NOTES FROM DEVON AND CORNWALL. 53 
on deck. At one time there were two Owls on board, a white 
and a brown one, but they did not stay long. The same friend 
related a still more interesting case :— When nearing the Cape De 
Verde Islands some time in September or beginning of October, 
they met numerous Swallows returning southward, and, the 
weather being fine, the ship’s hatches were daily opened to air 
the cargo, which consisted chiefly of rice, when thousands of small 
white moths escaped, which were chased and caught by the 
Swallows which flew in and out between the rigging and under 
the ship’s lee, day after day, in the most wonderful manner. The 
poor cat in this instanve was dreadfully tantalized, not being able 
to catch one of them, although trying her utmost to do so. 
The following was related to a friend of mine by an officer on 
board H.M.S. ‘Northumberland,’ one of the Channel Fleet which 
was sent in search of the missing frigate ‘Atalanta’ some months 
since :—After their arrival at Gibraltar, a small brown bird came 
on board and accompanied them to the Azores, and from thence 
all the way back to Ireland, leaving the ship in Bantry Bay. 
Although it generally stuck to the ‘Northumberland,’ yet it 
occasionally paid visits to the other ships, and was remarked 
always to fly on board to leeward. It became well known 
throughout the fleet, was much petted by the sailors, and, from its 
tameness and long-continued visit, I was told, caused quite a topic 
of conversation among the officers, the chief wonder to them 
being that, after having accompanied them from Gibraltar to the 
Azores, it should not have left the ship there, instead of remaining 
throughout the return voyage to Bantry Bay. 
On December 4th an adult female Cornish Chough was 
trapped near the coast, and brought to Plymouth by a woman 
who said that there were three others in company with it at the 
time, and that a gentleman on a visit from London tried hard to 
shoot them, but without success. The stomach of the one trapped 
contained only a few grains of wheat. Near Plymouth some 
Hawfinches were seen, a very scarce species in this locality. An 
immature Peregrine was killed near Totnes on the 8th, and in 
its stomach I found nothing but some grains of wheat, which no 
doubt had come from some graminivorous bird which it had eaten. 
About the 23rd a Little Bustard was observed near Barnstaple, 
North Devon, and taken to the shop of Mr. Rowe, taxidermist, 
of that town, by whom it was preserved. It was killed in the 
