AQUATIC WARBLER ON MIGRATION. 89 



male obtained at the same time with exactly the same pattern of 

 head and with tail also barred. Passing on to other points in 

 connection with the examination and dissection of the Aquatic 

 Warbler from Tuskar, I may give the following additional 

 details : — 



Total length, 12.7 cm. Wings (right and left same length),* 

 6*1 cm. Bastard primary, 1 cm. (very small as in the Sedge- 

 Warbler). Tail, 5 cm. Feet, 2*1 cm.; light flesh colour. Toes 

 similar. Beak, '85 cm. Upper segment and distal half of lower 

 segment dark brown; proximal half of lower segment, yellowish 

 brown. Weight, 3 drams, 13 grains. Condition, very good, 

 much fat present. Sex, female. Age, immature. Plumage, 

 first autumn, bright and clean. Gizzard, quite empty. 



Previous Occurrences of the Aquatic Warbler in the 

 British Isles. 



Turning now to the occurrences of the Aquatic Warbler in the 

 British Isles, we find that there is only one other authentic record 

 from Ireland. This affects a bird which struck the lantern of the 

 Bull Eock, Co. Cork, on September 20th, 1903— that is to say, ten 

 years previous to the capture of my specimen. The bird from the 

 Bull Eock was collected by Mr. Joseph Higginbottam, the light- 

 keeper, who sent it to Mr. Barrington.f It proved to be an 

 immature male. The Aquatic Warbler has, in all likelihood, 

 touched upon the Irish coast on other occasions, but has been 

 overlooked. It is quite possible that among some of the 

 numerous wings chopped off by the lightkeepers and sent to 

 Mr. Barrington, there may have been some which were not 

 distinguished from those of Sedge-Warblers. This may appear 

 a bold assumption, but I believe that it is worth making in 

 order to show how unsafe it is to rely on the identification of 

 closely allied species (whose wings are marked so very alike), by 

 an examination of a wing, or of a wing and a leg only. And I 

 understand that, until quite recently, Mr. Barrington solicited 

 that, in the case of common birds, only these parts should be 



* Both wings should be measured. A pair are not always similar in length, 

 f " The Aquatic Warbler — a New Irish Bird." ' Irish Naturalist,' 

 vol. xii., November, 1903, p. 30Q. R. M. Barrington. 



