KINAHAN NATURAL HISTORY NOTES. 77 



Dr. W. Carte recorded that a specimen of the Great Northern Diver 

 had been shot during the past week between Carlow and Athy, by Lord 

 Seaton. 



The following paper was then read : — 



Natural History Notes. By George Henry Kinahan, G. S. L, 

 Corresponding Member. 



As perhaps it may interest some of the members, I lay before your 

 Society, the following account, which was kindly furnished me by the 

 captor, J. W. Pepper, Esq., of Mountshannon, county of Galway, of a 

 very large Trout that was caught in Lough Derg, in September, 1862 : — 

 "I killed the big trout on the 1st September, 1862, on a spoon bait, 

 in a very deep part of the lake, where I expected only pike, for which 

 I was at the time fishing. The trout came on the spoon wickedly, and 

 played very hard, till I gaffed him, which was in about forty minutes. 

 I should have said I was fishing with an otter at the time, eight spoons, 

 &c, up. He took the one next the otter, which is a very large one. 

 He pulled the otter under the water, and did so frequently, whilst I 

 played him ; in fact, he described nearly two circles round the boat. 

 The moment I gaffed him, so hard were his struggles that he twisted or 

 snapped the ring connecting the hook to the spoon, which latter flew 

 back to me ; and but that I held the fish with the gaff he was off, and 

 for ever. He is of the pure brown trout species (no gillaroe), was beau- 

 tifully marked with the usual red spots, some larger than a sixpence, 

 and the shades of green on the head and jaws were beautiful, and varied 

 from light to the darkest green. The fish weighed 29ilbs., measured 

 3 feet 8 inches in length, 24 inches (23|) round middle; ll£ inches in 

 depth ; span of tail, 1 1 inches ; and 7 inches thick from side to side at 

 middle. His teeth were remarkable — not regular, but as if odd ones 

 had fallen out from age ; several were wanting. Those remaining in 

 were huge stumps, some in the upper jaw discoloured, and as large as 

 the top of a moderate- sized goose quill at these points, but the base of 

 many were as thick as any I have. This trout, the oldest fishermen on 

 the lake say, is the largest they ever heard of. Eeport says one of 

 23lbs. was killed some dozen years ago." Mr. Pepper had this fish 

 preserved by Mr. Glennon, of Suffolk -street, and it can be seen at any 

 time at his residence in Mountshannon. . 



I should also wish to record the following "Notes" : — On the 19th 

 of July, 1863, a woman brought me in two young Woodcocks (Rusticola 

 sylvestris), which were found in the w T ood of Knockash, about four miles 

 SS.W. of Loughrea; and Thomas Sanders, Esq., of Sanders' Park, 

 Charleville, informs me that one or two pairs breed every summer in the 

 covers at New Forest, Vale of Aherlow, county of Tipperary. I may here 

 mention, that in the copy I have of the "Manual of British Birds," by 

 W. Macgillivray, he does not mention the American "Woodcock as a 

 British bird ; but that they do occur I am certain, as I shot numbers 



