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Chichester, while flying over some fields, and I again to-day (November 5th) saw the remains of the skin, which had been partially destroyed while in the birdstuffer's hands, and on measuring the wing as before, found it to be just twelve inches. The bird was in mottled plumage, the central pair of feathers an inch beyond those next.

Stone Curlew.-November 5th. A backward bird of the year killed on the hill-ground near here with down still attached to the feathers of the forehead.

Autumnal Migrations.-Tree pipit and yellow wagtail heard passing over from the 5th of August to the end of the month, and both species were numerous during the first few days of September. The tree pipit breeds sparingly in some of our wooded parts; but the yellow wagtail is unknown here in the breeding season. By the end of August most of the warblers have left; an occasional common whitethroat or willow warbler seen. The first week in September, whitethroat, willow warbler (or chiffchaff) and flycatcher seen; on the 4th a solitary swift. Whinchats numerous on the 5th; wind N.W.; none seen next day: a nightjar seen in a nursery garden. 6th.-Gray wagtail reappears from breeding quarters. 7th. Chiffchaff, whitethroat and flycatcher seen. 11th.-Dabchick returns. 15th.-Chiffchaff sings. 19th.-Lesser redpoll reappears; chiffchaff and flycatcher seen; tree pipit heard. 23rd.-Reed and sedge warblers and chiffchaff seen. 29th.Meadow pipit passing in flock. 30th.-Pied wagtail passing in flock. Saw from twenty to thirty swallows in company on the 4th of October, and on the 5th several chiffchaffs; on the 12th missel thrushes congregate, and on the 26th saw and heard a small party of fieldfares at Fareham, in Hampshire: I notice this is three days earlier than this species was observed in Surrey (see Zool. S. S. 3790). W. JEFFERY, JUN.

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Ratham, Chichester, December 6, 1873.

Bird Notes from the West.

By the Rev. MURRAY A. MATHEW, M.A.

Honey Buzzard.-About the middle of June a young male honey buzzard was shot at Cothelestone, on the Quantock Hills. This is the first occurrence of the species, as far as I know, in the county

of Somerset. Another was seen at the same time, and was probably the large hawk which I noted a few weeks later during an evening walk on the hills.

Late stay of Swifts.-All the hirundines were late in arriving in this neighbourhood last spring, and some of them were equally late in their departure in the autumn. The 10th of August is the average date for swifts to leave us, but this year I observed several as late as the 5th of September. Martins were flying about in the village as recently as November 26th. On the 23rd of November I saw many on the coast of North Devon, the weather at the time being very cold, with a keen east wind.

Early Woodcock.-In the beginning of October I was shooting in the centre of Devonshire under the northern slopes of Dartmoor. We flushed and bagged a very fine woodcock on the 4th of October, the earliest date on which I have seen one. In this part of the country wood larks were very numerous, seeming quite to take the place of the sky lark, which was scarce by comparison. I noted little parties in almost every field. Goldfinches were also plentiful, and this pretty little finch in many parts of the kingdom has almost disappeared.

Buffon's Skua.-About the middle of October an immature specimen of Buffon's skua was obtained by Mr. Haddon, watchmaker, of Taunton. Mr. Haddon has a collection of British birds, all of his own shooting, and is notorious for the good luck which attends him whenever he takes gun in hand. He shot the Buffon's skua on the north coast of the county, a little to the west of Bridgwater.

Abundance of Snipe and Wild-fowl.-Towards the middle of November I visited the north coast of Devonshire for a few days, and, the wind being in the east, there were then a number of snipe and wild-fowl in the marshes. Directly the wind shifted they were all off again; the snipe probably to the hills. When wild-fowl rise alarmed from a pool out of range it is always advisable to crouch immediately, as the birds, after taking a few casts, will very often return to the pool from which they were started, and, if they do not settle quietly again, will very likely fly low overhead, affording a good shot. I twice proved the advantage of these tactics on my late visit to the coast, the first time dropping a shoveller duck out of a flock of ducks which had risen wild out of distance, but which, after a few circles in the air, flew close to me in an

attempted return to their pool. And here a word in praise of the flavour of the shoveller, which is quite equal to that well-known delicacy, the teal, if it does not even surpass it. At the margin of one of the duck-ponds I noticed a wood sandpiper and a spotted crake, and thought it a late date (November 19th) for both.

Knot, Golden Plover.-On the sands I saw a small flock of knot; and often in the air noted flocks of golden plover flying inland. Some of these flocks were very large, and must have contained several thousand birds. At times golden plovers were to be found on the flats, but were wild and difficult to approach: An old gamekeeper told me that the best time to get near these birds is at daybreak, when they are busy feeding, and in the dim light will then permit an easy stalk. At any rate, his theory held good in practice, as when we came down to breakfast in the morning he would sometimes appear with a good bunch of plovers which he had shot on the moor while we had been still in bed.

