1856] Fourth Visit to Ireland. 



CHAPTER XII. 



FOURTH VISIT TO IRELAND. 



[1856.] 



LEAVING London on December 3rd, he proceeded at once 

 to Ireland to spend the winter at Castle Taylor. Hard 

 work was laid aside for rest and sport ; and most refreshing 

 was the change, after a foggy November beside the Thames, 

 to the free and bracing atmosphere of the Atlantic. Tired 

 of ink and paper he entered scarcely anything in the accus- 

 tomed note-book not even recording the Wheatear (men- 

 tioned three years later in the "Zoologist ") which surprised 

 him on the Royal Canal, as he travelled from Dublin to 

 Galway, on December 4th. His few notes tell little more 

 than that he stayed at Castle Taylor the winter through, 

 and saw the flight of the early Brimstone Butterfly (a rarity 

 in Ireland) over the familiar ground of Kilmacduagh, on 

 the ist of March, 1856. 



In January, however, he wrote from Castle Taylor a 

 long letter to Mr. E. Newton : 



CASTLE TAYLOR, ARDRAHAN. 

 January \Qth, 1856. 



MY DEAR NEWTON, A meek reply on all I can venture on, when 

 you have treated me so much better than I deserved. Certainly I am 



angry, too, but my ire is kindled against that Dr. who not only 



embezzled your letter, whereby I am sure I lost a lot of interesting news, 

 but who ventured to keep it so long when he well knew 'twas not for 

 him 



I feel somewhat ashamed, too, that I did not write to you before 

 this, especially as I found so much scientific amusement in London ; 

 but I trust you will make some allowance for a press of occupation while 

 in town, and a constant devotion to the gun since I have been in this 

 house. By this I don't mean that the sport is very first rate this year, 

 for I am very much disappointed to find the Snipes much scarcer this 

 winter than they used to be during the three summers which I have 

 spent in Ireland. In places where ten brace were to be bagged without 



