1911-12.] 495 



Thirty-nine species of birds were observed during the day, none 

 of them being other than common. On an elevation in the woods 

 on the east side of the lake, just opposite the island stand the 

 extensile ruins of an old castle dating back to pre-Plantation days, 

 now the ivy-clad home of Owls and Jackdaws. In a corner of it 

 were the remains of a Wild-Duck's nest, where a brood had been 

 successfully hatched a few weeks before. Baron's Court is one of 

 the two recorded breeding places of the Redstart in Ireland, but 

 the forester, who knows the bird and saw the nests for two years 

 in succession, said that it had not been seen there for the past 

 twelve years. The history of several of the ruined castles of the 

 district is somewhat obscure. The one referred to had evidently 

 been of great strength and importance. The architecture and 

 masonry bespeak for it a long history. The Baron's Court 

 Cromlechs, situated on the deer-park side, were fully described in 

 the "Journal of the Royal Society of iVntiquaries " for December, 

 1907, from notes and photographs supplied by Lady Alexandra 

 Hamilton. They consist of a group of three chambers, one of 

 which has the covering-stone still in its original position on the 

 supporting stones, and the covering-stone of another was found in 

 removing the earth and rubbish which had accumulated round 

 the structure, the upright stones remaining in position. The 

 chambers are orientated. The ends towards the east are 

 open and the western ends closed. Some beads and a 

 fragment of pottery were found underneath when excavations 

 were made in the Summer of 1907. A great anchor which 

 lies on the lawn in front of the landsteward's residence was 

 the object of much attention on account of its historic interest. 

 It belonged to the French frigate in which James II. embarked 

 at Waterford Harbour in 1690 after the defeat of his forces 

 at the Boyne. About three o'clock the members began to 

 assemble together at the Castle. The Botanists had nothing 

 new to report beyond what had already been listed from the 

 locality by Miss M. C. Knowles in the " Irish Naturalist " for 



