4718 THE ZooLoGist— DECEMBER, 1875. 
a wild state) far more than repaid me for a rather hot walk of, 
altogether, full twenty miles. 
October 25th. Paid a visit to Braunton Burrows and the beautiful 
and extensive range of sands stretching far away towards Northam 
and Westward Ho. Near the sea was settled a large flock of 
about two hundred oystercatchers standing close together in a com- 
pact body and horizontal! position, with their necks contracted 
and every head pointed against the wind, which was blowing 
rather fresh at the time. From a distance they appeared like a 
dense black mass, but formed a beautiful object through a glass, 
now and then moving altogether for a few yards as the tide 
approached—the simultaneous action of the four hundred pinkish 
twinkling legs produced a very pretty effect. They allowed us to 
approach within about a hundred and fifty yards of them, and then 
got up, displaying their beautiful pied plumage to great advantage, 
but settled again about a quarter of a mile off. I was much pleased 
to see a small flock of sanderlings, too, on the sands, feeding close 
by the margin of the waves, and from their light colour I think they 
must have already assumed the perfect winter dress; but the swift- 
ness they displayed when coursing along the sands was truly 
marvellous—at times almost appearing to fly. On our way to the 
sands I observed two or three buzzards circling over the hills and 
brakes near the coast, and a flock of seven Cornish choughs, which 
flew past us within two hundred yards: they appeared to come 
from the direction of Morthoe, where they are said to be not 
uncommon. When traversing the sand-hills of the Burrows a short- 
eared owl started from some loug grass almost under my feet, flying 
off in a buoyant but wavering manner, something like a gull; but, 
after making a kind of half circle, alighted again on a bank about 
sixty yards off, where it stood bolt upright, staring at me with its 
beautiful yellow eyes until I ventured an approach, when it flew off 
again, and I did not further molest it, having satisfied myself with 
a good look at it through the glass, and was much astonished to see 
how wonderfully its plumage assimilated with surrounding objects ; 
’ indeed, without the aid of a glass, I could scarcely discern it at all, 
even at so short a distance. 
-27th. There were many woodcocks in the poulterer’s shops at 
Ilfracombe. 
Osprey.—There appears to have been quite a flight of ospreys 
on the Devonshire coast during the early part of the present 
