BIRDS 



245. Wood-Sandpiper. Totanus glareola (J. F. 



Gmelin). 



A passing visitor in spring and autumn, for the 

 most part in immature plumage ; in some years 

 fairly common ; has been shot in May and in June ; 

 may have nested in the county ; a rare autumn casual 

 at Scilly. An adult male was shot there 29 August, 

 1878. 



246. Green Sandpiper. Totanus ochropus (Linn.). 



A regular visitor in early autumn, singly or in 

 small flocks, but has been observed in the county 

 during every month of the year. Its occurrence and 

 behaviour at times suggest it may be breeding, but no 

 nest has ever been found ; an early autumn visitor to 

 Scilly. 



247. Solitary Sandpiper. Totanus solitarius (Wilson). 

 An accidental straggler ; one shot at St. Mary's, 



Scilly, 19 September, 1882, and one on Marazion 

 Marsh in October, 1884. 



248. Yellowshank. Totanus flavipes (J. F. Gmelin). 

 An accidental straggler shot at Marazion by Edward 



Vingoe, 12 September, 1871. J. Gatcombe, writing 

 to E. H. Rodd a few days after its capture, says : 

 'There is great probability of its being the only 

 authenticated British bird, as great doubts are 

 expressed about Yarrell's bird.' 



249. Redshank. Totanus caladm (Linn.). 



A winter visitor, occasionally common, but usually 

 in small numbers ; in most years commoner as a pass- 

 ing migrant late in the autumn ; remarkably abundant 

 below Truro Quay in December, 1 90 1 , and January, 

 1902 ; for the last few years has been seen on spring 

 migration, nested on the Goss Moors in 1904, 

 frequently seen on the ponds at Tresco from early 

 autumn till mid-winter. 



250. Spotted Redshank. Totanus juscus (Linn.). 



A casual visitor occasionally met with in August on 

 the western marshes, always in immature plumage ; 

 one shot on Bryher, Scilly, 26 August, 1870. 



251. Greenshank. Totanus canescens (J. F. Gmelin). 

 A passing visitor in autumn and occasionally in 



spring to the brackish pools and tidal rivers ; frequently 

 solitary, sometimes in twos and threes ; irregular in 

 its appearance, except at Scilly, where it is a winter 

 visitor, and often fairly plentiful. 



252. Red-breasted Snipe. Macrorhampus griseus (J. F. 



Gmelin). 



An accidental straggler shot on the higher moors, 

 St. Mary's, Scilly, by Pechell, on 3 October, 1857. 



253. Bar-tailed Godwit. Limosa lafponica (Linn.). 



A passing visitor in autumn, occasionally in large 

 flocks, and almost always in immature plumage. 

 Small flocks may linger on the sands and mudflats of 

 the estuaries for weeks ; in autumn and winter fairly 

 common at Scilly. 



254. Black-tailed Godwit. Limosa belgica (J. F. 



Gmelin). 



An uncommon spring and autumn casual in the 

 western half of the county, including Scilly ; most 

 recent occurrences, September, 1893, at Helford 

 river, and October, 1904, near Camborne. The 

 latest record for Scilly is one repeatedly seen on 

 St. Mary's between 8 and 12 April, 1903. 



255. Curlew. Numenius aryuata (Linn.). 

 Resident ; breeds on the moorland marshes through- 

 out the county ; spends the winter by the shore, 

 coming up to the moors in March ; frequents Scilly 

 all the year round, but does not breed. 



256. Whimbrel. Numenius phaeopus (Linn.). 



Locally, Little curlew ; Half curlew ; May-bird. 

 A regular passing visitor in the beginning of May, 

 and again from July to September ; usually common 

 in season all along the coast, but very rarely shot 

 inland. Not so plentiful in the autumn at Scilly as 

 formerly. It may, however, be a regular bird of 

 passage there in the spring, as in May, 1903, there 

 must have been several hundred on St. Mary's, and in 

 April, 1904, several were seen on the beach at Tresco. 



257. Esquimaux Curlew. Numenius borealis (J. R. 



Foster). 



An accidental straggler shot at Tresco, Scilly, by 

 Dorrien-Smith, 10 September, 1887. 



258. Black Tern. Hydrochelldon nigra (Linn.). 



A fairly regular passing visitor on both the north 

 and south coasts in autumn, formerly rare on the 

 return journey, but since 1901 has appeared regularly 

 at Swanpool or Marazion, and once at Scilly in April 

 or early in May, usually along with swallows and 

 martins. 



259. White-winged Black Tern. Hydrochelidon 



leucoptera (Schinz). 



An accidental straggler, once obtained at Tresco, 

 Scilly, 14 May, 1882, and once in 1887 at Sennen. 



260. Whiskered Tern. Hydrochelidon hybrida (Pallas). 

 An accidental straggler, shot at Tresco, Scilly, on 



2 September, 1851. 



261. Gull-billed Tern. Sterna ang/ica, Mont. 



An accidental straggler, killed at Tresco in May, 

 1852, and at St. Just, Penzance, in July, 1872. 



262. Sandwich Tern. Sterna cantiana, ]. F. Gmelin. 

 Until about fifteen years ago bred regularly at 



Scilly, and still does so occasionally ; a frequent 

 casual along our south coast from Looe westward in 

 the autumn, and about Mount's Bay in the spring. 



263. Roseate Tern. Sterna dougalli, Montagu. 

 Bred at Scilly as late as 1854, and seen there 



by F. R. Rodd in September, 1867 ; two specimens 

 killed at Mount's Bay in 1842. 



264. Common Tern. Sternafuviatilis, Naumann. 



A summer migrant, but more abundant as an autumn 

 visitor on migration ; in severe weather often seen in 

 winter occasionally, as in 1890-1, in very large 

 flocks ; breeds sparingly along the coast, and freely at 

 Scilly, though the number there in nesting time is 

 very much less than it was twenty years ago. 



265. Arctic Tern. Sterna macrura, Naumann. 



A summer migrant at Scilly, where in 1903 it was 

 not so plentiful as the common tern, though twelve 

 years ago it was the dominant species ; on the main- 

 land is common on spring and autumn migration, but 

 is not known to breed. 



266. Little Tern. Sterna minuta, Linn. 



A summer migrant, still breeding in one locality ; 

 a not infrequent visitor to the west of the county in 

 spring, sometimes in flocks, and occasionally reappearing 



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