The Irish NaturaltsU 
December, 
The Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gull are generally distributed 
round the coast. Both gulls are very quick in discerning whether a 
bird is able to protect itself or not. I have known a Lesser Black-backed 
Gull await patiently an opportunity of attacking a wounded Widgeon. 
If there had been several Woodcock they would, no doubt, have allowed 
them to pass unmolested. 
J. TRUMBUIyl,. 
Malahide. 
Glossy Ibis in Ireland. 
During the month of September five Glossy Ibis were shot on the 
east coast of Ireland, and examined by me. They were all in immature 
plumage, and in poor condition — on the 7th a female, shot near Wex- 
ford ; on the loth, male and female, shot at Tramore, Co. Waterford ; 
on the iith, female shot on the North Bull, Co. Dublin ; on loth a male, 
shot near Clonakilty ; and on October ist a male, shot in Co. Clare— the 
first record from the west coast in this flight. Since then I heard of 
another bird seen at Donabate, described as a black Curlew, but no 
doubt an Ibis. 
W. J. WlI^UAMS. 
Dame-street, Dublin. 
Bat taking a Trout Fly. 
A trout, about 2 lb. weight, was continually rising near a bend in the 
river where a breeze never touches the water. I went (September loth) 
after tea to try him with a dry fly. Having tried in vain with a 
" Fisherman's Curse," ooo size, at 6 o'clock I put up a " Detached Olive " 
GO hook. The first cast was short, and, while drying the fly, I felt a 
pull behind me, and saw that I had hooked a bat. Thinking that the 
bat must be foul-hooked, I laid the rod down and gently brought the 
animal towards me, when I discovered the hook to be deeply imbedded 
in the lower jaw behind the left lower canine tooth. It was a male 
Long-eared Bat. It was a bright evening, the sun still shining. I did 
not know that bats hawked for food so early. This one, at any rate 
must have gone at the fly, as the hook was inside the mouth. It also 
proves, I think, the accuracy of Mrs. Ogden Smith's imitations of the 
natural fly. 
R. E. Dii,i.ON. 
Clonbrock, Ahascragh. 
