DUBLIN NATTTEAL HISTORY SOCIETY. 13 



with a small specimen gun. The day was frosty, and I found that the 

 bird had shifted his quarters to the mica schist rocks near the Druid's 

 landing-place, where I found that he had as companions a second male 

 and a female of the same species. I got a shot at him, but only suc- 

 ceeded in obtaining a single tail feather. During the hour and a half 

 that I was on the strand I made additional observations on the manners 

 of the species. The birds seemed given to picking among the debris of 

 the tide, and hiding in the holes and crannies among the large loose 

 stones, making their way through these for several yards at a time. 

 Their flight was like that of the chats, but more lively and steady. 

 The second male was much bluer than the first, and a most gorgeous- 

 looking bird while fl.ying in full sunshine. 



I was anable to go to the shore the next day, and ray next visit was 

 paid on the 16th. I found the birds at the same locality, i. e., the little 

 strand between the White Rocks and the Old Mine. This day there was 

 an intense frost, with passing snow showers. The bird was much more 

 familiar than on the previous day, and, in spite of two or three unsuc- 

 cessful shots on my part, returned again and again to a narrow chinky 

 ledge within twenty yards of the rock where I had taken my stand. 

 Here he kept picking at a bunch of lichen, and at length I succeeded in 

 knocking him over. I examined the chink carefully, and could not see 

 any insects there ; the chink was half full of small pebbles ; possibly he 

 was gathering these. Returning towards the Killiney station, I fell in 

 with a pair of the birds ; of these, I obtained the female now before 

 you. The bii,'ds here were in company with stonechats and robins, and, 

 like those birds, were employed in fl.itting about, capturing insects, and 

 perching on the masses of laminaria piled up on the shore. The snow 

 showers increased to a heavy fall, and drove me under shelter. The 

 whinchat made his appearance again amongst the furze on the cliffs, but 

 out of shot. On the 19th I again went to the locaKty. The cold was 

 now intense — so severe, in fact, that the spray on the fuci left unco- 

 'Vered by the tide froze nearly as fast as the tide retreated. Two birds 

 only — the male, with the blue head and breast, and a female — were seen 

 this day. They were much more wary than on previous occasions ; the 

 birds seemed in active spirits, taking frequent short flights in the air, 

 and capturing insects on the wing ; the male also uttering a chittering 

 cry frequently, whereas, on the former occasions the birds had been uni- 

 formly silent. I observed the same habit of alighting on the summits 

 of the seaweed heaps, and there picking for some time. The male re- 

 turned again and again to the same clefts in the rocks, and there 

 remained for a length of time, picking. On the 21st the birds were still 

 there, but on the 23rd I could not see any traces of them. 



This makes the ninth record of this species in Ireland, the bird hav- 

 ing been noticed each year from 1818 to 1822, and again in 1847 and 

 1848, near Youghal, in the autumn and winter; in February, 1836, at 

 "Wexford ; in the I^orth Channel, midway between Belfast and Glasgow, 

 November 5, 1841 ; and near Roscarberry, county of Cork, November 6, 

 1845. 



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