ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES FROM NORTH DEVON. 23 



hood, though I myself have not yet noticed the female. As a 

 breeding bird I believe it is a new species for Devon. 



30th. — Yellow Wagtails in large numbers on Braunton Bur- 

 rows. With us it is only a passing visitor, and not particularly 

 common. Also distinguished one or two White Wagtails near 

 the sea. The Grey Wagtail breeds here pretty commonly, in 

 holes in bridges and walls, &c. During the early morning, amid 

 very grand and imposing scenery, I watched an interesting 

 skirmish between a Peregrine Falcon and a pair of Eavens. 

 Corvus corax got served rather roughly. The daring little 

 Falcon, calling angrily, kept stooping, but the old Bavens 

 always managed to flop out of the way somehow. Eventually 

 the Bavens were defeated, but they did not exactly retreat, or 

 surrender — they lazily faced out the fury of the Peregrine, with- 

 out attempting to retaliate.' 



May 15th. — A nest of the Short-eared Owl found on Braunton 

 Burrows. Probably a pair breed there every year, but the nest 

 is often destroyed. This is a great pity, for, as is very well 

 known, it is a most useful bird, and a very beautiful one, too. 

 As you approach the nest the hen bird flies off it, and, joining 

 the male, which has by this time put in an appearance, both 

 " bark " and scream and hover over the head of the intruder in a 

 very threatening way. This nest contained seven eggs. The 

 young hatched out, but were taken and apparently killed before 

 they were half-Hedged. Bing-Plovers are breeding on all the 

 inland pebble-beaches on the Burrows. I have not found 

 one, this year, on the shore. I obtained a very curious egg 

 from one nest situated on a small mossy mound. Its ground 

 colour is very pale blue, with one big black blotch at the 

 larger end ; the rest of its surface nearly spotless. All four 

 eggs in the clutch had this faint blue ground colour, and were 

 somewhat larger than the ordinary Bing-Plover's egg. 



28th. — "A white Blackbird seen at Santon " ('North Devon 



Journal')- 



29th. — Two Nightjars' nests among" the bracken on the sand- 

 hills at Santon. Of the two eggs laid by this bird, one is gener- 

 ally larger than the other. Is there any foundation for the 

 statement that the large egg contains a male bird, and the 

 smaller a female ? The adults do not vary in size, I believe. 



