Page:The Natural History of Ireland vol1.djvu/220

 summer, and the eggs have been obtained near Clogheen.* It is found about Waterford ; f is said to be numerous during summer about Castle Warren, J and Glengariff, county of Cork ; § and has been obtained near Tralee, in Kerry. §

The period of the chiff-chaff's arrival in the north of Ireland seems to be very uncertain : the earliest noted appeared on the 3rd of April, and on the 7th of that month, it was seen in 1838 and 1844; but on the 29th of April, 1832, and on the 30th, in 1837 1| and 1840, not one could be heard in Colin Glen, the chief haunt of the species in the vicinity of Belfast. Several were heard and seen here on the 15th of April, 1847, a year in which the vernal migrants were very late in making their appear- ance, so much so, that this was the only species of them that I met with during a walk of twelve miles over a country of varied character as to scenery, and in which the earlier visitants, had they arrived, would have occurred : in the middle of May I have been for the greater part of a day in Colin Glen, without once hearing its notes, though during a similar time, a month before, they were almost constantly uttered, and when the days alluded to were equally fine. A certain progress of their broods may have caused the silence: after this period, we again hear the notes. On the 21st of March, 1848, in which year, the summer birds arrived very early, this species was observed at Raheny, near Dublin. ^[ The chiff- chaff is considered the earliest of the summer warblers in visiting Great Britain.

The time of this bird's departure from the north of Ireland has not been particularly attended to, but on the 8th of Sep- tember, 1832, one was heard at Bryansford. I cannot agree with Mr. Macgillivray respecting its notes resembling " the syllables cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep, chee, rather than, chiff-chaff, cherry- churry," vol. ii. p. 381. The species is not noticed by this author or Sir Wm. Jardine, as found in Scotland, north of the vicinity of Edinburgh.

Davis.

Burkitt.

Mr. R. Warren, junr.

Report, Dublin Nat. Hist. Society, 1841–42, p. 8.


 * Birds generally — willow wren, wheatear, &c. — very late in arrival this spring.

1f Mr. R.J. Montgomery.