the Irish Coal-Titmouse. 
549 
out this scheme never occurred. Recent events,, however, in 
the ornithological world make it imperative that immediate 
steps should be taken to procure a representative set of 
our resident Irish species. 
It was shewn by Dr. IJartert [Yog. pal. Faun. i. p. 790 
(1910)] that the Dipper is represented in Ireland by a 
perfectly distinct form, for which he proposed the name 
Cinclus cinclus hihernicus. Shortly afterwards I drew 
attention to the equally interesting fact that the Irish Coal- 
Titmouse (which I named Parus hihernicus) was very different 
from P. britannicus , the representative form of P. ater found 
in Great Britain and also in Co. Down in the north-east of 
Ireland. More recently, the Irish Jay, also a w 7 ell-marked 
insular form, has been described by Mr. Witherby and 
Dr. Hartert [Witherby’s Brit. Birds, iv. p. 234 (1911)] as 
Garrulus glandarius hihernicus. The distinctive characters 
of the last-named bird had for many years been well known 
to Mr. R. M. Barrington and other Irish ornithologists, but 
no one had given it a name. 
These interesting discoveries rendered it essential to delay 
no longer in sending a collector to Ireland to obtain examples 
of the resident birds from as many different counties as 
possible. 
During short visits paid to Co. Down in the month of 
January 1904, and again in 1905, I obtained about one 
hundred and fifty skins, and these represented practically 
the only series of the resident Irish birds in the National 
Collection. 
Early in January of the present year I sent Mr. A. IT. 
Bishop to Ireland, and, thanks to the kindness of friends, 
obtained permission for him to visit a number of estates in 
different parts of the country and to collect without hindrance. 
He commenced operations in the neighbourhood of Dublin, 
subsequently moving on to Wicklow, Wexford, Waterford, 
Kerry, Westmeath, Cavan, and Fermanagh. 
During the month he spent on this tour he collected about 
three hundred skins, mostly of Passerine birds, and among 
them obtained a fine series of over fifty examples of the 
ser. ix.—VOL. v. 2 p 
