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THE BIKDS OF SCILLY. 

 By James Clark, M.A., D.Sc, and Francis E. Rodd, J.P. 



(Continued from p. 252.) 



The Raven is a scarce casual wanderer to Scilly but has been 

 recorded at all seasons. It appears to have bred on Gorregan 

 about 1840. In May and June of 1893 a couple of Ravens 

 frequented the western islands, but no nest was found. The 

 Carrion-Crow breeds regularly on all the outer uninhabited 

 islands, and in spite of repressive measures, and the apparent 

 absence of immigrant recruits, is sufficiently numerous to be a 

 serious menace to young poultry and broods of game. The 

 Hooded Crow is an occasional visitor from November to May. 

 A few at times spend the greater part of the winter at Tresco, as 

 in 1870-71, 1900-01, and 1903-04. In May, 1900, L. R. George 

 obtained one at Holy Vale, St. Mary's. In the spring of 1901 a 

 party of five spent some days there, and on April 14th, 1903, a 

 solitary bird was seen on St. Martin's, so that it may possibly 

 be a scarce spring bird of passage. A few Rooks are occasionally 

 blown over from the mainland in the autumn and winter, and 

 small parties appear at times from other directions. Such 

 arrivals generally remain till the spring. In squally weather in 

 1854, and again in October, 1905, several Rooks were driven in 

 on the west of Bryher, and on several occasions stragglers have 

 appeared on the north end of Tresco. In December, 1876, a 

 small flock came in from the north-west on the extreme northern 

 point of that island. The late Augustus Smith, lord -proprietor 

 of the islands, used to tell of a whole rookery that was driven 

 over to Tresco by a violent autumn gale in the early fifties, and 

 not only remained through the winter, but as spring approached 

 attempted to establish itself in the pinasters near the Abbey. 

 The birds, however, gradually disappeared before building opera- 

 tions had been completed. On at least three other occasions 

 they have begun nest-building on Tresco, but so far as known no 



