NOTES FROM DEVON AND CORNWALL. 23 
their stomachs crammed with the remains of small beetles. Our 
birdstuffer also received two adult Turtle Doves, two pied Black- 
birds, and one pretty variety of a young Rook. At Brent I 
remarked some young Dippers apparently as large as the old 
ones. When watching this bird through a powerful telescope 
I have often been struck with the singular habit it has of con- 
tinually winking its eyes, the white under lids rendering the 
action very conspicuous, and causing the incessant twinkling, as 
it were, to appear quite in keeping with the white froth and 
bubbling water rushing past the rock on which it stands. 
On June 20th I visited the breeding-station of the Herring 
Gulls at Wembury, on the western side of the River Yealm, and 
found that about the usual number had nested there; but few 
young ones were to be seen, as they had grown large enough to 
hide themselves on our approach. There is another colony of 
breeding birds close to Rhame Head, on the Cornish coast, not 
far from Plymouth. 
Swifts were very plentiful during the month of July; 
Swallows, on the contrary, were scarce. I examined a Swift 
which had fallen dead in the street after having struck against 
a telegraph-wire. On the 10th a Great Spotted Woodpecker was 
brought to our birdstuffer for preservation. 
On August 5th I examined a greyish buff variety of the 
Spotted Flycatcher, which showed no trace of the usual dark 
markings on the head and breast. On August 29th a Storm 
Petrel was captured which had lost the inner toe and web of one 
foot. The same day, on visiting Penzance, I saw, at the shop of 
Mr. Vingoe, a Manx Shearwater in the flesh, which had just 
been brought from Scilly. 
On Sept. 19th a Common Buzzard was obtained near Ply- 
mouth, and a Sparrowhawk was captured in the middle of the 
town, having dashed at a Goldfinch in a cage. On the 25th a 
pretty variety of the Hedgesparrow was obtained. The head 
and back of the neck were pure white; the thorax and under 
parts of the usual colour; the back, wings, and tail much 
diversified with white; bill and legs yellowish white. On the 
29th a Greenshank was forwarded from Wadebridge, Cornwall. 
The stomach contained the remains of a small shrimp. 
