478 Mr. Thompson's Additions to the Fauna of Ireland. 



to me what he had heard of a remarkably small kind of mouse and 

 its nest ; the description of which would apply to this species. The 

 nest was built nearly as high from the ground as the narrator's 

 knees, and suspended between stalks of wheat, in afield of this grain : 

 the old animals scarcely bent the stalks of wheat when running up 

 them. The observer, a schoolmaster and farmer, resident within a 

 mile of Shane's Castle, related the above to Mr. Adams as an extra- 

 ordinary fact which had come under his notice last autumn. 



AVES. 



Falco Groenlandicus, Linn., Hancock. Greenland Falcon. In a 

 letter from John "^'^andeleur Stewart, Esq., dated RockhiU, Letter- 

 kenny, Feb. 3, 1837, I was favoured with a minute description of a 

 bird in his collection, beheved to be an Iceland Falcon. At the 

 meeting of the British Association held at Newcastle in 1838, Mr. 

 John Hancock of that town read a paper (admirably illustrated by spe- 

 cimens in various states of plumage) with the view to show that the 

 Iceland and Greenland Falcons are distinct species. 'I'his was sub- 

 sequently published in the second volume of the ' Annals of Natural 

 History.' On referring to the descri])tion of Mr. Stewart's bird, I 

 felt certain that, according to Mr. Hancock's views, it must be the 

 F. Groenlandicus, and having submitted the description to this gen- 

 tleman, I had the satisfaction of receiving his testimony to the same 

 effect. 



Pyrrhula Enucleator, Temm. .'' Pine Bullfinch. In the manuscript 

 journal of that eminent naturalist, John Templeton, Esq., is the fol- 

 lowing note. — " December 20, 1819. Yesterday heard from Mr. 

 Montgomerj- of Belfast [a discriminating ornithologist], that Mr. 

 Bradford had received a specimen of the Loxia Enucleator which was 

 shot at the Cave-liill [vicinitj" of Belfast], and on showing the figure 

 in the Naturalist's Miscellany, he recognised it to be the bird." 



Coracias garrula, lAnn. ? Roller. For some years I have had a 

 note from Mr. R. Ball to the effect that — In the middle of September 

 1831, when he was walking through the demesne at Carton — the 

 seat of the Duke of Leinster — his attention was attracted by a bird 

 pursued by a great number of Rooks, which, instead of flying off to 

 avoid them, continued for a considerable time, or so long as he had 

 patience to remain, to dash in amongst them apparently for the sake 

 only of annoyance. From the size, brUhant plumage, and singular 

 flight of this bird, my friend was satisfied of its being a Roller. Mr. 

 Walker of Granby Row, Dublin, states that one of these birds, shot 

 in the county of Sligo some years ago, was preserved for a relative 

 of his who resides there. Another Roller has been mentioned to me 

 as obtained in the South of Ireland some years since, but as yet no 

 examjjle of the bird unquestionably killed in this island, has to my 

 knowledge come under the inspection of the naturahst. 



Amphibia. 



Lissotriton palmipes, Bell ? Palmated Smooth-Newt. On ques- 

 tioning Mr. William McCalla of Roundstone, Connemara (a most 



