Page:The Natural History of Ireland vol1.djvu/136

 of insect food ; the remains of earwigs, Carabi, and Staphylini. It was ascertained that this bird had first been taken by a bird- catcher, between Kilrea and Garvagh (county of Londonderry) in a trap-cage set for goldfinches. Being kept for some days in a cage with a canary-finch, it did not molest this bird, though refusing all food that was offered. It escaped from the cage, and was afterwards shot in the garden of Dr. Lane, at Newtown- limavady. The plumage being smeared with bird-lime sufficed for its identification.

Further, noting the localities from north to south, one of these birds was killed at Mullaghmore, county of Sligo, about the year 1831 or 1832;* another preserved at Knockdrin Castle, West- meath, the seat of Sir Richard Levinge, bart., was obtained there previous to 1834. In the year 1822 or 1823, one was procured on Shankhill mountain, county of Dublin, and in the Phoenix Park, adjacent to the city, another was shot in 1831 (?). In the Queen' s- county, one was killed on the 18th of December, 1847.t The species is said to have been met with in the counties of Tipperary and Waterford ; a specimen was procured near Cork in 1824 ; % a second, as noticed in the Pauna of Cork (Introduction, p. iv.), was shot near Carrigalane, about ten miles to the south of the city, at the end of October, 1844, and a third was obtained in the same quarter, early in August, 1845.

The ash-coloured shrike is only an occasional visitant to Eng- land and Scotland, having been met with in those countries at uncertain periods, as above noticed with respect to Ireland. It has never been known to breed in Great Britain, but is stated to do so, and remain during the year in Prance.

(Lanius collurio), a regular summer visitant to England; and the (L. rufus), a very rare one, to that country, cannot at present be included in the Irish catalogue ; nor is either species enumerated in that of Scotland by Sir W. Jardine

Mr. H.H. Dombrain.

f Mr. Robt. J. Montgomery.

The same noticed in Cork Fauna, p. 5, although the year appears different there.