CHAPTER IX. 



BIRD-LIFE AT SEA. 



As in most other respects concerning the haunts 

 of birds, Devonshire is equally fortunate in its 

 maritime attractions for the feathered tribe. The 

 waters surrounding so much of the county are 

 adapted to the requirements of almost all types 

 of aquatic birds. We have shallow seas, and 

 muddy and sandy estuaries, where the water is 

 yellow and soupy ; deep water close in shore 

 under the cliffs ; and moderate soundings away 

 from land, with a rocky or sandy bottom, and 

 clear as crystal where each particular species 

 can obtain the food it desires. During autumn 

 and winter especially, the wanderer round the 

 coast interested in bird-life, so long as he confines 

 his rambles and his observations to the land, can 

 form but a poor idea of the avine riches of the 

 district a mile or so from shore. These remarks 



