T905. 



Notes, 



199 



from the last-mentioned locality. There are very few Irish records of 

 the species of Psithyrus, owing, perhaps, to their close resemblance to 

 the common Humble-bees {Bombus). on which they are parasitic. Mr. 

 E- Saunders has kindly verified the identification of the species. 



J. N. HaTvBRRT. 



Museum, Dublin. 



Common Scoter breeding in Ireland. 



It is very satisfactory that through the careful investigations of Major 

 Herbert Trevelyan, the Common Scoter has been proved to have hatched 

 out and brought away nestlings this summer on a northern lake about 

 ten miles from the sea. He has announced the facts in the Field of July 

 15th, as follows : — 



When fishing on one of the larger loughs in Ireland last year, I saw 

 for the first time during the week ending June 11, a pair of ducks that 

 were new to me. Subsequently, on one or two occasions, I observed 

 them with my Zeiss binoculars. A reference to Yarrell's British Birds led 

 me to believe they were Common Scoters, and a visit shortly afterwards 

 to the Natural History Museum confirmed me in this belief. Up to my 

 departure from the loughs, on July i, when seen by me they were always 

 together, and a man whom I gave instructions to watch them, informed 

 me that though he did so from time to time, till about August 18, he 

 never saw them apart. On May 24, this year, and on subsequent occa- 

 sions, I saw a pair of the same species in the same locality for the last 

 time together on May 30, and the female alone for the first time on 

 June 5. On the morning of June 13 I found her on her nest, which was 

 under a small bush (locally known as a sallagh bush), but otherwise with 

 no attempt at concealment. It was on an island. She allowed me to 

 have a good view of her from about three yards distance, but on advanc- 

 ing another yard, she rose and flew off. There were eight eggs, partially 

 incubated, and all somewhat dirty. The duck was last seen on June 28 ; 

 on visiting it on the 30th she was away, and the nest was empty, except 

 for a few bits of egg shell. On July i I found her on the lough with five 

 young ones. On our boat coming near them she uttered curiously 

 plaintive cries, but did not simulate a wounded bird, contenting herself 

 with rising, flying a few yards from her brood, and settling again. On 

 July 3 I obtained one of the young ones, which, with an egg and some 

 of the down, I submitted to my friend, Dr. Bowdler Sharpe, who kindly 

 identified them, pronouncing them to be those of the Common Scoter 

 {CEdeinia vigra.y I may add, that Major Trevelyan kindly sent me many 

 communications during the above observations. He described the colour 

 of the female as being like that of the Grey Hen, the female of the Black 

 Grouse ; he stated that her cheeks and neck were lighter than the rest of 

 the plumage, that her head was darker than her back, and the colour 

 seemed to come down the back of her neck in a triangular form. He 

 recognized, when he saw her on the nest, that the colour of her eye was 



