A HISTORY OF CORNWALL 



jeveral obtained on Tregoss Moors by Johnson Tellam, 

 the father of the present keeper ; a flock of eight or 

 ten was seen on St. Martin's, Scilly, by C. R. Gawen ; 

 and one killed near St. Just in Penwith, in 1889. 



195. Black Grouse. Tetrao tetrix, Linn. 



Locally, Heath Poult. 



Well-nigh extinct as a resident. Two nests were 

 found on the Bodmin Moors in 1900, and one in 

 1904. In 1903 there was one nest on the Kilk- 

 hampton Moors, but none last year. For over fifty 

 years now it appears to have been on the verge of 

 extinction. Hybrids between the grey hen and cock 

 pheasant occasionally occur. One such brood was 

 seen by F. R. Rodd in Redmoor Marsh in the 

 autumn of 1868. 



1 96. Red Grouse. Lagppus scoticus (Latham). 



A fine adult male was shot by William Henry 

 Buscombe near Delank, Bodmin, in 1 86 1, and is still 

 in the possession of his daughter at Bodmin. The 

 late H. J. Rowse of Carworgie shot one on Queen's 

 Hill, St. Columb, in November of the same year. 



197. Pheasant. Phasianus cokhicus, Linn. 

 Abundant ; was successfully introduced into Tresco 



half a century ago by Augustus Smith, and is 

 bred regularly every spring. Nearly all the Cornish 

 birds show the influence of the Chinese ring-tailed 

 P. torquatus in their markings. 



198. Partridge. Perdrix cinerea, Latham. 

 Resident, and where preserved as a rule abundant. 



In several districts in the north and west not a single 

 covey may be seen for the year, and J. D. Enys says that 

 at Enys only one covey has been seen during the last 

 thirty years. Several attempts to introduce this 

 species into Scilly have been made at various times, 

 but have met with little success. 



[Furneaux, in some MS. notes dated 1879, says 

 that the red-legged partridge, Caccalis rufa, has been 

 shot at St. Germans. Dr. Hammond of Liskeard 

 says that he has eaten specimens shot at Quethiock. 

 The Barbary partridge, Perdrix petrosa, was shot at 

 Killiganoon in the winter of 1865. A second 

 example was obtained in the autumn of 1867 or 

 1868, close to St. Cleer. In all probability both of 

 these species were introductions or escapes.] 



199. Quail. Coturnlx communls, Bonnaterre. 



A fairly common casual summer visitor throughout 

 the county, and not infrequently breeding there ; 

 unusually abundant in 1870, when it bred in con- 

 siderable numbers at Trebartha, at Dosemary Pool, 

 and about Bodmin, St. Columb, and Falmouth ; 

 fairly plentiful in 1892 and in 1895, when several 

 nested on the Bodmin Moors and west to the Hel- 

 ford river ; two nests found near Falmouth in 

 1899, and one close to Truro in 1904 ; has bred at 

 least once at Scilly. 



zoo. Corncrake or Landrail. Crex pratensis, 



Bechstein. 



A summer migrant formerly abundant, but now 

 rather scarce except on autumn migration ; occasionally 

 seen during the winter ; breeds at Scilly. 



201. Spotted Crake. Porzana maruetta (Leach). 



A regular autumn and winter visitor to the snipe 

 marshes throughout the county, except about Pen- 

 zance, the Lizard, and the north coast, where it 



appears for the most part to be a rare casual ; 

 generally overlooked because of its small size and 

 skulking habit ; bred in Crowdy Marsh in 1860 and 

 again in 1862, and near Dosemary Pool in 1874; 

 has twice occurred at Scilly. 



202. Little Crake, Porzana parva (Scopoli). 



A casual visitor that has been obtained at least 

 twice in the county : once by a cat at St. Dominic, 

 in March, 1878,' and once by G. Harrison, 25 Oc- 

 tober, 1892. A specimen was obtained by Pechell 

 at Scilly in the early fifties. 



203. Baillon's Crake. Porzana ballloni (Vieillot). 



A casual visitor obtained at least four times from 

 West Corn wall, namely from the pier basin, Penzance ; 

 the neighbourhood of Zennor ; near Land's End in 

 July, 1858 ; and from Marazion Marshes in October, 

 1877. 



204. Water Rail. Rallus aquaticus, Linn. 



Locally, Fencock. 



Resident ; formerly tolerably common in places, 

 now rather scarce ; still breeds near Bude, on the 

 Bodmin Moors, sparingly on the Goss Moors, 

 about Bishop's Wood, Truro, and till lately at 

 St. Erth : in severe weather often abundant in the 

 autumn at Scilly. 



205. Moor Hen. GalKnula chhropus (Linn.). 

 Resident ; common, in some localities abundant, 



and generally distributed on marshy land, reed-beds, 

 and ditches ; breeds at Scilly. 



206. Coot. Fulica atra, Linn. 



A scarce widely-diffused resident, but often 

 abundant as a winter visitor and on migration ; nests 

 sparingly on the Bodmin Moors, the Goss Moors, 

 Marazion Marsh, and occasionally about Looe, Truro, 

 and Falmouth ; thousands sometimes seen on the 

 Loe Pool, Helston, in winter ; not known about 

 Launceston, and only seen about Trebartha in 

 severe weather ; common at Tresco, Scilly, in winter, 

 a few remaining to breed. 



207. Crane. Grus communls, Bechstein. 



A solitary specimen frequented the banks of the 

 Tamar for some time in the autumn of 1826, and 

 was ultimately shot on the Devonshire side of the 

 river; one shot at Tresco, Scilly, 13 April, 1 88 1. 



208. Great Bustard. Otis tarda, Linn. 



A casual winter visitor ; one recorded from Goon- 

 hilly Downs in 1843, one from St. Austell in 1854, 

 and a third from Looe in December, 1879. 



209. Little Bustard. Otis tetrax, Linn. 



A casual winter visitor of which about twenty 

 have been recorded for the county, chiefly from the 

 west, though one has been obtained at Padstow, one 

 at St. Columb, and one at Looe ; latest captures, 

 St. Mawes, January, 1893, Constantine, December, 

 1904. 



210. Stone Curlew, or Norfolk Plover. Oedicnemus 



icolopax (S. G. Gmelin). 



An irregular winter visitor in small numbers to 

 the south and west of the county ; three obtained at 

 Scilly ; frequently seen in the St. Ives district and 

 at Looe. Cornwall seems to be on the northern 

 limit of its winter habitat. 



1 Sec Gatcombe's account in the Zoologist of that year, p. 214. 



342 



