278 THE ZOOLOGIS'U. 
ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES FROM DEVON AND CORNWALL. 
By JoHn GATCOMBE. 
THE following interesting varieties have lately come under 
my notice:—A Common Snipe, the plumage of which exhibited 
the usual markings of the species, but were exceedingly faint and 
on a buff ground: I once obtained a very similar specimen in 
Leadenhall Market, and have heard of others. A Blackbird having 
a large round pure white spot on either cheek, the rest of the 
plumage being ofa fine black, similar to that of an ordinary old 
male; bill, rich yellow. Mr. Clogg, of Looe, kindly sent me 
a rather pretty variety of the Chaffinch, with a pure white line 
running through its eyes and round the back of the head, giving it 
a singular appearance: the plumage, otherwise, was of the usual 
tint. I may here add that the white Pipit mentioned in my last 
notes as being in the possession of Mr. Marshall, of Taunton, proved 
to be Anthus Richardi. 
A short time since, when visiting a creek by the side of the 
St. Germains River, i witnessed a somewhat unusual and interesting 
sight. A flight of about thirty Redshanks were making towards a 
sheltered bay ; but before reaching the land, to my great surprise, 
they all suddenly alighted on the water, much out of their depth, 
and quietly swam towards the shore, in a rather compact body, 
until their feet touched the bottom, when they waded in and com- 
menced feeding in their usual manner. The water at the time 
being quite unruffled, glassy, and very clear, they were doubtless 
deceived as to its depth, but did not appear in the least astonished 
at being obliged to swim. The sight was really a pretty and inte- 
resting one, and, but for their long orange-coloured bills, they might. 
easily have been mistaken for a flock of Teal. Mr. Thompson, in 
his ‘ Birds of Ireland,’ states that Redshanks often alight on the sea 
where it is deep; but, to the surprise of a shooter in Belfast Bay, on 
November 20th, 1847, three of these birds appeared swimming 
about and busily feeding on the surface of water about eight feet 
in depth, and, from their turning quickly about in all directions, he 
at first imagined they were Gray Phalaropes. 
On March 6th [ heard Herring Gulls crying in the air, as they 
do during the nesting season, and many Pied Wagtails had nearly 
assumed their perfect summer dress. Curlews were numerous on 
