412 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



cliffs in Donegal, Londonderry, Antrim, Dublin, "Wicklow, Wexford, 

 "Waterford, Cork, Kerry, Clare, Galway, Mayo, and Sligo. It lias 

 several breeding colonies on trees in islands of inland lakes, as on 

 Lough Tawny ard in Mayo, Lougb Key in Eoscommon, and Lough 

 Cutra in Galway. In some of these, Cormorants breed in company with 

 Herons on high trees. 



Phalacrocorax graculus (L.), Shag. — Breeds in all the maritime 

 counties frequented by the Cormorant ; but on the coasts of Galway 

 and Mayo it appears to be much more numerous. 



Sula bassana (L.), Gannet. — The jDrincipal Irish breeding-place 

 of this species is the Little Skellig, off Kerry, but a considerable 

 colony also exists on the Bull Hock, off Cork, which was recorded in 

 1868 ; and notwithstanding that a lighthouse has now been erected 

 there since 1884-5, the number of nests is estimated at a hundred and 

 eighty to two hundred by the light-keepers, who think that they are 

 increasing. 



Ardea cinerea, L., Common Heron. — Breeds in every Irish 

 county ; sometimes in solitary nests, sometimes in large heronries in 

 trees, sometimes on the sea-cliffs ; and where there are neither trees 

 nor cliffs, has been known to breed in scrub or on the ground in 

 islands in several lakes in Connemara. We have records of more than 

 three hundred places in Ireland which are supposed to contain four 

 or more nests. 



Botaurus stellaris (L.), Bittern. — Has now long ceased to breed 

 in Ireland. Thompson recorded an instance of a Bittern shot from her 

 nest previous to 1842. The late Lord Clonbrock used to meet with 

 Bitterns, about 1820-30, on avast wet bog on his property in Galway. 

 Jygnus olor (J. F. Gmelin), Mute Swan. — Introduced, but 

 where not destroyed maintains itself without human care on lakes 

 and rivers in many parts of Ireland, occasionally seeking new localities, 

 and settling there spontaneously. It is reported to breed in twenty- 

 two counties from north to south. 



Tadorna cornuta (S. G. Gmelin), Sheldrake. — Breeds in small 

 numbers on the coasts of Donegal, Londonderry, Antrim, Down, 

 Dublin, Wexford, Waterford, Kerry, Clare, Mayo, and Sligo. 



Anas boscas, L., Wild Duck. — Breeds in every county in Ireland ; 

 abundantly in suitable preserved localities. 



Spatula clypeata (L.), Shoveller. — Breeds sparingly in Donegal, 

 Antrim, Fermanagh, Westmeath, Louth, Dubliu, Queen's County, 

 Galway, Eoscommon, Mayo, and Sligo, and probably also in KingV 

 County and Kerry. It is apparently increasing as a breeding species. 



