154 NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF DUBLIN. 



the flight of this Parrokeet corresponds very much with these inferences. 

 It is a ground species, indulging in short nights, and whose flights form 

 a curve much crenated. These nights, too, do not appear at all in pro- 

 portion either in length or vigour to the depth of the keel of the sternum. 

 This bird is common about Adelaide, and goes by the name of the Rose- 

 hill Parrokeet." 



After which was read the following paper : — 



Occasional Notes on the Occurrence of Rare Birds in the Vicinity 

 of the Shores of the River Moy and Killala Bay. 'No. V, — On 

 the Occurrence of the Spotted Redshank and Wild Swan. By 

 R. Warren, Jun., Corresponding Member. 



I have much pleasure in bringing under the notice of the meeting the 

 occurrence in this locality of that rare bird, the Spotted Redshank ( To- 

 tanus fuscus), a fine specimen of which I obtained quite unexpectedly 

 on the 14tb of January last. I was returning from snipe shooting in a 

 small marsh at Killanly, near the River Moy, when I observed, about 

 fifty yards distant, what I thought was a common Redshank, feeding 

 on a little mudbank left bare by the receding tide. The evening was 

 becoming very dark, and as I wished to discharge my gun, before re- 

 turning home, in preparation for cleaning it, I took a chance shot at 

 the bird and fortunately knocked it over ; my dog fetched it in, and on 

 taking it from her I merely remarked that it differed from the common 

 redshank in the greater length and delicacy of the bill and legs, there 

 not being sufficient light to perceive any difference of plumage. I 

 thought it only a variety of the common redshank, and put it in my 

 bag along with the other birds I had shot. However, next morning 

 on looking over the produce of my day's shooting, I immediately recog- 

 nised it as the spotted redshank. On measuring it I found its dimen- 

 sions to be as follows; — Total length from bill to tail, 12 j inches; 

 length of bill from rictus 2± inches; length of bill from forehead, 

 2£ inches ; length of tarsus, 2-J inches ; length of middle toe and nail, 

 nearly 1-J inches; length of bare part of thigh, lj inches; length of 

 carpus, 6^ inches. The legs were of the same pale orange colour as those 

 of the common redshank, and even paler than those of one I shot for 

 comparison, and not of the bright red colour mentioned in some authors' 

 descriptions. As far as I have been able to ascertain, this bird is, I 

 believe, only the second specimen taken in Ireland, there not being an 

 Irish killed specimen in any of the collections with which I am ac- 

 quainted, and the only authentic record of the capture of the spotted 

 redshank in Ireland, that I know of, is that given by William Thomp- 

 son in the second vol., page 200, of his " Birds of Ireland." He there 

 mentions having shot a specimen of the spotted redshank in Belfast 

 Bay, on the borders of Holy wood rabbit-warren, on the 22nd of August r 

 1823, but the bird was unfortunately lost as a specimen, having been 



