TOO The Irish Na{7t7-alist. June 



Curlew walking up and down the flat bank at the edge of 

 the river, screaming pitcously. They were all gone in the 

 morning." 



Mr. J. H. Power, of Carrick-on-Suir, says : — ^" About 

 eleven o'clock last night flocks of birds began tumbling into 

 the streets, some dead, and others not able to fly. I saw 

 heaps of them to-day dead and all in good condition. One 

 man told me he got twelve on the hearth in the morning 

 which had tumbled down the chimney. The whole bird 

 creation was astir and the people of the town were kept 

 awake by the shriek of the Curlew, Duck and Snipe hovering 

 over the town. The birds were going N.E. Starlings and 

 Redwings were in masses ; Thrushes, Blackbirds, Skylarks, 

 Tit -larks. Snipe and an Owl were also picked up dead. 

 The night was very dark. I distinguished the Redwing by 

 the streaks about the head and brick colour under the 

 wings. The Song Thrush has buff under the wing. For 

 some days after Starlings and Redwings were feeding in the 

 fields and quite weak." The wing of a Redwing was 

 forwarded. 



DuNGARVAN. — Mr. R. J. Brcnnan says: — "The night 

 of the 29th of March was dark and calm until 10.30. 

 Suddenly, before eleven o'clock, light rain and fog began, 

 and flocks of Starlings were observed in the Square. They 

 flew wildly about, as if terrified and bewildered, striking 

 against windows, walls, and gas-lamps. On the morning 

 of the 30th several dead birds were found. The night 

 watchman states he saw the birds departing in a N.E. 

 direction r 



Another Dungarvan correspondent says : — " I looked 

 towards one of the gas lamps at eleven p.m. and the whole 

 air seemed one mass of small birds." 



LiSMORE. — Mr. Fanning writes : — " On Wednesday, 

 Thursday and Friday, the last three days of March, there 

 was observable a state of excitement amongst birds, and 

 particularly Starlings. On these nights Curlew were heard 

 calling continuously oyer the town of Lismore. On Saturday 

 night, April ist, the air was full of them. The nights were 

 dark and foggy, and the birds kept hovering over towns 



