THE BIRDS OF DEVONSHIRE. 147 



these birds were shot in 1837, near Stonehouse 

 Bridge" (Birds of Devon, p. 35), I do not know 

 of any recent occurrences in the county. 



AMERICAN B^TINT. —Trinqa mmutilla, \^ieilL 



A VERY rare visitant. A single specimen of the 

 present species was shot at Northam Burrows on 

 the 22nd of September, 1869, after a prevalence of 

 south-westerly gales. Mr. Rickards, who obtained 

 the specimen, gives the following description of its 

 habits : "I observed the bird for several successive 

 mornings before I obtained it, on a salt marsh 

 lying between Northam Burrows and the estuaries 

 of the rivers Taw and Torridge, and on every 

 occasion it was alone. It seemed very active and 

 restless, and was rather difficult of approach. 

 When it rose, it always repeated a short hurried 

 note, similar to that of the other two species, 

 though perhaps shriller and more frequently 

 reiterated. Its flight was strong and rapid for so 

 small a bird, and struck me as being something like 

 that of the Common Sandpiper, which bird indeed 

 (except with regard to the vibratory motion of the 

 body peculiar to that species), it somewhat 

 resembled in its movements when on the ground. 

 It always flew away across the water out of sight 

 and at a great height, but it invariably returned to 

 the same spot where I had flrst observed it " (Zool. 

 1870. p. 2025). 



