3870 The Zoologist— February, 1874. 



much more common and regular in its appearance on the north 

 coast of Devon. 



October, 1873. 

 Wigeon— In the ' Zoologist' for 1872 (S. S. 3243) I mentioned 

 that a pair of vvigeons had bred in my pond that summer, and 

 had eight young ones, only two of which arrived at years of 

 maturity. As I never pinioned these two, but left them to their 

 own devices, they left me in the following spring— that of 1873 : 

 early in this October, however, they reappeared in my pond— at 

 least I presume they must be the same two birds, as they are 

 perfectly tame, and come and feed with the rest of the ducks, and 

 did so directly on their return. This return is interesting, as it 

 shows not only a disposition to take up their winter quarters in 

 the same place from year to year, but it also shows nearly the time 

 at which the drakes assume their distinctive plumage. When they 

 departed in the spring they were both alike, and I do not think it 

 was possible to say whether they were ducks or drakes. When 

 they returned in October the drake had quite assumed his dis- 

 tinctive plumage ; the duck, however, as might have been expected, 

 remained much as she was, there being but little difference between 

 the young ducks and drakes. 



Peregrine Falcon. — On the 9th I saw at the Taunton Museum a 

 iicregrine falcon, a fine young female, which had been killed at or 

 near St. Audries, and had been sent to Mr. Bidgood to preserve for 

 the Museum. 



November, 1873. 

 Redlegged Gull. — On the 10th I saw, in a newly-sown field of 

 wheat near Willett Hill, a flock of about fifty gulls, consisting, as 

 far as I could see, entirely of redlegged gulls {Larus ridibundus). 

 It is not very usual to see so many of these gulls collected in a 

 field so far inland; but I suppose the freshly-moved ground 

 attracted a few stragglers, and the rest collected in that marvellous 

 manner in which a crowd of gulls is soon formed when a few lucky 

 individuals find a good feeding-place : in this case I have no doubt 

 the whole flock had a good feed of grubs. This gull is common 

 enough on our coast from autumn to spring, and I have frequently 

 seen them collect in the same way in ploughed fields near the sea, 

 but not often so far inland : there was nothing particular in the 

 weather to account for it. 



