THE ZooLocist—Marcu, 1876. 4823 
leuconotus, and therefore may have erred in making his objections 
to Di. Saxby’s statement. 
Epwarp NEwMAN. 
Ornithological Notes from Devonshire and Cornwall. 
By J. GATCoMBE, Esq. 
(Continued from Zool. S, 8. 4785.) 
JaNuARY, 1876. 
Cornish Chough.—Judging from the specimens occasionally 
received by our local birdstuffers, I should think that the number 
of choughs on the Cornish coast has been gradually increasing 
within the last ten years. On the 4th instant I examined two at 
the shop of Mr. Luckraft, Stonehouse, and found the stomach of 
one to contain the remains of a large dung-beetle and, as usual, a 
quantity of fine sea-sand. What a great pity it is that these 
interesting birds should be killed at all! 
Gannet.— During the past week hundreds of gannets have 
appeared in the channel off Rhame Head, near Plymouth, when 
several were obtained both with the gun and baited fish-hooks. 
One man described their numbers as being so great that they 
appeared, when fishing, to “ fall like a snow-shower”—not a bad 
simile, I think. 
Shorteared Owl and Black Redstart.—January 8th. Observed 
some redstarts on the coast; wind N.E. and very cold. Two more 
shorteared owls have been brought to Mr. Peacock this week ; one 
was an unusually large specimen, the stomach of which contained, 
besides mice, some feathers and the entire leg of a redwing. There 
were some immature goldeneyes and tufted ducks in the market 
to-day. 
Plumage of Guillemot and Razorbill.—January 13th. These 
birds are exceedingly plentiful on our coasts just now, and I was 
rather surprised to find that many of the former had already 
acquired their full breeding dress. I was also informed by a friend 
that some were killed three weeks before in the same forward state. 
From which it would appear that the winter dress of the adult 
guillemot is of but short duration. Almost every razorbill was in 
perfect winter plumage, a very few dark feathers only just appearing 
on the throats of one or two of them. 
