446 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



Spotted Redshank, and the second specimen known at that 

 date to have been captured in Ireland, the first being obtained 

 by the late William Thompson, of Belfast, the well-known 

 author of the ' Natural History of Ireland.' In his second 

 volume, page 200, he describes its capture : — " When a very 

 young sportsman, and out shooting on Holywood Eabbit Warren, 

 bordering on Belfast Bay, on the morning of August 22nd, 1823, 

 I perceived at a distance a solitary bird, whose call resembled 

 that of the Piedshank but somewhat different, winging its way 

 over the sea towards Belfast. To my surprise and delight, 

 however, the stranger made a sudden turn and alighted on the 

 beach at a short distance, which was scarcely done until it 

 became my victim. Immediately on lifting the bird, though I 

 had never seen one before, I knew it to be the Spotted Redshank, 

 from recollection of Bewick's beautiful figure of the species." 



15th. — Heavy frost last night and some snow, with a dense 

 fog, freezing on the trees in beautiful crystals, affording an ideal 

 Arctic scene of great beauty. The frost became very severe at 

 three o'clock, and poor "Floss" is very uncomfortable, covered 

 by all over the frozen snow and fog. This morning the sands 

 were covered with a sheet of frozen snow and ice which, rising 

 with the flood tide, was thrown up on the shore, covering all 

 the feeding-grounds of Ducks and Wigeon, which were obliged 

 to resort to the shores of the islands and feed on the sloak or 

 laver growing on the stones below tide-mark, before they were 

 frozen after the tide ebbed. 



To-day I shot one Cock, and along the unfrozen drains in 

 Wright's field three brace of Snipe and a Jack; also, along the 

 shore, some Ringed Plovers and a Redshank ; and found a Red- 

 wing and Rook starved to death. All the birds becoming very 

 weak, it is difficult to understand how they are able to exist, 

 with the ground so long covered by the frozen snow. 



16th. — To-day I shot one Cock and four brace of Snipe in 

 the unfrozen drains. The ice has broken up on the estuary and 

 tidal parts of the river as far as Killanly and Roserk, but is 

 closed from those places up to the shipping quay, a distance of 

 one and a-half miles. To-day a boat rowed up the river, but 

 was stopped by the barrier of ice and obliged to return to Ennis- 

 crone. The starving Rooks have been attacking the weaker 



