an enormous area, and the distance from Belfast Lough to 

 Lough Neagh is comparatively short. Mr. Robinson had said 

 that the scoter duck is tame. Well, that is to be accounted 

 for by the circumstance that they are not sought after by the 

 gunners, because of the rank food on which they live. Probably, 

 however, when they become accustomed to the better food which 

 can be had in Lough Neagh they will be more valued by 

 sportsmen, and then probably they will not be so easily 

 approached. Regarding the disappearance of the grey-crested 

 grebe, that is largely, he believed, the result of the mania for 

 egg collecting that takes possession of some persons nowadays. 

 He knew one gentleman who last spring took all the eggs which 

 he found in four grebes' nests. Mr. Patterson then called atten- 

 tion to two species of geese which were recently shot near 

 Comber. They were Antarctic species. He could easily under- 

 stand that a North-American goose could be found in Lough 

 Neagh, but it was impossible that Antarctic species could have 

 crossed the equator. It was therefore concluded, and correctly, 

 as subsequent inquiries proved, that the two specimens now on 

 the table were escapes. They had escaped from Hillsborough 

 Park. Mr. Patterson concluded by stating that about fifteen 

 months ago a woo-whoop was shot near Lurgan, and a large 

 number of petrels of both species were got recently in the 

 neighbourhood of Toome, their presence there being attributed 

 to the recent severe storm. 



The President thanked Mr. Patterson for his interesting 

 remarks, and said that there could be no doubt that the two 

 specimens of geese which were referred to by him were Antarctic. 



Rev. Mr. Lett, who was allowed to speak, although not a 

 member, mentioned that he had often seen wild swans to the 

 number of 500, on Lough Gullion, in County Armagh. 



Mr. Mulholland agreed with Mr. Robinson that the wagtail 

 is becoming scarce, and he had observed the fact with reference 

 to the common black wagtail. The lark, quail, and partridge 

 are also becoming very scarce. He ascribed the fact to an 

 increase in the number of starlings in the country, which birds 

 usually destroy the nests of the ground birds. 



