REED WREN. BLACK-CAP. 183 



marsh at Springmount, near Clough, was placed in the midst of 

 about half a dozen of reeds, and supported by the grass at their 

 roots. It contained three eggs, of a dark stone colour, with a 

 few slight streaks of a dark hue. The male bird was singing 

 among the reeds near the nest, while the female was sitting 

 on it."* 



REED WREN. 



Salicaria arundinacea, Briss. (sp.) 

 Sylvia „ Lath. 



Mr. Templeton has informed us that he " once saw this bird in 

 the vicinity of Belfast ; " and Mr. R. J. Montgomery, that he shot 

 a male specimen, at Raheny, near Dublin, on the 21st of 

 December, 1843. Although a regular summer visitant to 

 England, it appears not to have been met with in the western or 

 northern counties ; f nor to have occurred in Scotland. J 



THE BLACK-CAP. 



Curruca atricapilla, Linn, (sp.) 

 Motacitta „ „ 



Sylvia „ Lath. 



Is perhaps a regular summer visitant, to certain districts, 

 but must be considered very local in Ireland. 



Although pretty generally distributed in England, the black-cap, 

 according to Mr. Macgillivray,is "met with sparingly in the southern 

 districts of Scotland " (vol. ii. p. 344) ; and is remarked by Sir 

 Wm. Jardine to be rather local in his " own vicinity," in Dum- 

 fries-shire, having appeared there only within the last few years 

 (B. B. vol. ii. p. 130 ; 1839). Around Belfast are districts ap- 

 parently well suited to this warbler, winch is, however, of extremely 

 rare occurrence. Mr. Templeton noticed it as $een at his own 

 residence, Cranmore, on the 17th of June, 1818, and twice 

 since. On the 1st of March, 1834, an adult male specimen was 

 brought to a bird preserver's in Belfast by the Bishop of 

 Down, in whose garden, within a few miles of the town, it had 

 * J. R. Garrett. f Selby; Yarrell. \ Jard. ; Macg. 



