﻿I 
  373 
  ) 
  

  

  NOTES 
  ON 
  BIRDS 
  OF 
  THE 
  NAEIN 
  DISTRICT, 
  

   CO. 
  DONEGAL. 
  

  

  By 
  W. 
  C. 
  Wright, 
  M.B.O.U. 
  

  

  The 
  tract 
  of 
  land 
  to 
  the 
  north 
  of 
  Ardara, 
  bounded 
  on 
  the 
  

   south 
  b}' 
  Loughros 
  More 
  Bay, 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  by 
  the 
  Gweebarra 
  

   Bay, 
  terminating 
  in 
  the 
  west 
  in 
  Dawros 
  Head, 
  and 
  bounded 
  on 
  

   the 
  east 
  by 
  the 
  road 
  running 
  from 
  Ardara 
  to 
  Narin, 
  I 
  have 
  

   termed, 
  for 
  convenience' 
  sake, 
  the 
  Narin 
  district 
  of 
  Co. 
  Donegal. 
  

   It 
  is 
  fairly 
  well 
  cultivated, 
  and, 
  as 
  is 
  the 
  case 
  with 
  the 
  whole 
  of 
  

   Co. 
  Donegal, 
  well-watered, 
  there 
  being 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  small 
  

   loughs, 
  the 
  largest 
  being 
  Iviltooris, 
  containing 
  a 
  large 
  island 
  

   with 
  a 
  ruined 
  castle 
  ; 
  Lough 
  Doon, 
  with 
  its 
  ruined 
  bawn 
  or 
  fort 
  in 
  

   the 
  centre 
  ; 
  Loughs 
  Birroge 
  and 
  Pound. 
  

  

  Off 
  the 
  coast 
  lie 
  several 
  small 
  islands, 
  the 
  largest 
  being 
  

   Inishkeel 
  ; 
  it 
  was 
  formerly 
  the 
  site 
  of 
  a 
  small 
  monastery, 
  the 
  

   ruins 
  of 
  which 
  still 
  remain. 
  This 
  island 
  is 
  held 
  in 
  great 
  venera- 
  

   tion 
  by 
  the 
  peasantry, 
  and 
  is 
  visited 
  in 
  pilgrimage 
  every 
  year. 
  

   Roaninish, 
  a 
  small 
  flat 
  island 
  four 
  miles 
  out 
  in 
  the 
  Atlantic, 
  is 
  

   uninhabited, 
  and 
  is 
  the 
  breeding 
  resort 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  colony 
  of 
  

   Storm-Petrels 
  (Procellaria 
  pelagica]. 
  

  

  On 
  July 
  27th 
  last 
  I 
  visited 
  this 
  island, 
  and 
  found 
  the 
  

   Petrels 
  were 
  in 
  the 
  midst 
  of 
  incubation 
  ; 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  cases 
  young 
  

   in 
  down 
  were 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  nest, 
  but 
  I 
  should 
  say 
  laying 
  gener- 
  

   ally 
  had 
  just 
  commenced, 
  the 
  eggs 
  looking 
  fresh, 
  and 
  a 
  few 
  I 
  

   took, 
  on 
  blowing, 
  proved 
  so. 
  The 
  difference 
  in 
  size 
  of 
  these 
  

   eggs 
  is 
  remarkable, 
  some 
  measuring 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  1*23 
  X 
  "87, 
  

   others 
  only 
  1'02 
  x 
  '76. 
  

  

  The 
  young 
  were 
  very 
  pretty 
  little 
  things, 
  the 
  down 
  being 
  a 
  

   slaty 
  colour. 
  (Cf. 
  illustration 
  on 
  p. 
  374.) 
  Both 
  male 
  and 
  

   female 
  incubate, 
  and 
  in 
  every 
  case, 
  when 
  lifted 
  from 
  the 
  egg, 
  

   the 
  oil 
  was 
  ejected 
  from 
  the 
  bird's 
  mouth 
  ; 
  one 
  I 
  held 
  in 
  my 
  

   hand 
  repeated 
  the 
  operation 
  four 
  times, 
  and 
  when 
  let 
  off 
  it 
  

   rested 
  on 
  a 
  stone, 
  as 
  if 
  dazed, 
  and 
  then 
  fluttered 
  along 
  the 
  

   boulders, 
  and 
  out 
  to 
  sea. 
  

  

  