A HISTORY OF CORNWALL 



residence in Scilly, breeding regularly on the larger 

 uninhabited islands. 



95. Hooded or Grey Crow. Corvus comix, Linn. 



Locally, Marketjew Crow. 



About a century ago fairly well known in the west 

 of the county ; now only a casual visitor, but not so 

 rare as is generally supposed. Recent records include 

 two at the Lizard in November, 1900, one at 

 Lanreath and one on the Helford river in the autumn 

 of the same year ; one at Trengwainton in March, 

 1901 ; one on the Helford river, October, 1903, 

 and one near Bodmin, December, 1904. An 

 occasional visitor at Scilly from November to May. 

 A few at times spend the greater part of the winter 

 at Tresco, as in 1870-1, 1900-1, and 1903-4. 

 One was shot by L. R. George at Holy Vale, St. 

 Mary's, May, 1 900 ; a flock of five spent some days 

 there in the spring of 1901, and on 14 April, 1903, 

 a solitary bird was seen, so that it may prove to be a 

 spring bird of passage on that island. 



96. Rook. Corvus frugikgus, Linn. 



An abundant resident. In the autumn the rookeries 

 in a district often unite into one enormous flock for 

 roosting purposes, and come together at the same 

 headquarters every evening like the starlings. A 

 few are occasionally blown over to Scilly from the 

 mainland, and usually remain till the spring. In the 

 early fifties a whole rookery was driven over to Tresco 

 in the autumn, and not only remained through the 

 winter, but towards spring attempted to establish 

 themselves near the Abbey, but the locality was 

 unsuitable, and they gradually disappeared. 



97. Skylark. Alauda arvensis, Linn. 



Resident, common and generally distributed ; does 

 not breed in as great numbers as in the midlands ; 

 large accessions in winter. At Scilly it breeds in 

 small numbers, but during the period of autumn 

 migration and irregularly throughout the winter 

 arrives in large flocks. 



98. Wood-Lark. Alauda arborea, Linn. 



Resident ; local but probably often overlooked ; 

 appears to breed most commonly between Liskeard 

 and Truro ; occasionally seen in the east and in 

 spring about Penzance ; has not been recorded for 

 the north of the county except about Newquay. A 

 casual visitor to Scilly ; two shot by Pechell behind 

 the Great Rock, Tresco, 5 December, 1859 ; two at 

 the same place by F. R. Rodd, 29 December, 1870 ; 

 and one by David Smith in 1891. 



99. Crested-Lark. Alauda cristata, Linn. 



An accidental visitor represented by two specimens 

 shot by Vingoe between Penzance and Marazion in 

 September, 1846; one by J. N. R. Millett near 

 Penzance in October, 1850; and one by Gill, of 

 Falmouth, at Budock Bottoms in December, 1865. 



100. Short-toed Lark. Alauda bracbydactyk, Leisler. 

 An accidental vagrant, of which a single example 



was shot at Skirt Point, Tresco, by Pechell, 20 

 September, 1854 5 'he only record for the county. 



101. Shore-Lark. Otocorys alpestris (Linn.). 



A casual winter visitor ; two shot in the parish of 

 St. Merryn, near Padstow, 30 October, 1879. 



336 



102. Swift. Cypselus afus (Linn.). 



A summer migrant ; common, in some districts 

 abundant and increasing, but somewhat local ; breeds 

 not only about cottages, sea cliffs, and in hollow trees, 

 but in colonies under the granite ledges on many of 

 the Tors on the Bodmin moors. At Scilly it is an 

 occasional bird of passage in small numbers, both in 

 spring and late summer. 



103. Alpine Swift. Cypselus mclba (Linn.). 



A rare accidental summer visitor. One specimen 

 taken off the Lizard came into the hands of Jonathan 

 Couch, 1 a second was obtained by Jackson of Looe, and 

 on his death passed into the museum of the Royal 

 Institution of Cornwall ; a third was shot by Allen 

 Daniel at Mylor in the summer of 1859, and is in 

 the Rodd Collection at Trebartha Hall. 



104. Night-jar or Goatsucker. Caprlmulgus europaeus, 



Linn. 

 Locally, Dorhawk. 



A summer migrant throughout the county ; com- 

 moner in the east and middle than in the west, but nest- 

 ingoccasionallyin the Land'sEnd district. Not uncom- 

 mon at Scilly in autumn. In August, 1901, Dorrien- 

 Smith saw a great flock of these birds on Annett. 



105. Wryneck. Jynx torquilla, Linn. 



A casual autumn migrant, occasionally reported 

 from the Liskeard district, the Lizard, and Scilly. 

 Single specimens have been obtained at Trebartha, 

 Cam Gulva, near Zennor, and Penzance. One was 

 shot at Scilly by Dorrien-Smith, 4 April, 1893. 



1 06. Green Woodpecker. Gecinus viridis (Linn.). 



Resident and generally distributed throughout the 

 county. Till forty years ago a rare casual visitor to 

 the west, though well known in the east of the county 

 from the Tamar to Lostwithiel ; first nested near 

 Truro about 1869, and at Falmouth in 1873, though 

 stray birds were seen yearly about Tregothnan and the 

 river Fal from 1866 ; first recorded as nesting at 

 Penzance in 1882. Apparently non-migratory, but 

 numbers increased considerably during the severe 

 winter of 1894-5. A single specimen recorded for 

 Scilly in September, 1901. 



107. Greater Spotted Woodpecker. Dendncopui 



major (Linn.). 



Resident ; up till 1877 bred regularly at Trebartha 

 and Liskeard, and was only a casual visitor to the rest 

 of the county. That year it nested at Doublebois, 

 and has been slowly moving westward ever since. A 

 nest was found near Bodmin in 1884, at Lostwithiel 

 in 1891, at Tregothnan in 1897, and it probably 

 nested at Enys (Penryn) about the same time. It is 

 now common in trees close to Penzance, and in all 

 probability has nested there for several years past. 

 Has not been recorded from the Lizard. 



1 08. Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. Dendncopus minor 



(Linn.). 



Resident ; like the previous species was at one time 

 known to breed only in the east of the county, but of 

 late years has nested not infrequently about Tre- 

 gothnan, and in 1904 near St. Columb ; occasionally 

 appears further west in the autumn and winter ; prob- 

 ably often overlooked. 



1 Couch's Cornish Fauna, pt. iii, p. 147. 



