BIRDS 



seen as late as May in north Devon. The 

 adults are often met with in pairs in early spring. 



187. Smew. Mergus a/be/lus, Linn. 



Locally, White Wigeon (adult male), Vare- 

 Wigeon (female and young male). 

 A winter visitor, most abundant in severe 

 seasons, and occasionally met with from 

 November to March on the coasts, sometimes 

 penetrating far inland along the courses of 

 our larger rivers. Immature birds are most 

 often seen on the south coast, adults being 

 usually scarce, but in January 1891 many 

 occurred all over the county. In north Devon 

 adult males are said to be the commonest. 

 When in full plumage this beautiful little 

 merganser generally occurs in pairs, but in 

 some instances several adult males have been 

 seen in company. On 2 August 1897 Mr. 

 E. A. S. Elliot saw a pair close to the shore 

 at Thurlestone. The male was in the eclipse 

 stage of plumage. 



1 88. Ring-Dove. Columba palumbus, Linn. 

 Locally, Culver, Wild or Wood-Pigeon. 



An abundant resident, generally distributed 

 in all wooded parts throughout the county. 

 It is increasing in numbers to a serious extent 

 in some places. Being a most voracious bird, 

 and terribly destructive to the crops of grain, 

 tares and turnips, as well as to garden 

 produce, it is a perfect pest to the agriculturist. 

 Large flocks appear in winter, especially when 

 beech-mast and acorns are abundant. 



189. Stock-Dove. Columba oenas, Linn. 



Formerly this pigeon was but little known 

 in Devonshire, being only an irregular winter 

 visitor, appearing in those years in which 

 beech-mast was plentiful. Since about the 

 year 1876 it has become a common resident, 

 and may now be seen at all times of the year. 

 It breeds in a great diversity of situations ; in 

 hollow trees, in holes in walls, in ivy against 

 the walls of houses, on the sea cliffs, and in 

 rabbit burrows on sandhills. It is very 

 numerdus on some parts of the south coast, 

 and is often mistaken for the rock-dove. 



1 90. Rock-Dove. Columba livia, J. F. Gmelin. 

 Locally, Cliff-Culver. 



The ' clifF-culver ' appears to have been 

 formerly much more abundant than it is at 

 present, and it is no longer found in some 

 localities, such as Lundy Island, where once 

 it was well known. It is now little more 

 than an occasional visitor to some suitable 

 spots, though a few pairs are said to breed in 

 caves and fissures of the sea-cIifFs. The com- 

 mon ' blue rock ' of the farmyard frequently 

 I 32 



reverts to a wild state, and it is then difficult 

 to distinguish it from the genuine wild rock- 

 dove. Great numbers of pigeons, probably 

 domestic birds gone wild, or their descendants, 

 inhabit the white clifft at Beer, where freestone 

 has been quarried for many centuries, and 

 which are pierced by tunnels or galleries 

 branching in all directions. 



191. Turtle Dove. Turtur communis, Selby. 

 A summer migrant, visiting suitable locali- 

 ties throughout the county, but is usually far 

 from numerous. It arrives at the end of April 

 or early in May, and leaves about Michaelmas. 

 Some pairs breed annually in the Kingsbridge 

 district, in the woods at Kelly on the Tamar, 

 and on Braunton Burrows. Although usually 

 seen singly, in pairs, or small parties, flocks 

 have been seen on Dawlish Warren in July, 

 and on the borders of Dartmoor in August. 

 Mr. W. Eagle Clarke observed many turtle 

 doves passing the Eddystone Lighthouse on 

 the nights of 22-23 September and 13-14 

 October 1901. 



[The collared turtle (7*. risorius) has occas- 

 ionally been killed in a wild state near Ply- 

 mouth, and it is said to have bred in some of 

 the large woods and plantation in that neigh- 

 bourhood. It is often kept in confinement.] 



192. Pallas's Sand-Grouse. Syrrhaptes para- 



doxus (Pallas) 

 An accidental visitor of very rare occurrence. 

 Like the rest of England, Devonshire was 

 visited by flocks of this curious bird in 1863 

 and 1888. A pair was shot out of a flock of 

 thirteen on the sands at Slapton Ley in June 

 1863 ; an old female was killed by a game- 

 keeper at Heanton Court near Barnstaple 

 II December 1863; a flock appeared on 

 Lundy Island in May, remaining for several 

 weeks, and several were obtained at Hartland 

 about 3 June 1888. 



193. Black Grouse. Tetrao tetr'tx, Linn. 

 Locally, Heath Poult, Moor Fowl, Black Cock 



and Grey Hen. 

 At the beginning of the last century this 

 fine species of grouse was abundant on most 

 of the moors of the county. Some few still 

 exist on Dartmoor, on the Haldons, and 

 Blackdown Hills, on the high ground in the 

 extreme eastern part of the county, and on 

 the moorlands in north Devon. A stray bird 

 now and then occurs in the Kingsbridge dis- 

 trict, especially on the sands at Strete, close to 

 Slapton Ley. Hybrids between the black cock 

 and hen pheasant, and cock pheasant and 

 grey hen, have been obtained several times at 

 Plymouth. 



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