4328 THE ZooLocist—FeEBRvARY, 1875. 
blackbacked gulls feeding in meadows some distance from the 
sea. 
Wigeon.—18th. Shot a young mallard as it was feeding on the 
mud the Dartmouth side of Dittisham. 
Wood Pigeon.—19th. A great number of these birds may be seen 
every day feeding on the banks of the river, just at high-water mark, 
where they search for acorns which have fallen from the neigh- 
bouring trees or have been brought down by the tide. They are in 
fine condition and capital eating. 
Carrion Crow,—20th. To-day, just above Dittisham, I observed 
one of these birds conducting itself in a very stupid manner. The 
tide was high, and consequently all the hard stony beach was 
covered, and this crow was in a neighbouring grass field, where it 
kept continually flying aloft and dropping to the soft turf below 
what appeared to me to be a mussel. I should have thought such 
a knowing bird as a crow would not have acted so foolishly, for of 
course the mussel fell uninjured every time. 
Coot.— 21st. Shot one to-day close to the ship. They are seldom 
seen on the Dart, although they occur and breed in great numbers 
on Slapton Lea, about seven miles from here. 
Wigeon.—26th. A flock of seventeen on the Flat-oar Muds this 
afternoon, but so wild I could not get within shot of them. 
Teal.—26th. Shot three out of a flock of tweuty off Stoke Gabriel 
—two ducks and a mallard. The crop of the mallard was crammed 
almost to bursting with the seeds of Zostera marina, while, strange 
to say, those of the ducks were empty. 
Fieldfare.—30th. Saw a number to-day, so we may expect severe 
weather soon. 
DECEMBER. 
Common Sandpiper.—8rd. Saw a solitary example on the banks 
of the river just below Dittisham. It allowed me to approach within 
twenty yards, when it flew off, uttering its peculiar but well-known 
ery, and, had it not done so, I should have attempted to shoot it. 
Possibly this may be one of the pair I noticed on the 9th of last 
month; but why it has remained with us all this time I cannot 
imagine. It appeared to be in perfect health, and both ran and flew 
strongly. 
Osprey.—7th, This morning, while looking out of one of our 
ports, I observed a large hawk flying lazily up the river from the 
