NOTES KROM MAYO AND SLIGO. 289 



Nov. 22nd, was surprised to find a strange visitor almost on his 

 doorstep, which, having received some injury, was unable to 

 move out of his way quick enough to avoid 'being dispatched 

 with a stick. It was brought for my inspection, when I found it 

 to be an immature Gannet. It had apparently been disabled by 

 striking against the telegraph-wires that ran close by this man's 

 house, which is nearly thirty miles inland. 



ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES FROM MAYO AND SLIGO. 



By Robert Warren. 



The unusually cold and dry spring of 1887 so checked 

 vegetation that until some showers fell on April 8th, accompanied 

 with a higher temperature, neither the winter-sown vetches, nor 

 new grasses, showed any signs of growth ; and as we had frost 

 nearly every night till the 8th, and snow on the hills until the 

 12th, our summer birds were very late in visiting this district. 



Thev Sandwich Terns, usually such early visitors, were not 

 heard until the 5th of April, eight days later than in 1887, and 

 eleven days later than in 1886. 



I did not hear a Willow Wren until April 23rd, and N.E. winds 

 setting in, stopped his song for some clays. Whimbrels and the 

 Cuckoo were heard on the 28th, and Chiffchaff (unusually late) 

 on the 30th. On the morning of the 4th of May I observed a 

 solitary Swift, but no Swallows until the 6th ; and on the 10th I 

 heard the Corn Crake near Enniscrone, and saw the Spotted Fly- 

 catcher here on the 13th. The Common Terns were not seen on 

 the river until the 17th, nor the Whitethroats heard singing 

 until the 20th, but it was some days later before they were in 

 full song. These notes are of birds observed in the Co. Sligo 

 side of the estuary; but as some of the same species were 

 observed earlier on the Co. Mayo side, by my friend, Mr. E. Knox, 

 of Palmerstown, near Killala, I give his dates as supplied to me,' 

 to show the difference of time :— " On April 13th, Wheatear; 

 22nd, Chiffchaff; 24th, Common Sandpiper; 25th, Whimbrel; 

 26th, Swallow ; 29th, Corn Crake ; May 1st, Willow Wren and 

 Cuckoo; 14th, Whitethroat." 



On the 7th of June I went round the estuary and river in 

 my punt, in order to ascertain what waders had remained about 



