OTIDID^. 291 



been taken, next settled close to the small town of Braunton, near some 

 boys who were sliding on the ice, who at once began to pelt them with 

 stones, upon which the birds flew olf and were seen no more. Some 

 Bustards reported to have been seen shortl\' afterwards atHolsworthy may 

 probably have been the remains of the flock which appeared first at Croyde. 

 Mr. Gatcombe was so interested iu the occurrence of these Great Bustards 

 in Jsorth Devon that he visited the neighbourhood where they had been 

 met with in order to secure all the information he could, and wrote an 

 account of what he had heard to the ' Zoologist ' (1S71, p. 2474). He states 

 that the country people considered the birds to have been wild Turkeys, and 

 gives an extract from the ' Xorth Devon Journal ' : — " "Wild Fowl. During 

 Christmas week a flock of eight wild Turkeys alighted in a field at Croyde. 

 They were seen by Mr. W. Quick, who followed and shot one, which 

 weighed upwards of 9 lbs., and W' as much admired. The others soon took 

 their flight to the west, and have not made a second appearance." At 

 the Barnstaple Bailway Station Mr. Gatcombe saw a man with some 

 feathers in his hat, who pointed to one of them, and said, " This here. Sir, 

 belonged to one of them Turkey Buzzards." Mr. James Bowe, gunsmith, 

 of Barnstaple, succeeded, after some difficulty, in obtaining the two Bustards 

 which had been shot at Croyde for preservation. Unfortunately, several 

 feathers had been plucked from their tails and wings for the hats of the 

 farmers' daughters ; however, in spite of their mauliug they made very 

 good specimens, one of them being in our possession, while the other passed 

 into the collection of Mr. Cecil Smith. Both of these birds were young 

 females. It would appear that the bird wounded by Mr. Wells was subse- 

 quently obtained and eaten, as we heard from a gentleman who partook 

 of it, and who spoke of the excellence of the meat. 



In addition to the Devonshire Great Bustards already enumerated wo 

 can mention a fine female which was purchased many years ago at the 

 sale of Mr. Comyns's collection at Starcross. Mr. Burt, the Curator of 

 the Torquay Museum, considered that this specimen had been procured in 

 the county. 



In Cornwall, Dr. Bullmore states that a specimen of the Great Bustard 

 was brought to him for identification in January 1854, which had been 

 shot near St. Austell, and had been sent into Falmouth for preservation. 

 To this Cornish example we can add from Mr. llodd's list " one observed in 

 March 1843 and afterwards captured, on the Goonhilly Downs, in the 

 Lizard district ; this proved to be a female, and is now preserved in a 

 private collection at I'enzance." A third Cornisli Great liustard was re- 

 ported to the 'Zoologist' for 1 880 (p. 2;j)])y ^Ir. Gatcombe, who had received 

 particulars of its capture from Mr. Steplien Cloggof J>ooe, near whicli place 

 it liad been caught by a spaniel, and was brought alive to Mr. Clogg for 

 identification. This was on Dec. Uth, l87!h Tliis bird was in a half- 

 starved C(;udition, and being badly injured ])y the dog, Mr. Clogg recom- 

 mended that it should be killed. It was a female, and what became of it 

 subsequently we are not told. 



In the county of Dorset ^Ir. Mansel-I'leydcU, at the time ho wrote his 

 book, knew of but one Great Bustard which had occurred in modern times, 



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