NOTKS AND QUERIES. 1 1 3 



preservation during the past six months from different parts of Ireland 

 have all belonged to the thick-billed form, Loxia pityopsittacus. From the 

 recent scarcity of specimens sent in, it would seem that the great immigra- 

 tion of these birds has now ceased (Jan. 17th), although in a few districts 

 some appear to have permanently settled. — Edward Williams (2, Dame 

 Street, Dublin). 



Notes from the North of Ireland. — The recent severe weather has 

 brought in some uncommon birds, and the following have come under my 

 notice : — A Bewick's Swan was shot at Lissanoure Castle, Co. Antrim, on 

 Dec. 17th. Two fine male Goosanders were shot on the Eiver Derg, Co. 

 Tyrone, on Jan. 12th, and were sent to Belfast to be stuffed : they were 

 shot by an old sportsman, who states that he only once saw two similar 

 birds there, about sixteen years ago. On Jan. 20th a beautiful male Smew 

 was shot on Lough Neagh, near Lurgan, and was examined by me. Two 

 days later a second one — also a male, in equally good plumage — was shot 

 about the same place on Lough Neagh. These birds are very rare here- 

 On Jan. 30th an immature female Sea Eagle was shot at Mountstewart 

 House, Co. Down, by Mr. N. N. W. Apperly, private secretary to Lord 

 Londonderry. I saw this bird in the flesh ; it measured 7 ft. 6 in. from tip to 

 tip of wings, and weighed 9f lbs. A second Eagle, but a good deal smaller, 

 was seen with it. For some time a flock of fourteen Wild Swans have been 

 seen flying backwards and forwards between the sea and a mill-dam near 

 Donaghadee, Co. Down ; and on Feb. 10th Major Delacherois shot one on 

 the dam, after a difficult stalk : it is a Bewick's Swan, and weighed 13 lbs. 

 — Robert Patterson (1, Windsor Park Terrace, Belfast). 



Mortality of Small Birds during the recent Frost.— I have just 

 heard of a curious circumstance which occurred during the recent frost at 

 Farringdon, Hants, the adjoining parish to Selborne. On Dec. 30th a 

 barley-rick was taken in, and on turning over the bottom, which was com- 

 posed of hop-biues, 125 birds were found. Of these, seven or eight were 

 Blackbirds and Thrushes, a like number of Starlings, and the rest Green_ 

 finches and Chaffinches. I suppose that these birds crept in for warmth, 

 and, being near the ground, were killed by the frost. Near this place, also, 

 some Starlings, which went up to roost in some ivy by a house, were all 

 found dead in the morning, frozen, with their heads under their wings. In 

 his account of the great frost 102 years ago, Gilbert White has described 

 many of the phenomena which I have noticed this winter in connection 

 with birds in general. — W. H. Tuck (Tostock House, Bury St. Edmunds). 



Hybrid Turtle Doves.— An account of the interbreeding of the Turtle 

 Dove, Turtur communis, and the Barbary Turtle Dove, T. risorius, may 

 perhaps interest the readers of ' The Zoologist.' Late in the summer of 

 1889 I took three young Turtle Doves, which I at first had to feed by 



ZOOLOGIST,— MARCH, 1891. K 



