132 ' The Irish 'Naturalist. Aug.-Sept., 1918. 



in the field, they only attacked the " stocks " of wheat close in under 

 the beech trees. Practically the same line of flight was follow^ed day 

 after day ; they appeared to me to meet in the same place in the wood, 

 and certainly on each occasion when I have watched them they arrived 

 in the same beech tree. Occasionally they uttered a few cries when 

 they got safely back to the wood, but more often they remained silent. 



W. M. Abbott. 

 Fermoy. 



Scarcity of the Fieldfare. 



Fieldfares were totally absent from this part of Co. Wexford during the 

 whole of the late autumn and winter of 1917-18 ; but as we generally have 

 our largest influx of that species in April at Ballyhyland I waited till that 

 month was over before sending any report. The winter, in fact, had 

 no sooner gone than these " winter-birds " began to arrive. I saw only 

 one small party during the last week of March ; but by April 12th they 

 were fairly numerous, and they remained so until the 20th of that month, 

 after which I saw them no more. I have never before known the 

 Fieldfare to be an absentee during the entire winter ; but it was at least 

 cheering to see the spring passengers in something like their usual force 

 and plenty. 



C. B. Moffat. 



Ballyhyland, Enniscorthy. 



Owls clapping- their Wing's. 



To the notes furnished on this subject by Messrs. Burkitt (/. Nat., 

 vol. xxvi., p. 161), and Bolam (vol. xxvii., p. 15) I should like to add 

 that the Barn-Owl is also addicted to clapping its wings — chiefly, as in 

 the case of both the other species referred to, during the excitement of 

 the nuptial season. It is, of course, possible that both sexes of the 

 Barn-Owl occasionally clap ; but from frequently watching them at 

 their time of first taking flight I can confidently say that one bird in 

 each pair does it habitually, while the other, as a rule, takes its flight 

 silently, so far as the wings are concerned. This, I ha\e also found to 

 be the case (from watching several pairs in the Ballyhyland woods), with 

 the Long-eared Owl ; but Mr. Burkitt has successfully shown as to that 

 species that the clapping is not restricted to the male, so I can only say 

 that the female bird goes in for it very much more sparingly than her 

 mate. The same is true, in general, of the Nightjar, 



C. B. Moffat. 

 Ballyhyland, Enniscorthy. 



