240 The Irish Naturalist. August, 



in the same garden where he had found the second brood ; it 

 contained one egg, and was probably the beginning of a 

 second laying. All four nests were built in high stone walls, 

 about six feet from the ground ; the entrance to the nests was 

 small, and they were quite close to the sea, certainly w 7 ithin a 

 hundred yards. I think it wiser not to indicate the exact 

 locality, so that this little colony may not be interfered with 

 by too enthusiastic egg collectors. 



I hardly think it possible that these Tree-Sparrows can have 

 been in that district for any length of time, because Mr. 

 McWilliam, who is a close and accurate observer, has stayed 

 in the vicinity for several summers in succession, and although 

 he has kept a careful watch on all the Sparrows he has met, 

 he never suspected the presence of Tree-Sparrows until he 

 discovered the first nest on June 14th. 



Undoubtedly it was Mr. Foster's discovery in Co. Derry last 

 year that made Mr. McWilliam pay increased attention to the 

 subject this summer, and I must congratulate the latter gentle- 

 man on the success that has attended his investigations. I 

 trust that ornithologists who reside at other parts of the Irish 

 coast will carefully scan all the sparrows in their district, as 

 the Tree-Sparrow is undoubtedly spreading in Ireland, and 

 may turn up at almost any portion of the coast. 



Holywood, Co. Down. 



OBITUARY. 



ALEXANDER SOMERVILLE, B.Sc. 



Alexander Sonierville, who died at Glasgow on June 5, was one of 

 several British botanists who generously came over to Ireland a few 

 years ago to assist in botanical field-work when " Irish Topographical 

 Botany " was in preparation. The flora of the counties of I,eitrini, 

 Cavau, and Monaghan were the subject of his Irish researches, and he 

 added a large number of species to the then meagre lists from these 

 divisions. He was an enthusiastic student of the fauna and flora of 

 Scotland, particularly its Mollusca and Phanerogamia, and took an 

 active part in the scientific life of Glasgow. 



R. 1,1,. P. 



