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Fauna of Couch. The Nightingale has been seen as far north as Carlisle in England, but not so far westward as Cornwall or Wales. The last three species are unknown in Scotland.

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Occasional or irregular visitants. Many specimens of the Mealy Redpole have been obtained in England, and some in Scotland. The Nutcracker, Parrot Crossbill, Blue-headed Wagtail, and Great Black Woodpecker, have several times been procured in different parts of England; the three former, each twice, and the last, once in Scotland (on the authority of Sibbald). None of the following seventeen species has been met with in the latter country. A few individuals of the Woodchat, Blue-throated Redstart, Savi's Warbler, Fire-crested Regulus, Richard's Pipit, Shore Lark, Lapland Bunting, and Ortolan Bunting, have been killed in different parts of England. The Alpine Accentor and Red-winged Starling, have each been thrice met with; the Rock Thrush, twice; the Great Sedge Warbler, Melodious WillowWren, Dalmatian Regulus, Short-toed Lark, American Whitewinged Crossbill, and the Australian spiny-tailed Swallow, have each occurred but once.†

As all the species included in the preceding table, except four, frequent the continent of Europe, and are unknown in the

* "The nightingale, I think, appears to migrate almost due north and south, deviating but a very little indeed either to the right or left. There are none in Brittany, nor in the Channel Islands, Jersey, Guernsey, &c.; and the most westward of them probably cross the channel at Cape La Hogue, arriving on the coast of Dorsetshire, and thence apparently proceeding northward, rather than dispersing towards the west; so that they are only known as accidental stragglers beyond at most, the third degree of western longitude,- -a line which cuts off the counties of Devonshire and Cornwall, together with Wales and Ireland." Mr. Blyth, as quoted in Yarrell's Brit. Birds, vol. i. 303; 2nd edit.

Dr. J. L. Drummond informs me, that when he was, many years since, in H.M.S. Renown, at Gibraltar, in spring, some nightingales on migration, flew on board.

In the History of the Early part of the Reign of King James the Second, by Charles James Fox, there is an interesting letter from the author, addressed to Lord Grey, on the singing of the nightingale. See preliminary address "To the Reader," p. xii.

The data respecting the distribution and occurrence of the preceding species in England, are taken from Yarrell's beautiful volumes; those for Scotland, from Jardine's and Macgillivray's works. Four of the species,-Sylvia turdoides, S. hippolais, Temm., Loxia leucoptera (as distinguished from L. bifasciata, Nilsson), Acanthylis caudacuta,—have been added to the British catalogue since the appearance of the 2nd edit. of Yarrell's work in 1845.

western hemisphere, we should rather, on account of the comparative proximity of Great Britain, expect them to be found there than in Ireland. The exceptions are the Lapland Bunting, Mealy Redpole, American white-winged Crossbill, and Red-winged Starling; the two latter being North American birds, which rarely visit Europe, might as likely have occurred in Ireland as in Great Britain; the two former, inhabiting the northern parts of both Europe and America, should rather-taking it for granted, that the individuals which visited the latter island came from the north of Europe-be expected to visit Great Britain than Ireland. The occurrence of the Australian Spiny-tailed Swallow in England is paradoxical.

Several of the species in the preceding list will doubtless yet be ascertained to visit Ireland; a few indeed have already been said to do so, but I have not been able to obtain any satisfactory evidence :-the Green Woodpecker is even stated to be resident in some well-wooded parts of the island, but no positive information on the subject could be procured.

Species obtained in Ireland and not in Great Britain.

Gold-vented Thrush. Turdus aurigaster.
Great-spotted Cuckoo. Cuculus glandarius.
Belted Kingfisher. Alcedo alcyon.

These are mere accidental visitants; a single individual of each of the first two was procured, and two specimens—about the same time-of the last. The Gold-vented Thrush is a native of Africa; the Great Spotted Cuckoo of Southern Europe and Northern Africa; and the Belted Kingfisher of North America. They will be found treated of in the preceding pages.

The Ash-coloured Harrier (Circus cineraceus, Mont., sp.), alluded to at p. 83 and p. 107 has since been obtained in Ireland.

The first intimation of its occurrence was communicated to me by T. W. Warren, Esq., of Dublin, who stated that a bird believed to be this species, had been shot about the 1st of Oct., 1848, by James Walsh, Esq., near Bray. The attention of Mr. R. Ball being called to the specimen, he after a critical examination reported it to be a female of this species as described by Jenyns. It differed only from the description in the two central tailfeathers not being uniformly brown, but being instead very faintly barred with black.

END OF VOL. I.

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