1854] Excursions with Rev. G. Robinson. 43 



With the Rev. George Robinson, of Tartaraghan, an 

 enthusiastic brother-naturalist, of whom, while at Cam- 

 bridge, he had heard a good deal from his friend R. A. 

 Julian,* he took several excursions to the haunts of local 

 birds. On May 1 2th, after driving to Armagh, " we went," 

 he says, " to look after the Whinchat, and succeeded in 

 finding one fine male bird in the hedges bordering some 

 low meadows. It is said to be very local in this neighbour- 

 hood." Another day (April 24th) Mr. Robinson drove him 

 to Lough Neagh, to visit the only known Irish breeding- 

 ground of the Yellow Wagtail. f u We found the Yellow 

 Wagtails flying about in pairs, at the usual and limited dis- 

 tance from the lake. It is very curious that their range 

 should be so restricted, though the ground which they fre- 

 quent is sufficiently varied bog, arable, and gardens; 

 but perhaps the extreme abundance of small gnats and 

 other insects within a certain distance of the water may 

 account for this." From a peninsula (tenanted by numbers 

 of birds) over which they strolled, " the view of the lake 

 was very fine, and the weather being remarkably clear we 

 had a particularly good opportunity of seeing the moun- 

 tains on all sides, Ram Island, etc. There was also a 

 small islet to the left, where Mr. Robinson had gathered 

 Arundo stricta. Altogether, what with the clear sky, 

 bright sun, and beautiful blue expanse of water, with its 

 islands, promontories, creeks, and mountains, it formed a 

 most delightful prospect/' 



Mr. Robinson also accompanied him on many botaniz- 

 ing excursions, and Lough Neagh was several times visited, 

 for the Yellow Wagtail was by no means its only attrac- 

 tion. 



" May 1 5th. Sailed all day on Lough Neagh with Mr. 

 Robinson : a light breeze from the north, just sufficient to 

 carry us along, and the lake very clear and beautiful. We 



* Mr. Robinson and Mr. Julian had been friends in Devonshire. 



f It may be advisable to explain that the name "Yellow Wagtail " is com- 

 monly applied in Ireland to a different bird, which, though yellow enough to 

 deserve the title, is the "Gray Wagtail" of ornithologists. It was, however, the 

 "Yellow Wagtail with black patch on throat," occasionally referred to by Gilbert 

 White. 