Common Buzzard.-Some time in November a very fine example of the common buzzard was shot on Cothelestone Hill-the same place which produced the honey buzzard last June; and two more have since been trapped by the keepers. It is sad to hear of such havoc being made with an interesting species which will soon be extinct in these islands.

Bishop's Lydeard, December 4, 1873.

MURRAY A. MATHEW.

Ornithological Notes from Devonshire, Cornwall, &c.
By JOHN GATCOMBE, Esq.

(Continued from S. S. 3788).

NOVEMBER, 1873.

1st. Many woodcocks and snipes in the Plymouth market; the former were, I should say, rather plentiful in the western counties, judging from the numbers I have seen at the poulterers.

3rd. Visited the neighbourhood of Warleigh Woods, in which there is a heronry, and was much interested in watching many herons settled on the fir trees near the river, waiting for the tide (which was very high at the time) to recede, so that they could recommence fishing. Herons have certainly increased in number lately in this locality.

Nov. 4th. Several swallows passed close by me on the coast at Plymouth, flying due west. Observed a common redshank in the market-rather late for it in this neighbourhood.

5th. There was a large quantity of curlews, dunlins and ring dotterels on the West Mud this morning, which I watched with a telescope, and observed a great blackbacked gull, in adult plumage, the first I had seen since the spring. Blackbirds and thrushes are now very plentiful in the county, and I am sorry to say also in the markets.

8th. Observed a fine old male black redstart on the rocks of the coast close to Plymouth, which was very shy, and constantly hid itself in caverns: it was in fully adult plumage.

12th. Wind east, very cold and raw. Observed for some time a house martin flying to and fro under the lee of the houses in Durnford-street, Stonehouse, hawking for insects, but its flight was very feeble and slow.

15th. Wind still east. Remarked three house martins flying up and down under the lee of some houses at Millbay, Plymouth.

16th. Found kingfishers very plentiful on the coast and up the estuaries, and many are almost daily brought to the birdstuffers' shops. One man boasted of having killed thirteen during the last few weeks, but, finding that they were not worth much for stuffing, said he thought he should not kill any more. I have observed kingfishers, lately, when flying along the coast suddenly stop and hover, kestrel-like, over the pools among the rocks, and on one occasion over the sea, but close to the shore: this habit is, of course, commonly observed on fresh-water rivers and ponds.

17th. Watched a flock of twelve longtailed tits on some trees quite in the town, and have seen others lately on the cliffs along the coast, especially those covered with small trees and furzebrake. I am glad to hear that there are some black grouse still on Dartmoor, having seen one this morning, at a birdstuffer's shop, which had been killed by a friend of mine on the moor, not far from Plymouth.

18th. Saw the old male black redstart again. This morning a martin was observed flying near the Plymouth Hoe.

20th. Some gray plovers were seen on the Plymouth Breakwater, and one killed. Some fieldfares were also observed by me near the town-no doubt driven in from the moors by the strong north winds.

Nov. 21st. Swallows and martins seen flying over Plymouth. Many water rails, moorhens, teal, snipe, and female goldeneye in the market.

22nd. Observed a young black redstart on the rocks at the Devil's Point, Stonehouse.

24th. A great northern diver in the Sound, and an abundance of woodcocks in the markets, also many teal.

26th. Blowing very hard from the north. A storm petrel seen in the harbour at Plymouth.

27th. I observed an adult Iceland gull in the Sound, no doubt driven in by the prevailing northerly gales. I also remarked a northern diver and many shags, which latter birds have only just now made their appearance on our part of the coast, after the breeding season.

Herring Gull carrying off a wounded Dunlin.-Some friends of mine, on whose accuracy I can fully depend, told me that when shooting in the Sound a few days since a wounded dunlin, which had fallen into the water, was pounced upon and carried off by a young herring gull before they could reach the spot in their boat. I have often heard of falcons carrying away wounded birds, as it were, almost close to the sportsman's nose, but I do not remember in all my shooting excursions on the water having myself witnessed such a feat performed by a gull of any kind, although I have not the least doubt such was the case, since Mr. Thompson, in his 'Birds of Ireland,' mentions instances of the great blackbacked gull having frequently attacked, and carried off even, wounded wigeon from the wild-fowl shooters in Belfast Bay, and that some gulls have been known, falcon-like, to strike down birds out of a flock.

Ferocity of a Jackdaw.-I must now relate an instance of ferocity lately observed in a jackdaw. A friend of mine living in Plymouth, being in the habit of daily feeding a number of sparrows with crumbs thrown from his breakfast-room window, some jackdaws generally participating in the feast, saw one of these birds. deliberately seize a poor little sparrow by the back of the neck, shaking it as a dog would a rat, and notwithstanding the tremendous hubbub kicked up by the victim's brethren, succeeded, before my friend could rush to the rescue, in carrying it off, followed by the whole mob, to the "shoot" of a high house, where no doubt it was ruthlessly destroyed.

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