3630 The Zoologist— August, 1873. 



20th. Remarked a knot on the Plymouth Breakwater, which was 

 still in the ash-coloured plumage of winter, or probably a young 

 bird of last year, 



22nd. Visited the river Avon, some miles from Plymouth, and 

 watched young gray wagtails flitting about from rock to rock in 

 the river, catching flies almost as well as the old ones, which were 

 in attendance. At an inn near the river I was shown a stuflTed 

 phalarope, which had been killed a year or two since when settled 

 on a rather wet spot in the turnpike-road just before the house. 



26th. A fine male little bittern was obtained near the river 

 Erme, which I examined just after it had been stuffed. This bird 

 was observed to frequent the river for a fortnight before it was 

 killed. 



28th. Examined a beautiful variety of the common blackbird, 

 the colour of which was a delicate grayish buff: no doubt, a young 

 bird of the year. 



31st. 1 again visited the breeding-place of the herring gulls at 

 Wembury, and was pleased to see some downy young ones cuddled 

 together on the ledges of the cliff, outside of but close by the nest, 

 and it was most interesting to observe the instinct shown by these 

 little creatures in keeping so quiet and motionless while danger 

 threatened, hiding their heads in a crevice on the face of the rock, 

 and presenting their backs only, which so assimilated in colour to 

 the yellowish gray or brown of the surrounding objects that they 

 were with great difficulty seen at all. However, by the aid of a 

 good pocket-telescope, I managed to make some sketches of these 

 interesting little families, which consisted generally of three. As 

 there was not the slightest attempt at feeding the young in my 

 presence, 1 made my visit as short as possible. When taking my 

 departure, about seven o'clock in the evening, I observed a large 

 flock of immature or non-brccding birds coming overland from the 

 rivers and estuaries in the neighbourhood of Plymouth, which they 

 frequent by day, but they repair to the high cliffs and rocks on the 

 coast towards night. 



June, 1873. 



2nd. A night heron, in the plumage of the second year, was 

 obtained on the river Erme, near Ivybridge, Devon, which I 

 examined in the flesh. This makes the ninth specimen secured 

 from the same locality since the spring of 1849, every bird of which 



