1 82 BIRD-LIFE IN A SOUTHERN COUNTY. 



the glorious panorama of the coast sweeps past the 

 eye in imagination, or more slowly reveals itself to 

 the passenger aboard the coasting vessel. No other 

 part of the British coast-line is more suited to the 

 needs of a varied bird population ; and yet the 

 bird-life upon it does not quite come up to our 

 expectations. This is chiefly due to the fact that 

 the county is situated too far to the south-west 

 to be in the direct path of many migratory birds, 

 and too far south for various sedentary species. 

 Attractive as it may be, the coast of Devon can 

 never hope to rival or even approach in interest 

 such shores as those of many of our eastern 

 counties. We record this as our opinion, formed 

 after a long residence upon one, and a rich and 

 varied life's experience of the other. Apart from 

 this, there is indeed much to interest the ornitho- 

 logist upon the coasts of Devon, as we hope the 

 following brief sketches of their avine aspects will 

 show. 



We propose chiefly to devote the present chapter 

 to a brief outline of the bird-life that resorts to the 

 mudflats and low sandy reaches, more especially 

 to those between Exmouth and Plymouth, where 

 personal experience may best apply. A much 



