^r'n Birds. 9691 



of any I killed, and I had to press some to death ; they are also free 

 from any foetid smell. There seems no young birds at this season, all 

 being in adult dress (one shot had one black-tipped feather in the 

 belly) ; this inclines nie to think they breed at a year old. Yarrell 

 tells us they are rare in Ireland : this does not suit the Dublin and 

 Wicklow coast, where they are always abundant in spring and autumn, 

 and met with constantly in winter and summer. The head and neck 

 in spring is full of white hair-like feathers, with a minute tuft at tip : 

 this constitutes, I think, the only difference in plumage from winter to 

 summer, and is not mentioned by any author 1 know of. 

 Saw one Sandwich tern. 



Noticed a number of redthroated dirers with dark throats ; could not 

 get near them. As I stated before, I am convinced that no such thing 

 as a redthroat exists in winter. For the last five years I have spent all 

 my time on the sea, in suitable weather, and never yet shot or saw 

 Colymbus septentrionalis with a red throat, or C. glacialis with a 

 black one in winter; of C. arcticus I have but little knowledge. 

 Would that other ornithologists would enter on this subject — those 

 I mean who can talk from experience, and not merely quote Bewick, 

 &c., or, without taking the trouble to dissect, maintain that all our 

 winter Colymbi are young birds. 



Immense flocks of dunlins on that part of the Bull Wall which is 

 covered at high water: they are very tame, always, when frequenting 

 rocks, and on these occasions allow a near approach. With a long shot 

 right and left I killed forty- two ; they are certainly Tringa " variabilis" 

 at this season, for no two birds were exactly the same ; the great body 

 were in moult ; six were in full adult summer dress, most beautiful 

 specimens; the rest varied from three new summer feathers in the 

 winter dress, to perhaps so many winter feathers in the summer dress; 

 some had the black breast and the back nearly as in winter, others 

 two or three black feathers only in the breast. Still this bird is not 

 more variable than any other of the family, all undergoing the same 

 changes, though not so well known as those of the dunlin. The full 

 summer dress and the full winter dress do not vary more than in any 

 other bird. These birds cannot dive like the common sandpiper 

 {Totanus hypoleucos); several, though merely pinioned and able to walk 

 about the boat, made no attempt at diving. I have frequently noticed 

 this before amongst all the true sand-frequenting birds, and even 

 the rock (purple) sandpiper {Tringa marilima) never dives. 



The oystercatcher does dive, but not merely in the way Captain 

 Hadfield suggests, to escape when wounded, but for food. When 



