37 



£be Ctrl Bunting. 



By W. E. Teschemaker, B.A. 



If I were asked to name the three most characteristic birds 

 of our fair County of Devon, I think I should reply the Buzzard, 

 the Nuthatch and the Cirl Bunting. The Cirl Bunting, more- 

 over, has quite a special connection with Devonshire, historically, 

 for it was near Kingsbridge, in the year 1800, that Colonel 

 Montagu first noted this as a British species. In the follow- 

 ing year he found it nesting in this county and communicated to 

 the Ljnnean Society an account of the method by which he suc- 

 ceeded in rearing the young (Trans. Linn. Soc. VII. pp. 276-280). 



It is far from being a common bird and its distribution is 

 irregular, but during the greater portion of the year it may 

 usually be seen in the neighbourhood of Plymouth, Kingsbridge, 

 Torquay, Teigumouth, Exeter, Exinouth and Seaton ; also in 

 some parts of North Devon, as, for instance, near Barnstaple. 

 As will be inferred from the above list this species has a decided 

 preference for the sea coast and the numerous small valleys run- 

 ning inland therefrom, but avoids the great central tablelands of 

 Dartmoor and Exmoor. 



Despite the great number of books written on British 

 Birds and the large and increasing number of bird-lovers, I have 

 a strong suspicion (which I state with all deference to those who 

 think to the contrary) that we really know next to nothing about 

 birds. 



For instance, what do we know about the real reasons 

 which influence the distribution of species. Any bird-book will 

 tell us that the Cirl Bunting is seldom found in the United 

 Kingdom elsewhere than in the South-Western counties, but not 

 one can tell us why. There is evidence that of late years the Cirl 

 Bunting has extended its range into Central Wales, and here 

 again we seek in vain for a motive. 



Although these problems remain to be solved, we can, by 

 comparing the localities in which this species is found, obtain 

 some idea of its requirements. 



The first of these is I think a warm, sunny environment: 

 hence probably its preference for the South-Western counties. 



