Among the Birds on S Iran g ford LouQ^h. 



7T 



Now we turned northward again and sailed before a gentle 

 breeze up Ringhaddy Sound, and landed under the trees 

 below the ruined church, which crowns the hill above. Here 

 dinner engaged our attention for some time, and when we were 

 ready to start it was half-past six. The wind now completely 

 died awa}^ and a steady rain came on. There was nothing for 

 it but to make our belongings as weather-proof as possible, 

 and pull all the way back ; so we set out on our long row of 

 nine miles through the mist and rain, and against the tide, and 

 slowdy came up through the islands, past the point of Mahee, 

 where we could see our hospitable farmhouse, across the lough, 

 and reached Cunningburn as darkness was setting in, at half- 

 past nine. It was dead low water, and as we could not have 

 been much w^etter, we just waded ashore as we were, carr}'ing 

 our belongings on our backs. We left all we could in our 

 boatman's cottage, and taking our bags and our precious eggs, 

 set off at ten, and tramped back into Newtownards, where, to- 

 wards midnight, we made night hideous with frantic efforts to 

 awaken the people of the Ulster Hotel. A man in a .state of 

 hilarious inebriation, who happily turned up, advised us to tr}- 

 the lyondonderry Arms instead, where after a lengthened solo 

 on the knocker, we effected an entrance, and lost no time in 

 getting to bed. The following morning we returned ta 

 Belfast by an early train. 



During our two days on the water, which, in spite of un- 

 settled w^eather, were most interesting and enjoyable, we saw 

 many Cormorants, Herons, Curlews, Green Plover and Black- 

 headed Gulls, but I have no notes of any importance. The 

 only eggs we found in addition to those already mentioned 

 were one Rock Pipit's and one Land-rail's. The Rock Pipit's 

 ^%% was lying among bare gravel, without a trace of nest ; the 

 lyand-rail's w^as in a grove of Sviyrnium, also without nest ; the 

 Ringed-plover's and Oystercatcher's, were, as before stated, 

 among gravel, in a slight hollow, in which a few bright shells 

 had been laid— some of the former were overhung by grass. 



We observed that all the Oystercatchers' eggs were laid at a 

 point on the islands ; never in the middle of a straight stretch 

 of shore. The Lesser Tern (S. vmizttaj, we did not see at all, 

 although a close watch was kept; later on in the summer, 

 however, I saw specimens which were procured on Strangford 

 Lough. We made enquiries also about the Roseate Tern 

 fS. dougalli), but without result. 



