170 ANATID^. 



friend, who saw one or two others (females or young males) there 

 that season. In the winter of 1846_, two goosanders were seen 

 there, and in that of 1848-49, the same number ; — an adult male 

 and female.* In the severe season of 1849-50, nine were sent 

 to Mr. Glennon to be preserved ; — of these, I saw an immature 

 male in December, in which month, and in January, a female with 

 two males in their beautiful adult j)lumage were received ; one of 

 these was shot in the county Wicklow, and another on the river 

 Barrow, at Monasterevan. This species is enumerated among 

 the birds obtained in Wexford harbour,t and is sometimes pro- 

 cured in that of Cork, but not so frequently as every winter; J — 

 in that of 1849-50 one was killed there. Old and young males 

 and females are seen almost annually in the little harbour of 

 Glengariff, where they are called spear wigeon. They frequented 

 it commonly in the season of 1848-49, but in the following 

 severe winter none were seen. All the birds of a little flock 

 dive almost simultaneously, like golden-eye ducks. § In the 

 county of Kerry these birds are considered scarce, but Mr. R. 

 Chute has procured for his collection an adult pair ; one of 

 which was shot at a salmon- weir at the head of Dingle Bay. 



Latham informs us, on the authority of Mr. Jackson, that 

 " the dun diver inhabits Ireland, and breeds upon the islands of 

 the Shannon, near Killaloe, and is frequently seen there the whole 

 summer through. ■'•'|| In a catalogue of native birds, kindly drawn 

 up for my use, in November 1836, by the Rev. Thomas Knox, 

 who for a time resided at Killaloe, it was remarked, under 

 the head of M. merganser : — '^ A bird comes to the Shannon in 

 spring, and stays all summer, called by the country-people shell- 

 duck ; but I am almost sure it is this bird. * ^ ^ I also hear 

 that a similar bird comes in summer to lakes in the county of 

 Clare ;" — this was written without any reference to the passage 



* Mr. R. .J. Montgomery. f Major T. Walker. 



I Dr. J. R. Harvey has, in a letter to me, corrected the remark made in the 

 Fauna of Cork, implying that the goosander is more frcqnent there than the 

 merganser. 



§ Mr. G. Jackson, February 11, 18.50. 



II ' Synopsis of Birds.' Supplement, vol, vii. p. 2'iO. 



