NOTES FROM MAYO AND SLIGO. 129 



occupy an extensive elevated or mountainous wooded county. 

 The}' still nest on the ground, and are quite numerous, in spite of 

 the depredations of the Wild Cats. Although he has often seen 

 them, they are the most wild and wary of any animal he had ever 

 attempted to approach, and he was very rarely able to shoot one. 

 At the approach of day the whole forest would be vocal with the 

 crowing of the cock, and, although secreted right among them, 

 when daylight came not one could be seen, and all was as still as 

 if nothing had ever disturbed the quiet of the wilderness. How 

 they managed to disappear so quietly in the grey of the morning 

 he could not explain, for he never heard them fly from their 

 perches in the trees. They had diminished appreciably in size, 

 and had assumed a uniform buff-colour. Now I confess that I do 

 not know the colour of the wild bird from which our Barn-yard 

 Fowl, or that which was common in the States sixty years ago, 

 is descended, but if, as I have ventured to suggest, there is a 

 tendency, when domesticated animals revert to the wild state, 

 to return, not only to the wild habit, but to take on other pecu- 

 liarities of their wild ancestors, from which they had departed 

 under the influence of domestication, then we may infer that the 

 original wild stock was of a buff colour. 



I do not know that this subject has been deemed worthy of 

 observation by naturalists, — at least I have not been so fortunate 

 as to meet with any discussion of it, — but I hope an amateur 

 may be allowed to so far depart from precedent as to make 

 observations in out-of-the-way directions. It may be that my 

 inclinations have too much of a practical tendency for strictly 

 scientific studies. I study the bones but little, for practical 

 utilitarian features interest me more. 



ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES FROM MAYO AND SLIGO. 



By Robert Warren. 



If the last few winters commencing with that of 1878-9 have 

 been remarkable for their unusual severity, the present one will 

 be long remembered for the long continuance of stormy weather 

 throughout the season, beginning with the fearful gale of the 14th 

 of October — a gale that caused more destruction amongst the 

 trees of the wooded parts of the country than had been known for 



s 



