• - " BIRDS,' ETC; [To the Editor of the
SPECTATOR:] , , . „ . Szi,—As a bird lover I should be sorry to think that Sir W., Beach ThoMal had been correctly informed that the yellow- -hammer had "almost disapPeared from Western' Ireland. " (Spectator, February 2nd). I cannot speak for " the .west' coast," but in the part of this western` county which I kn ow . hest this bird is happily still " Common." . The interesting note as to its habit of " haunting with surprising fidelity the roadsides," leads me to reflect that it was chiefly along a road which for Many yearS was for me until lately almost daily " the path of, duty " I had constant opportunities of observing this 'beautiful bird, and several times found its nest.
Mote than- Once the'bright plumage Of the yellOw-hanuner sitting on the nest, placed with little'attempt at concealment in a high bank, attracted attention to it. I do not know about redpoles, but gold-crests have long been fairly common in this neighbourhood. One class of birds which has markedly increased in number is the-hooded crow. This is a natural result of the political and economic changes we have witnessed. - A game-keeper is now a ram avis in terris. One feature of country life in western Ireland (at least in this neighbourhood) which does not appear to have attracted much attention, is the tendency of the brown squirrel . to disa pear One of the delights at t,he country rectory which was formerly my home. used to be to watch the squirrels 'scampering about under the beeches, or leaping from tree to tree, but for ten, years or so, hey have entirely .forsaken their haunts there. ..I now. live inn, town, but have the privilege of _walking sometimes in_a demesne close by in which bOeches and other trees are plentiful, and I have not yet seen a squirrel?.
. This disappearance (actual or threatened) is the more regret- table as the demesne .referred to is attached to a well4c,nown xesidence. which .was the home of the lady _who, according. to tkOjtiou, introduced ,squirrels into Ireland.. The grey squirrel cannot be, held responsible for this change in. the woods as that species is as yet unknown in these parts.—I am, Sir, ice., .
St. John's Rectory, Ballinnsloe, .Co. Galway. „
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