189 1] A Great Addition to the Fauna. 367 



clear and conclusive By-the-way, what is your idea of treating 



such birds as 



Reed Wren, 



Lesser Whitethroat, 

 Nightingale, 

 Red-backed Shrike, 



common in England, but only once found in Ireland ? They stand, I 

 think, upon a different footing altogether from Lesser Kestrel, Barred 

 Warbler, Yellow-browed Warbler, Short-toed Lark, which are only 

 very rare visitors to Britain. I remember in the case of Nightingale, 

 you were for keeping it out of the regular list. It seems so inaccurate 

 to say that it occurs in Ireland as well as in England. 



April 4th, i8gi. 



DEAR BARRINGTON, Many thanks for the piece of baleen, which, 

 together with the great size of the animal, proves that it is the Sibbald's 

 Rorqual, new to Ireland, and we may truly say the greatest addition* 

 made for many years to the Irish Fauna. I hope you will go see it, and 

 get measurements taken, especially length of flipper, the colour of 

 flipper, which ought to be " dark above, whitish beneath " ; back dark 

 grey, almost black ; lower parts paler grey (not white), irregularly 

 mottled with whitish spots and patches. And, of course, secure, if 

 possible, a few good and perfect blades of the baleen right down to the 

 root. Flipper should be about 13 feet long ; measure from tip of snout 

 to eye, and from eye to root of flipper, wanted. Some few of these things 



I hope you can do in spite of your very busy occupations Why 



do you not publish two nice little penny pamphlets, illustrated one on 

 the potato disease and its history, the other on how to grow potatoes ; 

 and thus pose as a benefactor to your country, instead of "an idle 

 naturalist " ? 



{Same Day.} 



DEAR DR. SCHARFF, I hope you have returned safely from the 

 wilds of Connemara, and that you saw the Mediterranean Heath, and 

 gathered some other spoils and information. No doubt you wili have 

 seen the notice of a large Whale stranded at Wexford. Might it not be 

 worth while for you to run down to look at it, though I suppose another 

 skeleton would be rather too large an addition to the Museum, at any 

 rate until a new wing is built ? I shall hope to go in and see you some 

 day this week. I think I told you that I had suggested to Mr. Cowell 

 his lending the Lesser Kestrel to the Museum. 



May jth, 1891. 



DEAR B. -HAMILTON, I am glad to say that I am much better this 

 week, and I have been out-o' -doors for the last two or three days 



* The specimen measured 82 feet in length, and was pronounced immature. 



