288 ORNITHOLOGY OF CORNWALL. 



and proved as well as the contrary. Ought we not to pause before 

 we try to exterminate every creature that we deem unexception- 

 ably damaging?" — May Ath, 1870. 



The "Little Bittern," a highly-prized rare British bird, has 

 appeared both here and at Scilly, in the last year or two ; and in 

 the last week of May the Land's End afforded a good specimen 

 of a female bird, two adult males having been obtained previously, 

 one from Scilly and another from St. Hilary. This species is the 

 smallest of the Heron family, and is a most elegant and rare 

 British bird. We had some other Spring visitants not usually 

 seen in the Land's End district, viz., the " Garganey," or " Sum- 

 mer Teal," the only Spring visitor of our Ducks, and then only 

 for a few days, in their passage from the Continent to more 

 northern climes, to breed and rear their young. This little Duck 

 is not surpassed for its elegance of shape and the beautiful ar- 

 rangement of the fine shades of brown and yellow in semicircles 

 on the breast. It is the smallest of our Anatidce, our Common 

 Teal being a trifle larger. We do not very often observe the two 

 British Godwits in their Spring plumage, as they generally com- 

 mence their northern flight before the assumption of the nuptial 

 livery. A specimen, however, of the rare species, the ''■ Black- 

 tailed Godwit" in Summer plumage, was sent from Scilly last 

 April. The Autumnal migration brings a large number of these 

 wading birds on our southern shores, but they are mostly young 

 birds of the year in their unadult plumage. Speaking of adult- 

 plumaged birds, I may mention that amongst the numerous speci- 

 mens of Red-breasted Mergansers that have come under my notice 

 for the last 40 years, they have all been birds of the year appar- 

 ently, until this year, when two sj)ecimens, in splendid adult 

 plumage, came under my notice, and were obtained from the 

 Land's End and Marazion Pool. During the very severe part of 

 our past winter two specimens of the " Goosander " were obtained 

 from Trengwainton ponds. Amongst the British Owls a very 

 good specimen of the " Scops-eared Owl," the smallest and rarest 

 British species, occurred in the plantations at Trevethoe very 

 recently, and is the second example I have heard of in the County, 

 the first having been sent to me from Scilly, and is the grey-toned 

 plumaged bird which forms one of the plates in Gould's " Birds of 

 Gi~eat Britain " ; the grey-plumaged specimens denoting the males, 

 and the rufous-toned specimens the female. 



