184 THE BIRDS OF DEVONSHIRE. 



obtained either on the Devon or Cornish coasts " 

 (Zool. 1875. p. 4300). In 1876, Gatcombe records 

 another Grreater Shearwater, killed off Plymouth at 

 the end of July, adding; "It is a very fine adult 

 bird, with the underparts much whiter, or apparently 

 much more bleached than they are just after the 

 autumnal moult, with scarcely a shade remaining of 

 the dusky patch on the belly, so conspicuous on 

 the birds generally obtained at the beginning of 

 winter. I understand there were no others with it 

 when shot" (Zool. 1876. p. 5127) A specimen of 

 the Greater Shearwater, in the collection of the 

 Rev. M. A. Mathew was shot on the Devonshire 

 coast and obtained through Mr. Gatcombe. There 

 arc apparently no records of this bird from the 

 North Coast of the County. 



SOOTY SHEARWATER.— Pz#nws rjriseus (Gmel). 



A KAEE visitant. Mr. Dresser figures this species 

 in the ' Birds of Europe,' from an example from 

 Plymouth, previously in Mr Gould's collection, of 

 which he furnishes measurements. He also states ; 

 "Mr Gatcombe says that it is met with off Plymouth, 

 and that a friend of his possesses two specimens " 

 (B. of Europe, VIII. p. 524). ''On former 

 occasions" writes Mr. Gatcombe in 1874, "when 

 the autumnal visits of this species [the Greater 

 Shearwater] were more frequent, many young 

 birds in their first dark plumage (similar to one of 



