OCCASIONAL NOTES. 103 
the summer of 1858, the Terns deserted this lake altogether. They have 
now moved to the little moorland lough of Rarouem, situated midway 
between Ballina and Killala, and within sight of the high-road between 
those towns. This lough is considerably larger than that of Cloona, but is 
nearly surrounded by bog, with very swampy shores, and a large quantity 
of reeds growing on the margin: in some places these reeds grow far out 
towards the centre, where there is a small circular island about twenty 
yards in diameter, whereon a large number of Black-headed Gulls make 
their nests, as they do also among the reeds, but the Terns have theirs on 
a bare part of the island, a little away from those of the Gulls. This lake, 
with the adjoining land, is the property of Sir Charles Knox Gore, who, 
with the spirit of a true naturalist, strictly preserves it, and does not 
permit either Gulls or Terns to be disturbed: last season he had the 
bushes and long grass cut off the island, in order to give the birds more 
space for their nests, so that now, being well protected, there is every likeli- 
hood of this beautiful species increasing every year. When visiting this 
lough in June, 1876, it presented a most pleasing sight from the number 
and variety of the birds frequenting it; the Gulls and Terns sitting on their 
nests, the male Terns continually coming from the sea with sand-eels to 
feed their mates, Wild Ducks, Teal, Coots, and Waterhens swimming in 
and out amongst the reeds, Ring Plovers running along the shores of the 
lake, and Black-headed Buntings and Sedge Warblers flitting about the 
stunted bushes which grow on the drier parts of the swamp. Altogether 
it presented as pretty a picture of lake life as could well be imagined, and 
one of which a naturalist could never tire. The Sandwich Terns arrive in 
the bay and estuary of the Moy much earlier in the spring than the smaller 
terns, generally making their appearance between the last week of March 
and the middle of April; sometimes, however, I have seen them arrive as 
early as the 20th of March, and as late as the 26th of April.—Roserr 
Warren (Moyview, Ballina). 
On tHe Hasirs or THE Gotpen Eaair.—I have never known the 
Golden Eagle to eat fish, even when quite fresh, much less in a putrid 
state. The Sea Eagle, on the contrary, is a foul feeder, and will eat all 
kinds of fish ; he also watches the fords over which salmon leap in ascending 
rivers, and often makes them his prey. Few have enjoyed better oppor- 
tunities than I have for studying the habits of the Golden Eagle, for they 
frequent the hills around my house, and for the last twenty-four years I 
have had a tame one, which seems to attract the wild ones, who sometimes 
sit on the top of her cage. In 1875 she laid two eggs, and last year four. 
She is much attached to me, and will allow me to handle her in any way. 
So far from being afraid of anything alive, I may state that she has killed a 
Peregrine Falcon, which was so tame that I allowed it to fly about, besides 
several Merlins, Gray Crows, and other pets that I had, which went into 
