THE BIRDS OF DEVONSHIRE. 83 



County. Formerly it was more often noticed. 

 Thus, the late Mr. Ross wrote, in 1844 : " Ospreys 

 are frequently seen on the Exe, and have been taken 

 in large gins. One has been observed for the last 

 month, but has hitherto escaped capture'' (Zool. 

 1844. p 1190). A few years later, Dr. Scott of 

 Exeter expressed a similar view, remarking that: 

 '' This bird is not a very uncommon visitor, as 

 almost every winter one or two are shot in the 

 neighbourhood " (Zool. 1849. p. 2384). It is 

 unnecessary for present purposes to enumerate all 

 our local occurrences of the Osprey in the present 

 century. In March, 1864, a fine female " was shot 

 at Slapton Ley, where it had been seen fishing for 

 roach and perch for several days previous (Zool. 

 1864. p. 9039). Another was killed on the 

 Exe in October, 1865 (Zool. 1865. p 9847). 

 Another was killed near Powderham in 1867, and 

 another on the Dart in September 1875 {fide 



E. Parfitt). A female, killed at Torbay, is 

 preserved in the Torquay Museum. The Earl 

 of Morley has informed me of an Osprey in 

 his collection, killed on the estuary of the Plym 

 prior to 1840. In the North of the County, Mr. G. 



F. Mathew describes an Osprey shot in Braunton 

 Marshes, September 1868, as " the first that has 

 been observed here" (Zool. 1868. p. 1460). It 

 should be noticed that most, if not all, of the 

 authenticated occurrences of the Osprey in Devon 

 refer to the seasons of migration. 



