4230 The Zoologist — November, 1874. 



Ornithological Notes from Dartmouth. 

 By Gervase F. Mathew, Esq., R.N., F.L.S. 



September, 1874. 



Avocet.— X friend of mine who lives in this neighbourhood, 

 and who is well acquainted with birds, informs me that one day 

 the beginning of this month he saw one of these curious birds 

 feeding on a mud-bank about half-way between this and Totnes. 

 He was quite close to it, he says, and could not possibly be 

 mistaken as to its identity. 



Cormorant.— '&Q\ii. 16. A great number in the river fishing off the 

 Flat-Oar Muds and sitting on the banks opposite Stoke Gabriel. 

 I never remember having seen so many together before in this 

 locality, although I was pretty often on the river in the years 

 1867, 1868 and 1869. To-day I counted as many as eighteen in 

 sight at the same lime. 



Herons. — September 16. I saw at least thirty or forty to day 

 between Dartmouth and Stoke Gabriel, and in former years I never 

 saw so many in one day. 



Ringed Plovers and Dunlins. — September 16. Several small 

 flocks of each species feeding on the Flat-Oar Muds. 



Kingfishers. — September 16. Appear to me more plentiful than 

 they used to be, as I noticed at least a dozen this afternoon, and 

 a few years ago one seldom saw more than two or three in the 

 course of the day. 



Ring Ouzel. — September 23. A friend of mine sent me one of 

 these birds yesterday, which he killed while out partridge-shooting, 

 and did not know what it was. It proved to be a young male of 

 the year, and was immensely fat, and being too much knocked 

 about for skinning I had it cooked, and it formed part of my lunch 

 to-day, and was excellent. My friend tells me he saw several 

 others. These birds breed every year on Dartmoor. 



Starling. — September 27. Great numbers about now, and they 

 are beginning to mass in large flocks, and about an hour before 

 dusk may be seen wending their way towards Slapton Lea, where 

 they roost in the reed-beds. 



Gervase F. Mathew. 



H.M.S. 'Britannia,' Dartmouth, 

 October 9, 1874. 



