1907. Notes. 183 



"As you suggested, I looked for the giant Woodcock, and the second 

 day after you were there one of the dogs put him out of a bush in the 

 swamp. The under-keeper and I saw him in the open go right across 

 the water. He was quite double the size of an ordinary Woodcock, and 

 much darker in colour. In the distance he looked almost black. We 

 marked him down in the thick cover on the opposite side. I lost no 

 time, but had to go round, as we could not get across the swamp. We 

 walked the cover carefully with three dogs, without any result. I felt 

 sure we had walked over him, and so we went back, and up he got in 

 front of the head-keeper, who was carrying a gun for this special occasion. 

 In the thick cover, however, he said he couldn't get a shot, though he 

 saw the bird for an instant. I saw him get up a long way to my right, 

 and I foolishly fired a long shot, and after that we never saw him, 

 though I hunted all Clandeboye for four days afterwards. I have seen 

 him now three times, the head-keeper and the under-keeper twice each. 

 They say he is a " Double Woodcock." That he is a Woodcock I have 

 no doubt at all, and he is abnormal both as to size and in the dark 

 shades of his feathers." 



Mr. Fisher also described the bird to me as being " as big as a Brown 

 Owl." The keeper told me that when rising out of the cover the bird 

 makes quite a different whirr to the common 'cock, and that the first 

 time he heard it he thought it was a Pheasant. 



Mr. J. Burke Murphy, Lady Dufferin's agent at Clandeboye, tells me 

 he once heard of a huge 'cock being seen in the woods at Ards, near 

 Dunfanaghy, Co. Donegal. 



I have noted everything that I could find out about this mysterious 

 giant, and hope that your readers may be able to add to the meagre 

 total. 



Ai,kc. Wilson. 



Belvoir Park, Belfast. 



[We never heard of a large race of Woodcock in these islands, and all 

 the authorities w r e have consulted are silent on the subject. We there- 

 fore publish Mr. Wilson's communication without accepting respon- 

 sibility, in the hope that other readers may be able to throw some light 

 on what is now a mysterions occurrence. — Eds.] 



Dotterels at Athlone. 



Three specimens of the Dotterel were shot at Athlone on the 10th 

 November ; all were females, two showing the white band on the breast. 

 Although a regular visitor to the south of England, this species is ex- 

 ceedingly rare in Ireland. 



W. J. WmiAiis. 

 Pame-street, Dublin, 



