Page:The Natural History of Ireland vol1.djvu/172

 In the Belfast Commercial Chronicle of December 25, 1839, the following paragraph appeared under the heading of

"A — There is at present in the possession of Mr. John Spence, of Tullaghgarley, near Ballymena, a blackbird that has arrived at the wonderful age of twenty-years and nearly eight months. It was taken by him from the nest when young, and ever since has enjoyed the very best of health. It still continues to sing, and that well. He feeds him on potatoes baked up with a little oatmeal, of which he is uncom- monly fond. He is, however, beginning to shew symptoms of old age, his head is getting grey, and a number of white feathers are springing up on his neck and breast."

January 12, 1843, I saw at Mr. Nicholas, bird-preserver, Bel- fast, a female blackbird with a pure white head, and which was otherwise singular in having the entire upper plumage black like a male, while the under plumage was that of a female. This caused persons equally skilled in the species to differ in opinion respecting its sex; it proved on dissection to be a female. The bird had been observed (the white head marking it) for two years about a country house, and was carefully protected from shooters, but un- fortunately at last fell a victim to a rat-trap, in which it was cap- tured. Mr. Davis of Clonmel has mentioned a male blackbird with a white head having been picked up in a dying state on the 18th of January, 1848, at Rocklow, near Fethard, where it had been known for the preceeding fifteen years, and had come every day at luncheon hour to be fed. A pure white one is said to have been taken in the summer of ] 845, from a nest at Monkstown, in which were three others of the ordinary colour.34 '

Mr. Richard Langtry, after returning in 1838, from shooting at Aberarder, Inverness-shire, where he had spent three months, informed me that no blackbirds were seen, although there is much wood towards the base of the mountains : when there myself during the month of September, 1842, I did not meet with one of these birds, although there are extensive woods and trees

Mr. R. Warren, junr., Castle Warren, Cork.