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VII. — Natural History. — Notes on the Ornithology of Cornwall 

 from May, 1870. — By E, Hearle Eodd. 



NOT very long after your last Spring Meeting we had, during 

 the vernal migration, a very interesting immigration of 

 large numbers of Golden Orioles, a species at all times very rare in 

 the British Isles, and very often appearing at only long intervals. 

 I have several times, however, had to record the annual appear- 

 ance of this Bird at Scilly ; and of late years their visits to those 

 Islands have been so regular, and at a period of the year when 

 they might be expected to remain and breed, that I have fully 

 expected to have been able to report the interesting fact ; but in 

 every instance when the male and female had paired and resorted 

 to thickets well suited to their nests, they abrujjtly took their 

 departure, and were not afterwards seen or heard of. Last year, 

 in the month of April, the groves of Trevethoe, in the parish of 

 Lelant, were visited with an assemblage of these beautiful birds, 

 varying ui the intensity of their plumage from difference of age 

 and sex, in flocks of eight up to twice or thrice that number, 

 according to information kindly conveyed to me by Lieut.-Col. 

 Manners, the resident occupier of the jDlace. I prepared him, 

 however, for their departure as abrupt and sudden as their advent, 

 and which was the case. The bird possesses such a brilliant blaze 

 of yellow over the whole of its body, that it is next to impossible 

 that any specimen can escape notice ; and the symmetrical pro- 

 portions of its shape and general elegance of form, with its 

 finely contrasted colours of yellow and black, entitle it to be re- 

 garded as one of the most attractive of our British buxls. This 

 flight of Orioles extended to the Scilly Isles, and several were 

 seen at Trescoe, Samson, and St. Mary's Islands, about this time. 

 Amongst our Predatory Birds there appears to be a remark- 

 able increase in the comjjaratively newly discovered species of the 

 family of Harrier, viz., Montagues Harrier. There are only three 

 British species, and the last was identified, and its specific value 

 pointed out, by our celebrated naturalist, Montagu, and it is 

 named after him '' Montasfu's." The " Ash-coloured Harrier " is 



