NOTES AND QUERIES. 159 



with their wings drooping. I believe there are one or two inland 

 crags in which they nest, but the site is usually very inaccessible ; 

 more often they nest in the sea-cliffs. 



Only two Ravens (Corvus corax) were seen ; they were flying high 

 over the crag-tops near a secluded lake. They are scarcer inland than 

 on the coast. These birds were croaking lustily, their harsh voices 

 according well with the wild scene. 



The Hooded Crow (Corvus comix), which is better known to the 

 Irish as the " Scaul Crow," was fairly numerous. Five or six of them 

 could often be seen on the shore, some flying up and dropping shells, 

 in order to break them and obtain the dainty morsel enclosed within. 

 No Carrion-Crows were seen, but the Magpie was plentiful. 



The only Owl observed was an individual belonging to the Short- 

 eared species (Asio accipitrinus) . It was disturbed from the centre of a 

 large tract of waste land. 



The Hen-Harrier (Circus cyaneus) was seen on three occasions — 

 once inland, and twice near the sea-coast. Its flight at times closely 

 resembled that of a Gull. More often it flew low, with a glide every 

 few seconds, the wings being outstretched above the level of the back, 

 as though about to alight. When crossing a fence the bird was noticed 

 to rise just clear of it, and then fall below its level again. The natives 

 called them " Sea-Hawks." 



The White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons) was present in fair 

 quantities. One fine gander which I stalked weighed six pounds the 

 day after it was shot. Wild Geese are proverbially wary birds, but it 

 is wonderful how they have learnt to discriminate between anything 

 which threatens their safety and things which will do them no harm. 

 One would have thought that they would have been terrified by a 

 railway train, but such is not the ease, for on one occasion I saw 

 a flock consisting of about twenty White-fronted Geese standing 

 within a hundred yards of the line, and taking not the slightest 

 notice of the passing train ; yet if a man had appeared within two or 

 three times that distance they would not have been long in making 

 it greater. 



Wigeon (Mareca penelope) were present in enormous quantities, 

 spending the days out on the bay, and flighting on to the " slob " at 

 dusk in order to feed. 



Only one flock of the Scaup-Duck (Fuligula marila) was seen ; it 

 consisted of about thirty birds. Locally they were known as " Lake- 

 Duck," though I never saw them anywhere but on the sea. 



A fair number of Long-tailed Ducks (Harelda glacialis) were 



