Zoo log)'. 1 57 



the favoured county. The Snowy Owl is a very rare visitor^ 

 having only occurred about four times, the last in January 

 1889 at Dundrum. The very rare Scops-Owl has occurred 

 twice — -in 1853 and 1883. [The Tawny Owl cannot be 

 included in the Irish list; but in 1900 the same gentleman 

 who brought over the Jays liberated nine Tawny Owls near 

 Belfast, and of these four have been shot, as recorded in 

 the Iris/i Naturalist for 1901, pp. 24, 72, and 230.] 



Accipitres. — Although Thompson mentions the Marsh- 

 Harrier as breeding in both counties, it has long ceased 

 to do so, and can now be only regarded as a very rare 

 straggler : one was shot at Cullybackey, Co. Antrim, ia 

 September 1897. Almost the same may be said of the *Hen- 

 Harrier, although more specimens are recorded, and a pair 

 is said to have nested near Rostrevor in the nineties (Ussher). 

 The Common Buzzard, which bred in both counties 50. 

 years ago, is now a very rare visitor, although H. C. Hart 

 "saw five on the wing together at the south end of the 

 Mourne mountains" in July 1883 (Ussher). In April and 

 May 1886 a pair was shot near Greyabbey, Co. Down. 

 Lord Antrim notes their decrease since the passing of the 

 "Ground Game Act." The Rough-legged Buzzard has 

 only occurred four times in Co. Down: three about 1831 

 and one in 1895. Sixty years ago both the Golden 

 Eagle and Sea-Eagle bred in the district, but have beer> 

 exterminated. There is no recent note of the Golden Eagle, 

 but a female Sea-Eagle was shot at Mountstewart, Co. 

 Down, on 30 January, 1891. It was accompanied by a 

 male bird, which fortunately escaped capture. The *Sparrow- 

 Hawk is resident and fairly common, and the same may be 

 said of the * Kestrel, which breeds on the Cave Hill. The 

 Kite can only be included in our list on the authority of 

 Thompson, who mentions occurrences in 1830 at Glenarm 

 Park, and in 1835 at Shane's Castle. Thompson also 

 records two Honey Buzzards: one in 1833 at Annadale 

 (now absorbed into Belfast) and the other in 1839 on the 

 Antrim shore of Belfast Lough ; another was shot in June 

 i860 near the Belfast Waterworks. The Greenland Falcon 

 has been taken once, in 1865, on Rathlin Island. The 

 ^Peregrine has several eyries in the district (two on Rathlin),, 



