( 419 ) 



ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES FROM DEVON AND CORNWALL. 



By John Gatcombe. 



By March 14th numbers of adult Sea-mews, Larus canus, 

 mostly in pairs, had assembled in our harbours en route for their 

 breeding quarters. This Gull, I am glad to say, appears to have 

 become more plentiful within the last few years ; but " Common 

 Gull " is still I fear rather a misnomer, at least on this part of 

 the coast. I examined a nice male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, 

 killed in the neighbourhood of Plymouth ; the stomach contained 

 small white maggots or grubs with very black heads. On March 

 19th I observed the last Black Redstart of the season at the 

 Devil's Point, Stonehouse. Notwithstanding excessively cold 

 easterly winds, Mr. Brodrick, of Chudleigh, informed me that 

 he saw Wheatears near Haldon on March 22nd, but I did not 

 observe them at Plymouth until the 30th of the month. On one 

 occasion, some years ago, I met with a Wheatear on Dartmoor as 

 early as March 6th. 



In April Lesser Black-backed Gulls were numerous in pairs, 

 and in full breeding-plumage. On the 11th of that month the 

 nest of a pair of Ravens which breed annually at Bovisand, near 

 Plymouth, was visited, and found to contain two young birds 

 almost ready to fly ; and a friend informed me that some Cornish 

 Choughs wer'e nesting near Bude, which I am glad to say were 

 left unmolested. On April 19th a female Hoopoe was obtained 

 at Saltash, near Plymouth ; and I heard of another which had 

 flown on board a ship at sea, but left for the shore on nearing 

 Portsmouth ; the stomach of the Saltash specimen contained the 

 skins of caterpillars or grubs of beetles ; the eggs in the ovary 

 were much advanced. 



On May 1st I observed many birds at a distance on the West 

 mud-banks of the Tamar, which I felt sure were Whimbrels, and 

 the day after I heard their notes. By the 4th a small party of 

 Common Sandpipers, Tringa hypoleucus, were seen on the rocks 

 at Stonehouse; wind N.E. and very cold.* On the same day an 

 adult male Ring Ouzel was killed in the neighbourhood. Swifts 

 were seen on the 8th, and as late as the 12th (strange to say) a 

 couple of Brent Geese were sent in the flesh to a local birdstuffer. 

 Whimbrels by that date were plentiful, and I examined one 



