A HISTORY OF CORNWALL 



Of these the roseate tern formerly bred in Cornwall, Baillon's crake is a 

 casual, and the red grouse may have been introduced. The others are acci- 

 dental visitors. . . 



Among the accidental visitors to the county five have been included in 

 the accompanying annotated list of Cornish birds, the evidence for the 

 occurrence of which is not sufficiently conclusive, namely, the great reed 

 warbler, the pine grosbeak, the crested-tit, the little egret, and the sooty tern. 

 These are enclosed in square brackets in the list and are not included in any 

 of the totals or numerical references. 



1. Mistle Thrush. Turdus visclvorus, Linn. 



Locally, Holmscreetch. 



A fairly common resident throughout the county. 

 From July to October large flocks of young birds are 

 frequent in the east and occasional in the middle 

 and west, lingering in favoured localities for days and 

 sometimes for weeks. A fairly regular winter visitor to 

 Scilly, usually in small numbers. 



2. Song Thrush. Turdus musictu, Linn. 



Locally, Graybird. 



A very common resident, and breeding on all the in- 

 habited islands at Scilly. From September to Novem- 

 ber in W. Cornwall the migratory birds greatly out- 

 number the natives. The winter movements are 

 complex, and at times very few birds seem to be left 

 in the county. 



3. Redwing. Turdus lliacus, Linn. 



Locally, Winnard. 



A winter visitor, usually common and generally 

 distributed on higher ground throughout the county, 

 but numbers and distribution vary considerably. 

 Though it does not leave a locality so promptly as 

 the fieldfare on the approach of severe weather, during 

 hard frosts it is usually very abundant in the Lizard 

 and Land's End district. Plentiful at Scilly. 



4. Fieldfare. Turdus pilaris, Linn. 



Locally, Blue Bird. 



A winter visitor, usually common, but in some years, 

 as in 1859-63, 1892, and 1899, remarkably scarce ; 

 usually abundant in the Lizard and Land's End 

 district in severe weather. Common at Scilly. 



5. White's Thrush. Turdus varius, Pallas. 



An accidental visitor ; one killed near Probus in 

 January, 1874, one in Tresco Abbey gardens, 2 De- 

 cember, 1886, one at Looe in the winter of 18989, 

 and one seen repeatedly near Devoran in March, 1903, 

 by several observers. 



6. Blackbird. Turdus merula, Linn. 



An abundant resident, evidently increasing. Com- 

 moner at Scilly than on the mainland. 



7. Ring Ouzel. Turdus torquatus, Linn. 



A summer migrant breeding in small scattered 

 colonies on the Bodmin moors in the neighbourhood 

 of Rough Tor, Brown Willy, Kilmaur, Hawk's Tor, 

 and the Cheesewring, sparingly on the Kilhampton 

 moon, and at long intervals on Goonhilly Downs. 

 Numerous passing migrants, occasionally in flocks of 

 twenty or more, may be seen on the moors through- 

 out the county as far west as Zennor in the spring 

 and again from August to October. Occasionally one 

 or two may be seen for several weeks at a time in the 



east of the county during the winter months when 

 the weather is not very severe. In the sixties it used 

 to nest in considerable numbers, but of late years has 

 been somewhat scarce at the breeding season. Fre- 

 quently seen during September and October at Scilly, 

 On 12 April, 1903, a flock of over ipo arrived 

 with a south-easterly wind on the north side of Old 

 Town Bay, St. Mary's. 



8. Wheatear. Saxicola oenanthe (Linn.). 1 



A summer migrant, commoner during the breeding 

 season in the east than in the west of the county, but 

 abundant in the Lizard and in some parts of the 

 Penzance district. Large flocks arrive on the south 

 coast every spring, most of which after resting for a 

 few days resume their journey to the north. A con- 

 siderable number, however, pass slowly along well- 

 defined routes to the uplands of the county, where 

 they breed, while a few pairs remain to nest by the 

 sea. It appears in large numbers on the low-lying 

 fallow-land from the end of August till the middle or 

 end of October. It breeds rather sparingly in Scilly, 

 but is abundant during spring and autumn migration. 



9. Whinchat. Pratlncola rubetra (Linn.). 



A somewhat local summer migrant, occasionally 

 seen in the east of the county during the winter ; 

 breeds sparingly as far west as Falmouth, and is fairly 

 common about Poundstock ; flocks occasionally seen 

 about Mount's Bay in September, as in 1899 and 

 1 904. Occurs at Scilly singly in autumn. 



10. Stonechat. Pratlncola rubicola (Linn.). 



Locally, Furzechitter. 



A common resident throughout the county ; more 

 abundant in summer than in winter. In the first 

 week of May, 1 903, there must have been about thirty 

 pairs on St. Helen's, Scilly, all evidently breeding. 



1 1 . Redstart. Ruticllla phoenicurus (Linn.). 



One of the scarcest of Cornish summer migrants ; 

 nests in the east of the county by the side of the 

 Tamar and occasionally at least at Trebartha and 

 about Liskeard. In the spring of 1904 two nests 

 were found between Truro and Falmouth, the only 

 known instances of its breeding in the west of the 

 county. Occurs at Scilly every autumn both in pairs 

 and in small flocks. 



12. Black Redstart. Ruttcilla titys (Scopoli). 



A not uncommon winter visitor throughout the 

 county except on the north coast ; often occurs singly, 

 and generally in immature plumage ; a fairly frequent 

 solitary migrant at Trebartha in the autumn. Visits 



1 Brackets placed round the name of the original describer of 

 a species indicate that he did not employ the generic name 

 which is now adopted. 



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