348 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
Account of Scotland are very quaint, but a few I think must be taken with 
reservation. My friend Mr. J. A. Harvie Brown has kindly made a list of 
them for me, and I daresay will communicate it to ‘ The Zoologist.—JamEs 
Lumspen, Jun. (Arden House, Dumbartonshire). 
OccuRRENCE OF THE TREE Prpir IN InELAnD.—Two birds of this 
species have been lately observed by some friends and myself—one near 
the old church of Portmarnock, on the north side of Dublin, and the other 
close to Milltown Railway Station, on the south side. We have repeatedly 
seen the latter bird rise from the ash trees by the roadside, and describe a 
half-circle in the air, returning to the trees again, and frequently to the 
highest branch. Its song—‘ the monosyllibic effusion ‘ tsee, tsee’”—could 
be heard at a considerable distance, and differed a good deal from that of 
some Meadow Pipits close by. I have never noticed this bird before, and 
am glad to be able to record its occurrence. I carefully observed it for 
several days béfore writing, and hope to procure a specimen before the 
autumnal migration. I have looked everywhere for the Blackcap about 
Dublin, but this year in vain.—C. W. Benson (Rathmines School, Dublin). 
{So far as we are aware, the Tree Pipit, which is a well-known summer 
visitant to England and Scotland, has not hitherto been recognised in 
Ireland, and the present, we believe is the first recorded instance of its 
occurrence in the sister isle.—ED.] 
Tur Woop Wren In IreLtanp.—I was fortunate enough to obtain a 
specimen of the above rare Irish bird in beech woods here on the 1st June 
last. There were three or more in company, and I shot one while in the 
act of singing. I watched them for some time through a glass first, and 
I could observe well the “ heaving breast and quivering wings” as it trilled 
its “ short, shrill, feeble, tremulous song.” This latter was its more frequent 
note, while the “long, anxious cry four or five times repeated, which would 
be a sequel were it not so sweet,” seemed unaccompanied by the motion 
of its wings. The specimen I obtained I have sent to Mr. More, for the 
Museum of the Royal Dublin Society, who has kindly sent me the following 
particulars concerning its occurrence in Ireland: — Thompson, in his 
‘Natural History of Ireland’ (vol. i., p.189), mentions it as holding “a very 
doubtful place in our fauna.” He then gives two instances of nests belonging 
to a larger and whiter bird than the Willow Wren, but both were lined with 
feathers, which the Wood Wren is known not to use; it seems to me also 
that ‘‘ greener” or ‘ yellower” would be a more appropriate adjective to 
apply to the Wood Wren. In Prof. Newton's edition of “ Yarrell” (vol. i., 
p. 480), it is stated that ‘ Mr. Harting was informed by Sir V. Brooke of 
his having shot it in County Fermanagh,* and by Mr. Blake-Knox of his 
* Is this specimen still in existence? [We believe it has been preserved by 
Sir Victor Brooke.—Ep. } 
