Birds. 1395 



possession of the Kev. Mr. Bradshaw, of this city. I am not aware of any authentic 

 record of this species having been met with in Ireland before. Whilst on the subject 

 of birds, T may mention an occurrence which, though rare, is not without precedent. 

 My friend Robert Parker, Esq., of Carrigrohan, in this neighbourhood, has had a pair 

 of herring-gulls (L. argentatus, Linn.) in confinement since they were taken from the 

 nest, now three or four years. They have built near a pond in his garden, and are now 

 hatching : there were two eggs when I saw them. When any one approaches the 

 nest, the bird which is not sitting immediately comes to the assistance and defence of 

 its mate. They are in beautiful plumage, adult, with the exception of a little mot- 

 tling which remains about the flanks. — J. R. Harvey, M.D., St. Patrick's Place, Cork, 

 June 17 th, 1846. 



Further remarks on the submergence of Water-birds. — The June number of the 

 * Zoologist ' has just been forwarded to me, and I have perused and reperused Mr. 

 Slaney's ' Further Notes, &c.' (Zool. 1369). I am sorry to revert to the " trite sub- 

 ject'' again; and sorry on many accounts : but I feel myself almost compelled to do so 

 by the appearance of these ' Further Notes.' I will first advert to two or three mis- 

 conceptions or inaccuracies on the part of Mr. Slaney. In the ' Zoologist ' (Zool. 

 1370), I find him saying, " But how does this ' cordial agreement ' in any way bear 

 out what Mr. Atkinson has before asserted to be the fact (Zool. 498), viz., 'that no moor- 

 hen—that no bird whatever, indeed, could put itself into this posture, and retain it in- 

 dependently of external assistance.'" And again (Zool. 1371), " Mr. Atkinson also 

 stated (Zool. 498) that no bird whatever indeed could put itself into this position, &c." 



Now, my words are, "I apprehend that no moorhen, — that no bird whatever, &c. :" 

 words, which, as I think, scarcely " assert '' a " fact," or convey a " statement," ex- 

 cept of opinion or conjecture. Again (Zool. 1371), I find the words, " His (Mr. A's.) 

 observations on decayed weeds sinking and remaining at the bottom, so as there to af- 

 ford a hold to the moorhen's feet, &c." Now, my " observation " is (Zool. 1326)" so long 

 as they (the weeds) stand, if I may use the phrase, I think they would be sufficiently 

 strong to hold the moorhen down ; and when fallen, they would be out of the moorhen'' s 

 reach;" an observation, I think, which scarcely involves the statement that "decayed 

 weeds," " having' fallen to the bottom, " there afford a hold to the moorhen's feet." Fur- 

 ther, when I wrote as follows (Zool. 498), " The bill was first thrust higher out of the 

 water, then followed the head as far as the eyes, and then the whole head. Careful glan- 

 ces were thrown around, and if all remained quiet the whole bird presently reappeared, 

 &c. " ; when I wrote thus, I had imagined I was describing, not a " posture," but a 

 change of posture ; which moreover I had termed, in the next preceding sentence but 

 one, the bird's emergence. I imagined I was describing a " posture " &nd"the state of 

 submergence," when I said " the bird remains submerged, with merely its beak thrust 

 out for the purpose of respiration." And I certainly took the very earliest opportunity 

 of placing beyond all doubt what I did mean to describe ; when, in my reply to Mr. 

 Slaney's strictures (by him received as " severe," not so intended by me), I penned 

 the second paragraph (Zool. 756); and in the third paragraph on the next page, said 

 " I apprehend that no moorhen, — that no bird whatever, indeed, — could put itself into 

 this posture (of submergence, namely) &c." Of my notes, (Zool. 498) one paragraph, in 

 the MSS. terminated at " search after food : " and of course, the next sentence com- 

 menced another, in which I pass on to another division of my subject. In it I state 

 my opinion " that no moorhen, — that no bird whatever, indeed, — could put itself into 

 this posture (of submergence, namely) and retain it independently of external assist- 



