12 THE BIRDS OF DEVOX. 



near Egg Buckland. A Piobin was fighting with it. Bolitho, the bird-stufFer 

 at Plymouth, had only two specimens sent to him for preservation in the 

 twenty years between 1853 and 1872. Col. Montagu, in the Supplement 

 to his 'Ornithological Dictionary,' published in 1813, observes: "We 

 have long noticed it as far west as nearly the whole extent of Devon- 

 shire in the low and sheltered situations between Exeter and Plymouth ; 

 but in the southern hundreds of the county, Avhich extend into a sort 

 of promontory to the British Channel, it is of rare occurrence, the nature 

 of the country not being congenial to its habits." It is still of rather 

 uncommon occurrence in the South Hams. One was shot, and others 

 seen, in the parish of Thurlestone on April 24th, 1888, one or two were 

 seen in April 1800, five at Baiitham April 24th, 1891, and two near 

 the top of Bolt Head September Uth, l.sUl (E. A. S. E.). It has been 

 known to breed in gardens in Kingsbridge (II. P. X.). "NVe saw one at 

 South Brent in September 1889. Observed April 17th, 1»51, at Totnes 

 (S. Hannaford, Jan., ' Naturalist,' 1851, p. 92). One seen 24th April, 

 1871, at Marldou, near Totnes (J. H. G., Zool. 1871, p. 2G79). This 

 is one of thnse species which are supposed to be extending their range 

 westward. The Bedstart has bred in the eastern part of Cornwall, but 

 is as yet little known in that county. 



Mr. C. Ham, of Exeter, informed us of a remarkable circumstance 

 connected with this bird. About the 10th February, 1877, a thatcher 

 named Bradford, engaged in removing the thatch from an old barn at 

 Upton Pyne, near Exeter, found a nest and six eggs of a pale blue colour. 

 A gamekeeper in the employ of the late Lord Iddesleigh happened to bo 

 present, and saw the nest and one of the old birds, which he recognized 

 as a Kedstart. He broke one of the eggs, and from the forward appear- 

 ance of the young chick he considered it would have been hatched in a 

 few days. The nest was placed on a winnowing machine, and was un- 

 fortunately accidentally destroyed. The cock bird was afterwards shot, 

 but was lost in a hedge. AVe communicated these facts to Mr. llobert 

 Cumming, of Exeter, an excellent ornithologist, who soon afterwards 

 visited the spot and made enquiries, with the result that he had no doubt 

 of the correctness of the foregoing account. (For a similar instance of 

 winter nesting of the lledstart near Scarborough in December 1888, see 

 Zool. 1889, p. 106.) 



Black Redstart. Buticilla titys (Scop.). 



A winter visitor, arriving sometimes as early as the end of September 

 and beginning of October, but generally about the first week of November, 

 and remaining until the end of March and beginning of April. A male 

 was killed at Plympton in July 1805 (J. B. K., MS. Notes). Frequently 

 observed on the south-west coast of the county, especially near Plymouth, 

 at Thurlestone, around Torbay, and at Teignmouth. East of the Exe it 

 is much more rarely seen. 



It is our opinion that the Black lledstart may be observed almost 

 anywhere on our south-western coast in the winter months by those who 



