PREFACE. Vll 



of Strangford Lough from the unintentional disturbance or the 

 persecution winch they experience in Belfast Bay, is 333 feet in 

 height; but the latter species usually take a course a little more 

 to the southward, where the hills are of less elevation. The 

 land intervening between the two haunts of the birds is about 

 eight miles and a half in extent. 



Strangford Lough, which is occasionally alluded to, covers, 

 exclusive of its islands, a somewhat similar area to Belfast Bay, 

 and, like it, possesses a great extent of soft oozy soil at low water. 

 There is also much sand, gravel, stones, and, towards the entrance, 

 a low rocky coast. 



Although the same species of birds frequent the two localities, 

 these are of a very different configuration, Belfast Bay opening 

 widely at its entrance towards the north-east, and Strangford 

 Lough having a narrow river-like entrance nearly five miles in 

 length opening towards the south. It is also studded with very 

 numerous islands, while the other is islandless (one or two petty 

 little islets near the shore being unworthy of forming an ex- 

 ception). The Copeland Islands lie outside its entrance. A 

 considerable river, too, comparatively with the size of the locality, 

 flows into Belfast Bay, while Strangford Lough is not supplied 

 with any stream of much volume. Hence, its waters are much 

 more saline than those in at least the upper half of the more 

 northern bay. 



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