5 CIEXCE- G OS SI P. 



altitude of 1.573 feet, being the highest in North 

 Devon. These hills are chiefly of sandstone on the 

 coast, with some beds of coarse slate a little 

 distance inland. The cliffs on the coast are in 

 many places prettily coloured by peroxide of iron. 

 which causes various shades of red. yellow, and 

 grey, often curiously intermixed. Portions of the 

 cliffs along the coast have from time to time fallen 

 into the sea. but from some cause the rocks on the 

 shore are only covered with algae in isolated 

 places, the rest being smooth and bare. 



Lvnmouth. owing to its northern aspect and high 

 surrounding hills, suffers from an absence of sun- 

 shine in the winter as regards many of the houses. 

 The inhabitants of some of them in the valley of 

 the East Lyn do not see the sun on then: residences 

 from the end of October until February 14th, a 

 date eagerly looked forward to by them. Owing, 

 however, to the sheltered position of our valley, 

 myrtles bloom and fruit freely, fuchsias and 

 geraniums live in the open gardens through the 

 winter, and Ihtonymus japonica also bears fruit in 

 most years. 



The absence of marshes and sea-sands in the 

 immediate neighbourhood of this place is the 

 reason that the number of species of birds I have 

 seen here are comparatively so few. With the 

 exception of an occasional flock of geese or ducks, 

 flying too high in the ah - to distinguish the species, 

 and a common sandpiper now and then seen flying 

 along the rocks on the shore, the large groups, of 

 birds to which they belong are absent. The follow- 

 ing list includes those birds I have seen in the 

 Lynmouth district during the last three years : — 



Tardus viseii-nrus Lin. Missel-thrush. Common 

 here at all times of the year. The young birds 

 assemble in flocks in the autumn. 



Tardus musieus Lin. Song-thrush. Very 

 common. 



Tardus iliacus Lin. Redwing, My brother 

 (C. A. Briggs) told me that he saw a flock of these 

 birds at Countisbury on September 7th, 1899. I saw 

 a few others at times all through the winter of 

 1899-1900, which has been the longest and most 

 severe winter since we have been here. I have 

 not noticed this bird in the other winters. 



Tardus pilaris Lin. Fieldfare. In 1897 Mr. 

 E. B. Jeune. my brother, and I saw three fieldfares 

 flying on the high ground between Countisbury and 

 Gienthorne. In 1899 I saw a few on October 17th 

 from the window of the railway train travelling 

 between Lynton and Barnstaple. I have seen one 

 or two others at different times, but it is not a 

 common winter visitor. 



Tardus merula Lin. Blackbird. Resident and 

 very common. 



Saxicola oenantlie Lin. Wheat-ear. On March 

 25th. 1897. I saw a great number of these birds in 

 the Valley of Rocks, but they were apparently on 

 migration, as only a few subsequently remained to 

 breed. On May 28th there appeared to be only 



one there. Next year, on March 22nd. there wore 

 several in the Valley of Bocks, and I saw a few on 

 May 23rd. On April 11th. 1900, there was a male 

 in full plumage at Countisbury. and another, later, 

 on the Tors above East Lyn. 



Pratincola rvbetra Lin. Whinchat. May 23rd. 

 1898. several were in the Valley of Rocks, where 

 the bird is often common. 



Pratincola rubieola Lin. Stonechat. Resident. 

 On March 22nd. 1898. I saw two in the Valley of 

 Rocks, and one on May 23rd in the same place. 

 This was a male bird, and the female probably had 

 her nest near by. as the male bird would not be 

 driven away. 



Rutieilla phoenicurus Lin. Redstart. Common 

 here, especially in 1898. when I knew of three nests 

 up the valley of the East Lyn. between Lynmouth 

 and Rockf ord. 



E-ritJiacus mbeeala Lin. Redbreast. Resident 

 and very common. 



Sylvia einerea Bechstein. White-throat. On 

 April 5th. 1897. I saw one sitting on a telegraph 

 wire, on the Barnstaple road. This was the only 

 occasion of my seeing one of these birds until a 

 male and a female appeared in our garden on 

 May 5th. 1900. 



Phylloseopus rufus Bechstein. Chiff-chaff. Not 

 uncommon. April 4th, 1899. one heard near the 

 Countisbury road ; April 8th. 1898, one heard ; 

 April 15th, 1899. one heard. These are the first 

 dates of hearing this bird in the respective years : 

 but it is not common on the coast of North Devon. 



Accentor modularis Lin. Hedge-sparrow. Resi- 

 dent and common. 



Cinelvs aquations Bechstein. Dipper, or Water- 

 ouzel. This is one of our most interesting birds, 

 and one that gives endless pleasure in observation, 

 on account of its quick movements and rapid 

 flight. It is not uncommon, and resident, though 

 never abundant, in the valleys of the East and 

 West Lyn rivers. These birds chiefly frequent the 

 rocky portions of the streams, though they are 

 often to be seen' on rocks below the point of 

 junction, and where the river Lyn passes through 

 Lynmouth. They even descend to the tidal region 

 below our house, and hunt about among stones 

 covered by Zostera and other sea-weeds. Our 

 dippers can hardly be described as shy birds, as 

 they take little notice of people walking on the 

 paths by the riverside. In breeding plumage the 

 C. aquations of the Lyn have not the lower portion 

 of the breast of dark chestnut -brown, as described 

 by Mr. Howard Saunders in his manual of British 

 birds. There is a variety named meUmogaster, a 

 Scandinavian form, that has been reported from 

 some parts of Britain, to which I imagine our 

 water-ouzels belong. These birds breed regularly 

 by both our streams. The accompanying illustra- 

 tions of the " Haunt of the Water-ouzels," and of a 

 nest with young, were taken on May 11th last, 

 the latter fi'om a nest found bv mv brother and 



