BIRD-LIFE UPON THE CLIFFS. 233 



little rock bird, rarely if ever perching in trees or 

 bushes, and seldom wandering far from its retreat 

 all the winter. We have often searched closely 

 for this Redstart in summer in the old familiar 

 winter haunts, but without success, and we do not 

 believe that there is yet any well authenticated 

 instance of its breeding in our islands. It is 

 difficult to believe that the Black Redstart has 

 become much more abundant in Devonshire 

 during the last half-century or so. The bird 

 was not discovered in the county until the winter 

 of 1833 ( at Teignmouth); but this seems due to 

 want of observation. Field naturalists were much 

 scarcer in those days than they are now, and such 

 a skulking little species could easily be over- 

 looked, especially in such localities as it elects 

 to frequent during its sojourn on our shores. 

 One more interesting cliff-breeding species is the 

 Swift. The bird is a common one in most 

 parts of Devonshire, arriving at the end of 

 April and leaving us most regularly on or 

 about the loth of August, although we have 

 several late September records. The only locality, 

 however, where we know that it breeds on the 

 cliffs is at Berry Head. All the summer through 



