20 Nevin H. Foster on 



December IJ/th, 19W. 

 T. Edens Osborne in the Chair. 



"THE BIRDS OF HILLSBOROUGH." 

 By Nevin H. Foster, F.L.S., M.R.I.A., M.B.O.U. 



The district to which this paper refers may be taken as a 

 circular area, 8 miles in diameter, having the village of Hills- 

 borough as its centre ; its circumference just reaching to 

 Larchfield, Legacurry, Lisburn, Lissue, Broomhedge, Spence's 

 Bridge, Shankerburn, Dromore, Lough Aghery and Ballycrune — 

 this area embracing about 32,160 acres. Almost all of it is 

 situated in County Down, but it extends for about a mile on the 

 north into County Antrim. The altitude in its lowest portion at 

 the River Lagan is about 100 feet above sea level, rising to 596 

 feet in the townland of Clogher, a little over a mile south of the 

 village. For the most part the land is in a high state of culti- 

 vation, but it contains one rather large peat moss (Druralough) 

 and numerous small patches of mossy, moory or marshy ground. 

 Its lakes include Lough Aghery (formerly spelt Achray), Lough 

 Erne, Hillsborough Park I^ake, Hillsborough Demesne Lake and 

 McKee's Dam, but in addition to these there are several 

 smaller lakes or ponds. Through its northern part runs the 

 River Lagan and a portion of the Belfast to Lough Neagh Canal, 

 and there are numerous streams. Though no extensive woods 

 occur there are many groves and plantations, and all through the 

 district deciduous and coniferous trees are numerous. The 

 modern practice of cutting down high hedges has no doubt 

 militated against our hedge-fi'equenting birds, but there still 

 remains ample cover of this class. In a district Avith such varied 

 topography one would expect the Ornis to be comparatively rich, 

 and such we find to be the case, 



