56 Contributions to the 



petent authority^ that the merlin has bred for the last few years. 

 For the same purpose it is stated, by Mr Robert Davis, Junior, of 

 Clonmel (Tipperary) to resort to the mountains in that neighbour- 

 hood, and Mr R. Ball informs me, that young merlins have been 

 brought to him at Youghal, (Cork.) It can hardly be doubted that 

 it similarly frequents many other mountainous parts of the country. 

 The nests are said, by all who have seen them, to be invariably 

 placed on the ground among the heath. 



At the approach of winter, both the adult and immature merlins 

 descend to the low grounds, where they sometimes remain until 

 spring is far advanced. The earliest date at which in such places 

 they have occurred to me * about Belfast, was the 3d of October, 

 and the latest, the 1 7th of April. 



On March the 9th 1832, when walking on the shore of Bel- 

 fast Bay, as the tide was flowing, a merlin, which flew past me, 

 was observed for some time coursing above the uncovered banks, 

 the edge of the waves being the limit to his flight. This at once 

 led me to believe he was in search of prey, which was confirmed by 

 his giving chase to a large flock of dunlins (Tringa variabilis,) in 

 pursuit of which he disappeared. From the oldest of the " shore- 

 shooters" in Belfast Bay, I have heard that frequently, but chiefly 

 in the autumn, he has seen haAvks, which from his description were 

 considered to be the merlin, follow and kill dunlins on the banks at 

 low- water: this the above circumstance, witnessed by myself, tends to 

 corroborate. I am not aware that the merlins thus resorting to the 

 sea shore have been before noticed: the weather was mild in such 

 instances. 



The stomachs of several merlins I have examined contained the 

 remains of birds alone. 



Mr William Sinclaire has remarked to me, that when his merlins 

 were given living prey, they instantaneously extinguished life, whe- 

 ther or not they at the time began feeding, whilst under similar cir- 

 cumstances, he has seen the peregrine falcon retain a bird in its 

 £rasp for some time, putting an end to its existence only when urg- 

 ed by hunger, though like the merlin, when it did commence, the 

 most vital part was invariably the first " entered upon." His spar- 

 row-hawks, it need hardly be added, began feeding indiscriminately 

 on any part of the living objects ofl'ered them. 



* On October 22d, I have seen it in the low grounds about Megainie Castle, 

 Perthshire. 



The merlin is fuund in the south of Scotland during the whole winter. — Ed. 



