140 THE BIRDS OF DEVONSHIRE. 



large flocks, occur almost exclusively in the months 

 of September and October. Mr. Gatcombe however 

 records that he observed single specimens on the 

 S. Coast of Devon in mid-winter, e.g. a bird seen 

 on the 8th of January, 1873, and another noticed 

 on the 5th of December, 1876, both near Plymouth. 

 Birds in summer plumage are still more rare. A 

 bird in the full red dress of summer was obtained 

 in Devonshire by the late Mr. Bond, and was sold 

 at Stevens' Auction Rooms, London, May 22nd, 

 1890. Mr. H. Nicholls has another red-plumaged 

 bird, obtained in the county in May, 1844. In 

 1876, Mr. Gatcombe examined a nearly full plumaged 

 bird caught in Stonehouse Creek, on the fifth of 

 August, which elicited the comment: '* I have 

 never known them to occur in Devon before 

 the middle or latter end of September, October 

 being the usual time of their appearance " (Zool. 

 1876, p. 5083). 



WOODCOCK. — Scolopax rusHcula, Linn, 



A WINTER visitant. Writing of Devonshire in 1796, 

 Mr. Laskey observes; " In the course of my 

 summer peregrinations on the sea coast, I picked up 

 about two years since, the entire skeleton of a 

 Woodcock, perfectly bleached by the rays of the 

 sun. This bird, I supposed, had dropped in the 

 sea in the course of his migratory flight, and by 

 the waves drifted ashore" (Gents' Mag. vol. 66. p. 

 402). But though chiefly a late autumn and early 



