176 NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF DUBLIN. 
white colour, and quite globular in shape. The inside of the cavity 
round the nest was quite smooth and clean, though the passage leading 
into it was covered with a very offensive black substance, having an 
abominably fishy smell., The nest was eight or nine inches in circum- 
ference, slightly hollowed in the centre, about 8-10ths of an inch 
thick, and formed of very minute fish- bones—too minute to say what 
part of the fish they belonged to—of a greyish-white colour. The 
young birds had only a few hairs scattered over them. I covered 
the nest again carefully, having done no damage to the passage leading 
into it. However, unfortunately, some of the country people destroyed 
it, as the place was all broken up when I came back to it a few days 
afterwards. One remark I may make is, that I believe it to be a 
fallacy respecting the way birds desert their nests if at all disturbed or 
even looked at when on them, as some persons state; but in this case 
IT have completely satisfied my mind that birds will not forsake 
their nests without great provocation. On one occasion I caught a 
kingfisher coming out of the hole, and the next day she was on the 
nest again; and from the nest I have been speaking about I drove the 
bird nearly every second day for a month before I opened it, and she 
was on it when I came to measure it. The kingfisher is a very wild 
bird, and I do not think I could have chosen a better example to bear 
out my statement, and I have had various others. I never saw more 
than one bird about any kingfisher’s nest at a time, or even in the 
vicinity. 
Mr. Montgomery stated that the fact of the long-eared owl catching 
bats on the wing was new to him, though such was, no doubt, the 
habit of the short-eared owl. As regards the general idea that birds 
would forsake their nests if meddlea with, he knew that their nests 
may be disturbed to a certain extent, and even the eggs changed, and 
they do not seem to mind it if they be not themselves alarmed. 
The Rey. Dr. Haughton had seen the owl strike arunning mouse with 
unerring certainty. He desired to mention a fact regarding falcons, 
which generally bred in isolated solitary pairs, that in the cliffs of a 
small island near Skye, off Lough Staftin, he had seen three falcons’ 
nests within a very few yards. He presumed that the abundance of 
food, owing to the number of rabbits, had induced them to so close 
proximity, for he had seen them descend from the cliffs of 1400 feet 
high, stooping from at least 1000 feet, and kill the rabbits. Though, 
of course, quite untamed, these birds would allow one to go within 
five feet of them, gun in hand. 
Dr. Macalister had also noticed the falcons in the island north of 
Skye extremely tame. 
Mr. Bradshaw stated, in reply, that though he had not shot and 
dissected any of the long-eared owls he had seen, in order to find the 
contents of the stomach, he had yet no doubt at all but that they really 
