Page:VCH Cornwall 1.djvu/376

 A HISTORY OF CORNWALL of exposed upland are insignificant. The scarcity of trees, save towards the north-west, the absence of valleys, and the general monotony of the feature- less surface make the number of resident species of land birds in the island promontory relatively small. The coast-line is one of great magnificence and beauty, with many inaccessible cliffs, numerous sea caves, and strips of narrow beach of sand, shingle and pebble. There is an entire absence of estuaries and creeks, as the Helford river, which forms one of the geographi- cal boundaries of the peninsula, is for ornithological purposes more appro- priately included in the Truro-Falmouth district. In the north-west, however, is the Loe Pool, a narrow winding stretch of fresh water, a mile and a half long, and separated from the sea by a bar of pebbles. Here the oak coppice that creeps down to the water's edge, the sloping tangled banks, the park of Penrose, the shelving meadows at the top of the lake, and the pretty wooded valley of the Cober, attract a bird population in many respects similar to that around the Fal. Several sheltered dells and charmingly-wooded grounds occur, too, on the north-western slopes of Goonhilly Downs. The most southerly strongholds of woodland birds in England are at Bochym and Bonython, half way between Helston and Lizard Point. Mount's Bay, from its geographical position, its remarkable climate, its splendid marshes, its orchards, groves, and the timber brakes that are scattered over the southern slopes for about two miles inland, is one of the most remarkable ornithological centres in England ; while to the north St. Ives Bay, with its circling towans and great expanse of sandy beaches, presents unusual attractions to all kinds of wading birds. The Land's End peninsula consists of granite and slate, the former predominating. Outside the zone just indicated, there are practically no trees, but for the most part a rough ragged country, with no taller cover than gorse. The interior consists, for the most part, of chains of granite hills, wild crofts, and desolate moors. To the north the scenery is wild and harsh, and dotted with granite tors. The fresh-water pools and marshes in the west naturally attract a large number of surface-feeding ducks during the winter. The coast presents a magnificent series of headlands and cliffs, chiefly of granite, jointed and weathered into enormous slabs of titanic masonry. On the south' the granite barrier is broken at intervals by sheltered porths and coves ter- minating seawards in a patch of sandy beach. Such of the cliff-land along the south as is well sheltered from prevailing winds is, where practicable, devoted to the cultivation of broccoli, early potatoes, and narcissi. With the exception of Montagu's harrier, which still breeds on Goon- hilly Downs, there is no nesting bird peculiar to the district. The extreme westerly position and the exposed character of much of the surface result in a thinning-out of land species that, during the breeding season, are well represented in the Truro-Falmouth district, and a very local distribution of birds that elsewhere are fairly common throughout the southern half of the county. The nuthatch, lesser spotted woodpecker, garden -warbler grass- hopper-warbler, grey wagtail, marsh-tit, coal-tit, and wood-lark have not been recorded as breeding in this district, though they all do so in the neighbourhood of the Fal. The magpie is abundant, but it is doubtful if the jay has nested anywhere except in the neighbourhood of Meneage. Lhe latter bird has been seldom seen at any time of the year either about 324