igiS. BURKITT. — Notes On Birds. 147 



Swallow. 



Was the Swallow extraordinary late elsewhere as here ? 

 Though I saw one on the 4th April and another on the 

 13th, there was no real arrival till the last day of April. 

 Its complete absence alter the Corncrake and Cuckoo had 

 come was very remarkable. 



Grasshopper Warbler. 



I noted in the /. NM. of October, 19 17, the peculiar 

 complete absence here in 1917 of this bird. I have had 

 further confirmation in respect to this county. Mr. Moffat 

 suggested to me that as with him it might be disappearing 

 from diminution of suitable habitat. But our disappearance 

 was too sudden. I wish there had been some other notes 

 from Ireland, because this vear the bird is back in full force. 

 This bird at the arrival period niakes itself very evident, 

 so that to a bird-observer it can hardly be missed. At 

 that period it sings freel}^ at all hours of the day as well 

 as at night, and at all kinds of places wiiich are not its 

 permanent abode. You next hear them singing at suitable 

 sites, but m}^ experience is that out of half a dozen singers 

 only a couple seem to sta}-, unless it be that the mated 

 birds soon cease to sing. I have often noticed that the 

 song is kept up on disturbance, like the Sedge Warbler. 

 1 have watched the male rise and sing out of a very low bed 

 of dead brambles only about eight yards by tw^o, and as I 

 went to one end and beat it with a stick he crept and sang 

 at the other. Quick as I ran from point to point, he 

 seemed to enjoy the game and sang away, quite outlasting 

 me. 



With reference to the exterminating winter of 1916-17 

 I have now and again seen the Gold-crest, but the Long- 

 tailed Tit seems the worst hit. I have only seen one pair 

 in the past eighteen months. In reference to Mr. Abbot's 

 note in the Irish Naturalist for Ma}^ (supra p. 79), I did 

 not notice a single Fieldfare last winter. 



Enniskillen, 



