44 BIRD-LIFE IN A SOUTHERN COUNTY. 



of a gigantic net. Various shrubberies are also 

 selected for roosting purposes. It is said that 

 a hundred years ago the Starling did not breed in 

 Devonshire at all ; this seems doubtful, but at any 

 rate the bird is now one of the most abundant 

 and most widely distributed of native species. 



No less than seven species of Finch may be 

 met with more or less commonly in the gardens 

 of Torquay, and all certainly breed within the 

 limits of t:he town. The House Sparrow, of 

 course, is ubiquitous. Torquay Sparrows are quite 

 aristocratic in appearance, wonderfully clean and 

 trim .looking to the visitor from more grimy 

 towns where the bird's plumage is never free 

 from smoke. In the shrubberies the Bullfinch 

 and the Greenfinch are fairly common, the latter 

 particularly so ; whilst the dainty Goldfinch is 

 occasionally met with in the fruit gardens. The 

 Chaffinch is perhaps the most widely dispersed, 

 and his merry pink pink and bright, cheerful 

 vernal song may be heard almost everywhere. 

 In the more secluded grounds, especially in the 

 vicinity of Daddy Hole, the Linnet's sweet little 

 refrain may be heard. In winter occasional 

 parties of Lesser Redpoles visit the gardens and 



