Page:The Zoologist, 3rd series, vol 1 (1877).djvu/129

Rh the summer of 1858, the Terns deserted this lake altogether. They have now moved to the little moorland lough of Rarouem, situated midway between Ballina and Killala, and within sight of the high-road between those towns. This lough is considerably larger than that of Cloona, but is nearly surrounded by bog, with very swampy shores, and a large quantity of reeds growing on the margin: in some places these reeds grow far out towards the centre, where there is a small circular island about twenty yards in diameter, whereon a large number of Black-headed Gulls make their nests, as they do also among the reeds, but the Terns have theirs on a bare part of the island, a little away from those of the Gulls. This lake, with the adjoining land, is the property of Sir Charles Knox Gore, who, with the spirit of a true naturalist, strictly preserves it, and does not permit either Gulls or Terns to be disturbed; last season he had the bushes and long grass cut off the island, in order to give the birds more space for their nests, so that now, being well protected, there is every likelihood of this beautiful species increasing every year. When visiting this lough in June, 1876, it presented a most pleasing sight from the number and variety of the birds frequenting it; the Gulls and Terns sitting on their nests, the male Terns continually coming from the sea with sand-eels to feed their mates. Wild Ducks, Teal, Coots, and Waterhens swimming in and out amongst the reeds, Ring Plovers running along the shores of the lake, and Black-headed Buntings and Sedge Warblers flitting about the stunted bushes which grow on the drier parts of the swamp. Altogether it presented as pretty a picture of lake life as could well be imagined, and one of which a naturalist could never tire. The Sandwich Terns arrive in the bay and estuary of the Moy much earlier in the spring than the smaller terns, generally making their appearance between the last week of March and the middle of April; sometimes, however, I have seen them arrive as early as the 20th of March, and as late as the 26th of April.— (Moyview, Ballina).

—I have never known the Golden Eagle to eat fish, even when quite fresh, much less in a putrid state. The Sea Eagle, on the contrary, is a foul feeder, and will eat all kinds of fish; he also watches the fords over which salmon leap in ascending rivers, and often makes them his prey. Few have enjoyed better opportunities than I have for studying the habits of the Golden Eagle, for they frequent the hills around my house, and for the last twenty-four years I have had a tame one, which seems to attract the wild ones, who sometimes sit on the top of her cage. In 1875 she laid two eggs, and last year four. She is much attached to me, and will allow me to handle her in any way. So far from being afraid of anything alive, I may state that she has killed a Peregrine Falcon, which was so tame that I allowed it to fly about, besides several Merlins, Gray Crows, and other pets that I had, which went into