3910 The Zoologist — March, 1874. 



December 9th. Visited St. Germans. When concealed behind 

 some trees in a wood close by the river, I managed with my tele- 

 scope to have a most interesting peep at the gulls and waders on 

 its banks. There were about two hundred of the Larus ridibundus, 

 a great many curlews and a few redshanks feeding or resting 

 together, almost within gunshot of me, with about a dozen herons 

 fishing close by. The weather being exceedingly bright and still, 

 with not a breath of air to ruflle the surface of the water, the form 

 of every bird near its edge was reflected as if in a mirror, adding 

 greatly to the beauty of the scene. After this I called on a wild- 

 fowl shooter living in the town, who told me that for the last few 

 nights, during the severe white frosts, the river was swarming with 

 teal, and that the night before he had more than two hundred 

 around his boat, but so scattered that he could not get more 

 than two or three at a shot, and that they were almost every 

 one of them males, which was generally the case at that time 

 of the year : he also told me that there was a flock of full five 

 hundred redshanks, which frequented the mud-banks, but that 

 they were so wild he could not get within as many hundred yards 

 of them. 



13th. An immature black redstart was killed on the coast 

 near Bovisand; this I examined and found to be a young male of 

 the year. 



14th. Three longeared owls and one shortearcd have been killed 

 in the neighbourhood, within the last few days, and sent to the 

 birdstuffer for preservation. The longeared owl is very uncommon 

 with us in Devonshire. I saw a fine old male shoveller, in the flesh, 

 at a birdstiiff'er's, a few days ago. I also saw a very large northern 

 diver, which had been caught in a fisherman's net; although it was 

 very fat, yet there was nothing in its stomach but a few small stones. 

 Small flocks of longlailed tits have made their appearance on the 

 coast lately, so I think there must have been an arrival. The great 

 blackbacked gull is now becoming more numerous ; few visit us 

 before Christmas. 



28lh. Observed an immature black redstart on the rocks at the 

 Devil's Point, Stonehouse. 



January, 1874. 

 On the 3rd there were above two hundred gulls and a large 

 number of dunlins and ringed plovers on the mud-banks of the 



