82 Scientific Proceedings, Royal Dublin Society. 



first. It is a common bird throughout the summer and early 

 autumn, and then leaves for winter quarters. 



Myiakchus crinitus (Caban.) Great Crested Flycatcher. — 

 Not uncommon in the woods in summer. It arrives, I think, 

 about the beginning of May, but the earliest that I have taken was 

 on the 23rd. I have found it most common in warm summers. 



Sayornis fuscus (Baird.) Peiuee Flycatcher. — It arrives in 

 March, and leaves after the first frosts. But I have several times, 

 to my no small surprise, seen it in the middle of winter, on the 

 3rd and 4th of January. It is a common bird in summer, and 

 may often be seen perched on a post, or the top of a tobacco- 

 barn. 



CoNTOPUS YIRENS fCaban.) Wood Peiuee. — It arrives in the 

 middle of March. The earliest note I have of it is on the 10th. 

 I have never seen it in winter though it will stay for some time 

 after frost commences, and remains longer than the last species. 

 It is common in the woods all through the warm weather. 



Ceryle alcyon (Boie.) Belted Kingfisher. — I have never 

 seen this bird in winter. They appear in spring, and disappear 

 when it gets cold, but I have unfortunately no notes of their 

 arrival or departure. I have found it nesting in a hole in a steep 

 bank, the side of a cutting through which the public road passed. 

 Yet so cautious was the bird in approaching its nest, that I had 

 great difficulty in finding it, and it eventually brought away its 

 young brood in safety to the river, Avhich was about a hundred 

 yards off. 



CiiORDEiLES POPETUE (Baird.) Virginia Goatsucker. — This 

 bird is locally known as the " bull-bat." The earliest date at 

 which I have noted its arrival was the 23rd of April. They soon 

 become common, and remain until the middle of September. At 

 that time I have seen flocks of them sailing round high up in the 

 air, after which they disappear entirely. They fly a good deal 

 by day, but are then high up, only coming down and skimming 

 near the ground in the early dawn or late in the evening. 



Antrostomus vociferus (Bonap.) Whip-'poor- Will. — I have 

 noted first arrivals of this bird in different years from the 7th to 

 the l7th of April. During May their cry is incessantly ringing 

 through the woods in the morning and evening, especially if it 

 happen to be a little cooler than usual. They are very tame, 



