3826 The Zoologist — January, 1874, 



attempted return to their pool. And here a word in praise of the 

 flavour of the shoveller, which is quite equal to that well-known 

 delicacy, the teal, if it does not even surpass it. At the margin of 

 one of the duck-ponds I noticed a wood sandpiper and a spotted 

 crake, and thought it a late date (November 19th) for both. 



Knot, Golden Plover. — On the sands I saw a small flock of knot; 

 and often in the air noted flocks of golden plover flying inland. 

 Some of these flocks were very large, and must have contained 

 several thousand birds. At times golden plovers were to be found 

 on the flats, but were wild and difficult to approach: An old 

 gamekeeper told me that the best time to get near these birds is at 

 daybreak, when they are busy feeding, and in the dim light will 

 then permit an easy stalk. At any rate, his theory held good in 

 practice, as when we came down to breakfast in the morning he 

 would sometimes appear with a good bunch of plovers which he 

 had shot on the moor while we had been still in bed. 



Common Buzzard. — Some time in November a very fine example 

 of the common buzzard was shot on Cothelestone Hill — the same 

 place which produced the honey buzzard last June ; and two more 

 have since been trapped by the keepers. It is sad to hear of such 

 havoc being made with an interesting species which will soon be 

 extinct in these islands. 



Murray A. Mathew. 



Bishop's Lydeard, December 4, 1873. 



Ornithological Notes from Devonshire, Cornwall^ Sfc, 

 By John Gatcombe, Esq. 



(Continued from S. S. 3788). 



November, 1873. 



1st. Many woodcocks and snipes in the Plymouth market; the 

 former were, I should say, rather plentiful in the western counties, 

 judging from the numbers I have seen at the poulterers. 

 • 3rd. Visited the neighbourhood of Warleigh Woods, in which 

 there is a heronry, and was much interested in watching many 

 herons settled on the fir trees near the river, waiting for the tide 

 (which was very high at the time) to recede, so that they could 

 recommence fishing. Herons have certainly increased in number 

 lately in this locality. 



