

 mon Sandpiper, while on a stony point that projected into the 

 lake, Ringed Plovers' eggs were found, and an excited Red- 

 shank, whose home was also near, stood on the top of the old 

 castle uttering her alarm cries. 



In the open lake, near Castle Lough, is a wooded island fre- 

 quented b}- sundry Mergansers, which took flight before we 

 landed, and which nest in June among the thickets and coarse 

 herbage. On the open, rush}^ part of this island we found 

 nests of the Reed-Bunting, that most characteristic land-bird 

 of the Irish lakes, whose monotonous ''chit-chit chatter" is 

 to be heard on every island. 



Next, crossing towards the Clare shore, we came to a group 

 of low, grassy islands, the home of several pairs of Common 

 Terns and also of Redshanks, that circled over us with their 

 piercing cry. Black-headed Gulls had a small colon}^ there, 

 partly on the grassy islands and partly on isolated rocks near 

 them. One of their nests was on the top of one of those stone 

 pyramids built for beacons. Crossing an island, I observed 

 two birds on the water of a little bay which were resting un- 

 suspectingly. They were gathered up with puffed-out plum- 

 age and necks drawn in, and looked not unlike Coots, but on 

 their perceiving me their long necks were raised, showing 

 white in front, and I recognised them as they dived to be Great 

 Crested Grebes. Searching the little bay I found their nest 

 with a fresh-laid ^%% covered up. 



Proceeding up Scariff Bay, we came to extensive beds of 

 great rushes growing in the water, from which issued two 

 small specimens of the Crested Grebe, fully fledged, which 

 were joined by an old one upon the lake. There are many 

 breeding places of this species round Lough Derg and Lough 



