194 



in Tipperary. With regard to these occurrences, Messrs. 

 Williams and Son published, a paragraph in the ' Zoo- 

 logist,' 1903, p. 153-4, which has been criticised in the pages 

 of the 'Irish Naturalist,' 1903, p. 198. To the criticisms 

 Messrs. Williams and Son reply on p. 248 of the same 

 Journal. 



The first note reads : 



GREAT BUSTARD IN IRELAND. 



" Two large birds were observed frequenting some fields 

 near Thurles, co. Tipperary, during the month of December, 

 1902. On the 20th one fell to the gun of a farmer's son, 

 who thought it was a Wild Goose ; it was sent to us for 

 identification, and proved to be a female Great Bustard in 

 excellent plumage. Its stomach contained turnip-tops. 

 This, we believe, is the first record of this species in 

 Ireland. The gentleman who turned down the Great 

 Bustards in Norfolk has carefully examined the specimen, 

 but cannot identify it as one of his birds." 



Criticism: "Messrs. Williams and Son record in the 

 Zoologist for April the occurrence of two Great Bustards 

 in co. Tipperary in December last year, one being shot. 

 But the recent liberation of a number of Great Bustards in 

 Norfolk seriously affects the value of what would otherwise 

 be a new record for Ireland. To put it mildly, it is a 

 singular coincidence that the first appearance of the species 

 in Ireland should so closely follow its deliberate introduc- 

 tion into England." 



(The writer of this criticism does not give his name.) 



Reply : "In the Irish Naturalist for July (p. 198 supra), 

 we see a paragraph casting doubt on the Great Bustard shot 

 in Tipperary being a genuine wild bird. We received the 

 same week in December a very fine specimen from Glamor- 

 ganshire. As two years have elapsed since the fifteen Great 

 Bustards were liberated in Norfolk, and in a recent number 

 of the Field every single liberated bird has been accounted 

 for, we may safely conclude that the Irish specimen has 

 not had an assisted passage ; we may also remark that both 

 specimens, Irish and Welsh, have been carefully examined 

 by the gentleman who brought the birds to Norfolk, and 

 his conclusion was that they were bond-fide travellers. Of 

 course there will always be a certain amount of doubt when 

 there is only one occurrence of a species in a locality, but in 



