264 The Irish Naturalist. 



diving, as I have witnessed, and they then look not very unlike 

 Mergansers on the wing, except that the large feet project be- 

 hind. They select bays and parts of lakes sheltered by islands 

 to breed in, and seem to avoid exposed lakes destitute of such 

 refuges, like I^ough Allen and Lough Sheelin, as the sweep of 

 large waves would destroy their nests. I have found them on 

 lyough Erne, Lough Arrow, Lough Key, Lough Gowna, Curry- 

 grane Lake, ^Lough Ree, Lough Iron, Lough Drin, and 

 '"Lough Derg, and they have been reported to me from Lough 

 Boderg, Lough Owel, where their eggs were taken. Lough 

 Annagh, and Ballyfin, Queen's Co. 



The LiTTi^K Greek breeds throughout Ireland, but is par- 

 ticularly common on the midland lakes and parts of the 

 Shannon. I never saw so many Little Grebes' nests as I met 

 with on Lough Ree on 7th June, 1892, on floating lumps of 

 aquatic herbage, the clutches being then usually incomplete, 

 but one young grebe, just escaped from the shell, immediately 

 took to the water when I approached, and dived, using its 

 legs and wings under water, to come up and dive again. On 

 Lough Key I met with a Little Grebe's nest built upon a stone 

 which stood in the water, and was sufficiently cup-shaped to 

 hold the nest. I have met with Little Grebes on Lough Arrow, 

 *Lough Key, '"Lough Sheelin, Currygrane Lake, *Lough 

 Ree, Lough Iron, *Lough Owel, Lough Drin, the *Shannon 

 near Banagher, and *Lough Derg. 



The Cormorant has breeding colonies in tall trees on some 

 of the lakes. The most remarkable instance of this is at 

 Lough Cutra, in Co. Galway, ten miles from the nearest tidal 

 water, where, as Lord Gough informs me, *' cormorants have 

 always bred in numbers on Parson's Island, three and a-half 

 acres in extent. They have from forty to sixty nests yearly, 

 high up in the trees, very large nests, mixed up with a large 

 rookery and heronry ; also large numbers of Jackdaws, and, 

 until lately, some hawks. All appear to live most amicably 

 together." 



On Hermitage Island, Lough Key, is a smaller colony, 

 where, on 12th June, 1891, I saw fourteen nests in ash-trees 

 about thirty or forty feet from the ground. In one nest were 

 large young in down ; in the others, fledged young. Several 

 old Cormorants remained on these nests while we were be- 

 neath. Occasional Cormorants may often be seen on all the 

 larger lakes. 



I 



