School: Stackallen (roll number 1309)
- Location:
- Stackallan, Co. Meath
- Teacher: P.T. Mac Gabhann
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0714, Page 057
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- The large sea-gulls very seldom light on the land except when they see a bird's (nest) and then they come down and rob it. The small sea-gulls come here in large numbers when the farmers are ploughing the fields and when they are cutting the meadows. The little sea gulls come down from the air and rob bee's nests and eat the honey and young bees. They stay there in the field along with the crows until the hay is turned and put into little cocks. The swan is a large white bird and is not seen very often around here. I saw a swan's nest once and it was built in the big rushes in the Boyne at Kilcarne. It was made of hay and dry rushes and wool. There were two large eggs in it. The people say around here that if anybody robbed a swan's nest the cock and hen swan would watch a small relation of the person who robbed the nest and when the swans would get the baby alone they would bring it with them until they would come to water. Then they would get the baby by the back of the neck and they would hold its head under the water until it was drowned.
