268 Summer Studies of Birds and Books chap. 



these was a very conspicuous adult bird, with the 

 black crescent in front remarkably bright and the 

 upper parts a uniform light gray — so light in fact 

 that the bird seemed almost white as he flitted past 

 me. A journey to St. Ives, on the western coast, 

 showed us a very large collection of Wagtails on the 

 fields above the beach, and among these too there 

 seemed to be one or two of the rarer species. The 

 Pied Wagtail, the Meadow Pipit, and the Linnet— 

 of which last there were in some places immense 

 numbers — were the three species which obliged us 

 with their companionship during the whole of our 

 travel along the south coast. 



It was only on the last day of our stay at 

 Falmouth that the Swallows and Martins began to 

 show distinct signs of migration. That day they 

 were passing in small parties over the promontory 

 where we had found the Grasshopper Warbler, all 

 going pretty steadily eastwards. Next day, the 19th, 

 I saw from the train window just east of Exeter a 

 vast congregation of them, extending at least two or 

 three miles. This leads me to suspect that the birds 

 which pass along the north coast of Somerset and 

 Devon, coming from Wales and the Severn valley, 

 cross the latter county to the south by way of Barn- 

 staple and the river Taw, and then, instead of striking 

 the sea at Exmouth, follow an inland route eastwards, 

 past Honiton and Axminster, until they reach the 



