NOTES AND QUERIES. 145 
date. No.1 was shot in his garden at Rosslare by his man, during his 
absence in Dublin. No. 2 was shot at Bargy Castle (which is about five 
miles south of Rosslare) about the same time. No.8 was received by 
Mr. J. Wheelock, bird-stuffer, Wexford, to be stuffed for some man living 
in the Faythe, Wexford: it was shot somewhere not far from Wexford. 
Mr. Wheelock told Dr. Gibbons that four or five Hoopoes had been brought 
into his shop during the four or five years preceding 1886. On October 
29th, 1886, a female Buzzard was caught, in an exhausted condition, at 
Stokestown: some men were cutting reeds, out of which it rose when 
disturbed, but flew quite weakly and was easily caught. There is at 
Stokestown a male Hen Harrier, shot in the Co. Tipperary. On August 7th 
1887, I found a Wren’s nest at Kilmanock, containing two eggs; it is such 
an unusually late date that I think it worth recording: the nest was 
forsaken, owing, I think to my finding the bird on the nest and disturbing 
her. On September 11th, 1887, another late nest was found at Kilmanock, 
—a Wood Pigeon’s—containing two eggs: the nest was lined with dry 
grass and a few feathers. On October 2nd, 1887, a Little Bittern was shot 
at Drinagh, about two miles south of Wexford, as I learn from my friend 
Mr. R. J. Ussher: it was sold by Mr. Wheelock, of Wexford, to the 
Dublin Museum. In June, 1888, Mr. R. J. Ussher received a Sand 
Grouse from Mr. J. Bent, of Rosslare. I have received the following 
further particulars about it from Mr. Bent; it was shot by his brother, in 
his own land, near the sea-shore. . . . “I have been told,” he says, “of a 
flight of them a week after that was seen in Mr. Meldon’s virgin soil land.” 
During this month a strange bird was reported to me by a coastguard at 
Fethard ; it frequented the gardens there for about a week, and evaded all 
attempts to shoot it; this bird was described to me as being in size between 
a Thrush and a Jackdaw, its colours being green and red ; it was said to be 
like a Parrot, but not one. This description, if it can be relied on, comes 
nearer to the Green Woodpecker than any other bird I know,—a bird which 
has, I believe, only twice occurred in Ireland. On October 24th, 1888, a 
Water Rail was shot near Adamstown, and sent to me: the bird is probably 
not rare in suitable localities throughout the county. On December 20th, 
1888, or about this date, a nearly pure white Thrush was shot at Canagren 
Hill, Ferns: it has since come into my possession, and the only sign of 
dark colour in its plumage is a very slight tinge on the back. TI heard of 
a ‘white Blackbird” (male), said to have been caught near Arthurstown 
this winter, which had “a few black feathers in his tail.” There is also a 
Blackbird at Arthurstown, shot in 1886, with more white in his plumage 
than black; while I have seen them with large white spots on the back— 
so that partially white Blackbirds would seem to be not at all rare in this 
district. A white Magpie was shot at Stokestown a few years ago.— 
G. E. Baxrrerr-Hamiton (Kilmanock, Co. Wexford). 
