OCCASIONAL NOTES. 67 
I think, therefore, that there must have been a very universal migratory 
movement of Plovers from north to south this winter, which will account 
for the large flocks at present on the south coasts of England and Ireland ; 
and no doubt Mr. Cordeaux’s immense flock was composed of Scotch birds 
en route to the south.— ALmxANDER Crark Kennepy (late Captain Cold- 
stream Guards). 
THe Biue THRUSH ERRONEOUSLY RECORDED AS A STRAGGLER TO 
Irevanp.—The Blue Thrush (Monticola cyanus), first announced by 
Mr. Blake-Knox, in ‘ The Zoologist’ (1870, p. 2019), as having been killed 
in Ireland, and noticed as such both in Messrs. Sharpe and Dresser’s ‘ Birds 
of Europe’ and in Prof. Newton’s edition of Yarrell (vol. i., p. 295), has no 
claim, so far as our specimen is concerned, to be enrolled in the British 
Fauna. The specimen purchased for the Museum of the Royal Dublin 
Society, in November, 1866, was at that time supposed to have been shot 
in the county of Meath by a Mr. Brassington: but, after many enquiries, 
and the best assistance given by Mr. Glennon, and a long correspondence in 
all likely quarters, nothing more could be traced of its history. It was by 
a mere accident that the bird was, many years afterwards, recognised by 
my friend Pr. Battersby, of Lough Carragh, who expressed great surprise 
to see it in the Irish collection. Dr. Battersby then told me that he had 
himself brought this Blue Thrush, fresh-killed, from Cannes, where he was 
then residing; and when passing through Dublin had left it, during 
Mr. Glennon’s absence, at his shop fora present. Dr. Battersby’s name 
was no doubt imperfectly remembered by the shopman, and the bird, being 
fresh-killed, was too hastily assumed to be Irish. The locality, Meath, 
may have suggested itself as being the county in which many families of 
the name of Battersby reside. Dr. Battersby finds, from a memorandum, 
that he arrived in Dublin on the 14th November, 1866, and returned to 
Cannes on the 21st, a date which is consistent with Mr. Glennon’s having 
received the bird on the 17th. No blame in the matter can attach to any 
of the parties concerned ; it was a very natural mistake to make, and I feel 
much pleasure in being able so conclusively to explain the very unusual 
and perplexing circumstances of its history — A. G. More (Science and Art 
Museum, Dublin). 
[On turning to the page above indicated of Prof. Newton’s edition of 
Yarrell's ‘ British Birds,’ we find that although he notices Mr. Blake-Knox’s 
report of the supposed occurrence of this bird in Ireland (as indeed he could 
hardly avoid doing) he by no means gives implicit credence to the report. 
On the contrary, he states that ‘the southern range of this species, even 
though it has occurred as a straggler in Heligoland, seems to render its 
eurolment as a ‘British’ bird inexpedient.” We are glad to have the 
question now definitely settled.—Eb. ] 
