19G SYLVIAD,E. 



summer, and the eggs have been obtained near Clogheen ,* It is 

 found about Waterford ; f is said to be numerous during summer 

 about Castle Warren, J and Glengariff, county of Cork ; § and has 

 been obtained near Tralee, in Kerry. § 



The period of the chiff-chaff's arrival in the north of Ireland 

 seems to be very uncertain : the earliest noted appeared on the 

 3rd of April, and on the 7 th of that month, it was seen in 

 1838 and 1844; but on the 29th of April, 1832, and on the 

 30th, in 1837 1| and 1840, not one could be heard in Colin Glen, 

 the chief haunt of the species in the vicinity of Belfast. Several 

 were heard and seen here on the 15th of April, 1847, a year in 

 which the vernal migrants were very late in making their appear- 

 ance, so much so, that this was the only species of them that I 

 met with during a walk of twelve miles over a country of varied 

 character as to scenery, and in which the earlier visitants, had they 

 arrived, would have occurred : in the middle of May I have been for 

 the greater part of a day in Colin Glen, without once hearing its 

 notes, though during a similar time, a month before, they were 

 almost constantly uttered, and when the days alluded to were equally 

 fine. A certain progress of their broods may have caused the 

 silence: after this period, we again hear the notes. On the 21st of 

 March, 1848, in which year, the summer birds arrived very early, 

 this species was observed at Raheny, near Dublin. ^[ The chiff- 

 chaff is considered the earliest of the summer warblers in visiting 

 Great Britain. 



The time of this bird's departure from the north of Ireland 

 has not been particularly attended to, but on the 8th of Sep- 

 tember, 1832, one was heard at Bryansford. I cannot agree with 

 Mr. Macgillivray respecting its notes resembling " the syllables 

 cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep, chee, rather than, chiff-chaff, cherry- 

 churry," vol. ii. p. 381. The species is not noticed by this author 

 or Sir Wm. Jardine, as found in Scotland, north of the vicinity 

 of Edinburgh. 



* Davis. f Burkitt. % Mr. R. Warren, juiir. 



§ Report, Dublin Nat. Hist. Society, 1841-42, p. 8. 



|| Birds generally — willow wren, wheatear, &c. — very late in arrival this spring. 



1f Mr. R. J. Montgomery. 



