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ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES FROM DEVON AND CORNWALL. 
By John Gatcombe. 
By March 14th numbers of adult Sea-mews, Larus canus, 
mostly in pairs, had assembled in our harbours en route for their 
breeding quarters. This Gull, I am glad to say, appears to have 
become more plentiful within the last few years; but “ Common 
Gull” is still I fear rather a misnomer, at least on this part of 
the coast. I examined a nice male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, 
killed in the neighbourhood of Plymouth ; the stomach contained 
small white maggots or grubs with very black heads. On March 
19th I observed the last Black Redstart of the season at the 
Devil's Point, Stonehouse. Notwithstanding excessively cold 
easterly winds, Mr. Brodrick, of Chudleigh, informed me that 
he saw Wheatears near Haldon on March 22nd, but I did not 
observe them at Plymouth until the 30th of the month. On one 
occasion, some years ago, I met with a Wheatear on Dartmoor as 
early as March 6th. 
In April Lesser Black-backed Gulls were numerous in pairs, 
and in full breeding-plumage. On the 11th of that month the 
nest of a pair of Ravens which breed annually at Bovisand, near 
Plymouth, was visited, and found to contain two young birds 
almost ready to fly; and a friend informed me that some Cornish 
Choughs were nesting near Bude, which I am glad to say were 
left unmolested. On April 19th a female Hoopoe was obtained 
at Saltash, near Plymouth; and I heard of another which had 
flown on board a ship at sea, but left for the shore on nearing 
Portsmouth ; the stomach of the Saltash specimen contained the 
skins of caterpillars or grubs of beetles; the eggs in the ovary 
were much advanced. 
On May 1st I observed many birds at a distance on the West 
mud-banks of the Tamar, which I felt sure were Whimbrels, and 
the day after I heard their notes. By the 4th a small party of 
Common Sandpipers, Tringa hypoleueus , were seen on the rocks 
at Stonehouse; wind N.E. and very cold. On the same day an 
adult male Ring Ouzel was killed in the neighbourhood. Swifts 
were seen on the 8th, and as late as the 12th (strange to say) a 
couple of Brent Geese were sent in the flesh to a local birdstuffer. 
Whimbrels by that date were plentiful, and I examined one 
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