8o The Irish Naturalist, May, 19.1S;. 



Dublin on February 22nd last Mr. W. Williams very kindly allowed me 

 to examine the mounted skin, and told me that he had received the speci- 

 men in the flesh for the National Museum from Mrs. Barrington on June 

 9th, just a fortnight after it had been collected. I was thus enabled to 

 confirm the identity of the bird so accurately determined in the first 

 instance by Mr. J. McGinley. Mr. Williams said that this Shrike was in a 

 very emaciated condition, and Mr. McGinley stated, in his letter to me, 

 that it looked very tired when he discovered it on the rock. I should 

 have been glad had the bird in the flesh passed through my hands in the 

 first instance, to enable me to make a thoraugh anatomical investigation 

 of the body. Anyone who has read the previous papers which I have 

 published dealing with rare casual visitors, collected at light-stations, will 

 notice what a store of valuable information may be obtained by ana- 

 tomical investigation in regard to the probable peregrinations of such 

 migrants and concerning other problems on migration. May I, therefore, 

 be permitted to appeal, through the medium of the Irish Naturalist, to 

 hght-keepers and their friends who may happen to see this note, to send 

 me any rare birds which may be obtained at light-stations ; especially 

 those from Tuskar, Rockabill, Maidens, Inishtrahull, and Tearaght, at 

 which places I have made a special study of bird-migration ? I have no 

 wish to keep the birds in question, my sole aim being to send them, or 

 see that the}' are sent, to the National Museum, Dublin, their rightful 

 destination, where I have sent all rare birds (from light-stations) which 

 have passed through my hands. 



The occurrence of this Woodchat-Shrike is highly interesting, for on 

 looking up the literature of the subject I find that only one other specimen 

 has been found in Ireland. This was taken at Blackwater Bank lightship, 

 Co. Wexford, on the night of August i6th, 1893, nearly twenty-five years 

 ago. Unfortunately only its leg and wing were preserved. ( Vide Migration 

 of Birds at Irish Light-Stations, Analysis of Reports, 1881-97, P- ^. R- ^i- 

 Barrington). The bird from Tuskar is, therefore, the first whose entire 

 skin has been preserved and mounted ; it is also the first taken on a 

 rock light-station. 



C. J. Patten. 



The University, Sheffield, 



Meaninjf of " 5winey " and " Thricecock." 



In Kirke Swann's " Dictionary of English and Folk-names of British 

 Birds " (19 1 3), Swinepipe , of which Swiney may be only an abbreviation, 

 is stated to be the Redwing, and Thrice Cock the Mistle-Thrush, meaning 

 literally the Thrush-Cock. The Rev. C. W. Benson gives Hayjack as a 

 provincial name for the Linnet, but in Norfolk this word signifies a 

 Whitethroat, or a Blackcap, in allusion to their nests made of bents. 



J. H, GURNEY. 



Keswick Hall, Norfolk. 



