rgii. Notes. 79 



Mealy Redpoll {Linnta liiiayia, Linn). This identification I have since 

 confirmed by looking at the stufl;ed specimens in the Natural History 

 Museum in Dublin. 



Mr. Ussher in his book on " The Birds of Ireland " says of this species, 

 that it is "a very rare winter visitor, chiefly taken on the western 

 islands." There is only one previous record of its occurrence in the 

 province of Leinster, viz., at Levitstown, Co. Kildare, on 9th February, 

 1876, which is also the first record of its appearance in Ireland. 



Dknis R. Pack Beresford. 

 Fenagh House, Bagnalstown. 



The Irish Coal-Tit. 



Referring to Mr. Nichols' note on the so-called " Irish Coal-Tit " 

 ip. 45, supra), it may be of interest to mention that Mr. Ogilvie Grant 

 very kindly showed me a large series of freshly killed specimens at the 

 British Museum which were obtained by him from Ireland quite recently. 

 Most of these differed from the ordinary English type — a few markedly 

 so — others were almost identical with it. and intermediate forms were 

 observable. So far as I know Irish naturalists were unaware of any 

 local variation in the Coal-Tit, and Mr. Grant deserves credit for the 

 discovery : but he will, I think, ultimately recognise that the Irish bird 

 is not " a well marked species," and is rather an ill-defined race without 

 (to borrow from the weather charts) " any steep gradients." 



Richard M. Barrington. 



Fassaroe, Bray. 



The Ulster Coal-Tit. 



In the autumn and winter months the Coal -Titmouse is often to be 

 seen in the woods here, flitting busily about among the underwood in 

 large flocks, and usually accompanied by Blue Titmice, Golden-crested 

 Wrens, and other little birds. They are always on the move from place 

 to place, and disappear at times for weeks together. In the nesting 

 season they are less common. All are of the ordinary Par us britannicus 

 type. Once only, in the winter of 1909-10, in such a flock, I got a 

 momentary view of one that puzzled me very much at the time — a Coal- 

 Titmouse, apparently, with a crest like that of the Golden-crested Wren. 



Was it, perhaps, P. hiberuicus ? 



W. E. Hart. 

 Kilderry, Co. Donegal. 



Landrail in December. 



It may interest readers of the Irish Naturalist to know that on the 

 2ncl of December a Landrail was killed in my garden by one of my dogs. 

 It was in very poor condition. I have never seen one in this country so 



late in the year. 



J. H. H. Swine Y. 

 Belfast. 



