BREEDING RANGE OF YELLOW WAGTAIL. 347 



road. Mr. Williams began imitating the call, and did it so 

 cleverly that in a short time the female was joined by a lovely 

 male ; and as he continued to call, a second male also came up 

 to where the other two birds were ; but although we spent more 

 than half an hour searching for the nest, we were unable to find 

 it, and had to return disappointed at our want of success. The 

 next evening we saw the birds at the same place, and again 

 searched for the nest without success, but felt quite satisfied 

 that two pairs were breeding at the place somewhere about the 

 oat-field. 



On June 5th, 1895, I again came across the Yellow Wagtails, 

 when visiting Lough Mask in company of my friend Mr. R. J. 

 Ussher. Landing on some islands on the western side of the 

 lake, opposite Cushlough, we met two pairs, evidently having 

 nests from the anxiety they evinced while we were exploring the 

 islands ; and later in the day, when landing at the Cong end of the 

 lake, we saw a fine male on the rocky shore. The next morning, 

 when proceeding from Cong across Lough Corrib to Currarevagh, 

 Mr. H. Hodgson's place, we met a pair on an island about half- 

 way across the lake ; and two days after Mr. Ussher saw two 

 pairs on islands lower down the lake towards Oughterarde, thus 

 showing that the birds were widely distributed along the shores 

 and islands of these two lakes. It is very strange and impossible 

 to explain why these birds should be restricted to these four lakes, 

 while no trace of them in the breeding season is to be found on 

 other lakes throughout the island which are apparently as well 

 suited in every respect. 



Mr. R. J. Ussher, who has on two or three occasions 

 thoroughly explored Lough Erne and its islands, has neither met 

 with nor obtained any intelligence of the bird there; nor in his 

 explorations of Lough Ree, on the Upper Shannon, has he come 

 across it. When visiting the Donegal lakes, those of Roscommon, 

 and the midland counties, no trace of it has been found. Again 

 last summer, when visiting in his company that beautiful lake 

 near Sligo, Lough Gill, and Lough Melvin near Bundoran, we 

 neither saw nor heard anything of this bird. And although 

 I have often explored that fine sheet of water in North Mayo, 

 " Lough Conn," with its companion lake Cullen, the bird has 

 neither come under my notice, nor that of several of my 



