TuE ZooLocist—Juty, 1872. $137 
Cormorants.—May 9. Observed a flock of cormorants come in 
from the sea, and fly in a kind of double line of two and two up the 
River Tamar: this they occasionally do in summer, especially 
after the breeding-season, reminding one much of a flock of wild 
geese. 
Starlings and Heron.—A large number of starlings, I am glad 
to say, have bred this season on the high walls by the sides of the 
trench surrounding the fortifications at Devonport, taking pos- 
session of the holes left in the walls for draining called “ weep 
holes,” and, fortunately, out of the reach of boys. Within com- 
paratively a few years, such a thing asa young starling was scarcely 
known in the neighbourhood of Plymouth, and but four or five 
years ago a birdstuffer gravely informed me that he had a very rare 
bird, “the solitary thrush of Tartary,” which, of course, I found to 
be nothing more than a young starling, and another had a bird that 
he “did not exactly know,” but was certain it was “some kind of 
thrush.” This morning I was much interested in watching the 
graceful spiral flight of a heron, which ascended in small circles 
until nearly out of sight, and then made straight off. 
Swifis.—May 16. Went to Sheep’s Tor, on Dartmoor, but found 
birds generally scarce, although swifts were plentiful. 
Herring Gulls, Cormorants, Ravens, Ring Doves, Peregrine 
Falcon, &c.—May 20. Visited the Land's End, where 1 was much 
interested in watching the herring gulls sitting on their nests, which 
were placed on the ledges of the cliffs, rather far apart, quite 
exposed to view, apparently well made and of a deep saucer-shape. 
I was, however, much disappointed at not finding any razorbills or 
guillemots breeding there, but was told that there were a great 
many on the Brisson’s Rock, not far off: however, although I had 
a good telescope with me, I could not make any out, probably 
owing to the weather being rather thick and stormy. There were a 
few eggs of the razorbill, guillemot and herring gull for sale at the 
little inn close by, but they did not look at all recent. Remarked 
several cormorants on the rocks, one great blackbacked gull, some 
kestrels and a pair of ravens. A dealer in live birds at Plymouth 
has had nearly twenty young ravens sent to him this season from 
the coast of Cornwall; the men who got them said that they did 
so at the risk of their lives, and had to walk twenty miles and carry 
forty pounds of rope to the breeding-places. I saw in his shop, a 
few days since, a fine young peregrine falcon, in the down, obtained 
