104 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



Twite were obtained for me from the coast at Fethard. Mr. C. B. Moffat, 

 of Ballyhyland, informs me that he found a nest on Blackstairs Mountain 

 in 1885. 'The Zoologist' for January contains a notice by Mr. E. Williams, 

 of a Scops Owl shot at Foulksmills, by Mr. F. R. Leigh ; Mr. Williams, 

 however, does not mention that another of these Little Owls was seen about 

 the same time by Mr. Leigh. Mr. C. B. Moffatt, writing from Bally hy- 

 land, says : — " This year the long drought produced quite a famine 

 amongst the Corvida, and not only the Grey Crows and Magpies, but even 

 the Jackdaws made serious depredations in the poultry-yard, the- Jackdaws 

 killing the chickens, while the Crows made havoc among the ducks. On 

 one occasion, three full-grown ducks were set on and killed by the same 

 number of Grey Crows." A young Wild Drake, unpinioned, but quite 

 tame, kept on the pond at Kilmanock, showed signs of green colour on his 

 head on Aug. 17th and two or three following days. By the 23rd he 

 assumed all the actions of the male, and on the 25th I saw him pair with 

 a Black (East Indian) Duck, although he had not yet assumed his full 

 plumage, nor was the change fully completed till about the 10th of Sep- 

 tember. The voice of the male is assumed by young Mallards before the 

 change in plumage begins ; the plumage is therefore the last sign of 

 maturity. I did not notice any change in two old Mallards kept on the 

 same pond, until Aug. 23rd. I believe that nearly all Wild Ducks pair 

 after the autumn moult. A tame Sheldrake on our pond has the habit of 

 diving for food like a Pochard. At first I thought he was merely playing 

 in the water, but I distinctly saw him eating something after one of his 

 dives. On Sept. 1st a male pinioned Pochard has attained his full winter 

 plumage, being the first bird on the pond to do so, and on the 7th or 8th a 

 man at Rosslare brought in four Wigeon,— the first of the season. He said 

 he had shot seven brace of them. Mr. Gibbon, of Rosslare, says that 

 when he was a boy (about 1855), he used to shoot Quail about Rosslare. 

 This agrees with the statement in ' Thompson,' vol ii. 73, that "In the 

 county of Wexford Quails are frequently met with in marshes of la'ge 

 extent." I know of no locality in the county where they occur now. I am 

 assured by Mr. Gibbon, and all the fowlers about Rosslare, that the 

 Shoveller remains in the county to breed. I hope to be able to confirm 

 this statement. It is locally known as the " Spoonbill." Other local 

 names are " Whinnard," for Pochard; " Sandharling," for Merganser; 

 " Harling," for Pintail, and " Skraw " (or " Skirrawn "), for Tern. Mr. C. 

 B. Moffat says (speaking of Ballyhyland),— " This is just now (Sept. 15th), 

 the annual influx of many small birds, Titmice, Goldcrests, Tree Creepers, 

 and Pied and Grey Wagtails arriving about here, I suppose from the North 

 of Ireland. The Thrushes, however, have not come vet. It is a rather 

 singular fact that the Song Thrush almost disappears from here from mid* 

 Bummer to September, whereas the Blackbird continues quite plentiful; 



