THE BIRDS OF DEVONSHIRP]. 31 



well acquainted with the appearance and flig;ht of the 

 species in a wild state, having at different times met 

 with no less than seven examples in the neig]il)our- 

 hood of Plymouth, besides two others that were 

 brought to our hird stuffers in the flesh." (Zool. 

 1878. p. 249). 



In the North of the County, the species has been 



detected on three occasions by Lieutenant G. F. 



MatheW; who first met with it, at Braunton 



Burrows on December 30th, 1864. " When walking 



across one of the flats which occur between the 



ridges of sand-hills, I observed a bird running with 



great activity among some dead plants of Fleabane 



{Mula di/senf erica), and as it seemed to stand much 



higher on its legs than the common Meadow Pipit 



[A. j^ratensis), and altogether to appear considerably 



larger, I walked towards it to obtain a nearer view, 



and when I had approached to within about fifty 



yards, it rose and flew for a short distance, uttering 



a loud sharp note quite unknown to me." Mr. Mathew 



fired, but " only broke one of its legs, and it flew 



away for a long distance before again alighting, 



with a dipping flight similai' to that of a ¥/agtail.'' 



Mr. Mathew eventually secured the bird, which he 



compared with a specimen in the collection of tlie 



Rev. W. S. Hore (Zool. 1865. p. 9456). In 1869, 



Mr. Mathew shot another Richard's Pipit, on 



Braunton Marsh, "attracted to it by its loud and 



peculiar note" (Zool. 1869. p. 1561), on the 4th, oi 



January ; on the 8th December, 1872, he heard 



