DISAPPEARANCE OF HOME-BRED BIRDS. 461 



a mile on the Cork side of the station ; but, although the hedges and 

 trees were all that could be desired, and there were many scrubby 

 patches of coverts in some fields, no birds except a solitary Great 

 Tit appeared in sight. I then called at the house, but unfortu- 

 nately both Mrs. and Mr. A. B. Warren being away, I missed 

 the pleasure of meeting them. However, as I had to wait for 

 some hours for the return train to Cork, I whiled away the time 

 by wandering about the demesne, and admiring the magnificent 

 old forest-trees, and the acres of rhododendron and laurel coverts, 

 tenanted by numbers of Pheasants which were running about the 

 walks and drives ; and, when wishing for a rest, I sat down for an 

 hour on the shore of one of their beautiful lakes at the foot of 

 the lawn, where I saw a few Teal and some Black-headed Gulls ; 

 but during the time I was wandering about the place and sitting 

 by the lake a few Great Tits and Kobins were the only other 

 birds seen. 



Thus, by inquiry and personal observation, I think I have 

 proved that both here in Sligo and Mayo, as well as in Cork, 

 Chaffinches, Greenfinches, and Yellowhammers leave their sum- 

 mer breeding haunts and migrate to some milder climate. My 

 friend Mr. E. M. Barrington, author of ' The Migration of Birds 

 at Irish Light Stations,' writes to me that he thinks " that most 

 of our home-bred Chaffinches depart in early autumn — perhaps 

 to the south of Europe — and that we have a more northern race 

 amongst us now." 



About Oct. 16th an occasional straggler began to appear in 

 this district. On that day I drove to Carra, about three miles 

 inland from this place, and situated at the edge of the bog- 

 country, and on my way I saw one Yellowhammer on the side of 

 the road. On the 19th I observed six or seven Yellowhammers 

 near Castleconnor. On the 25th I saw about a dozen small 

 birds feeding in a weedy patch in the corner of one of my fields. 

 I think some were Linnets and the others Chaffinches, but they 

 were so wild that I could not be certain, for when approached they 

 would all rise and perch in the trees, where they were concealed 

 by the leaves. 



From Nov. 1st to 5th I observed many flocks of small birds 

 flying about the fields, which were very restless, and so wild that 

 it was impossible to get near enough to identify them. On the 



