Page:VCH Cornwall 1.djvu/388

 A HISTORY OF CORNWALL residence in Scilly, breeding regularly on the larger uninhabited islands. 95. Hooded or Grey Crow. Corvus comix, Linn. Locally, Marketjew Crow. About a century ago fairly well known in the west of the county ; now only a casual visitor, but not so rare as is generally supposed. Recent records include two at the Lizard in November, 1900, one at Lanreath and one on the Helford river in the autumn of the same year ; one at Trengwainton in March, 1901 ; one on the Helford river, October, 1903, and one near Bodmin, December, 1904. An occasional visitor at Scilly from November to May. A few at times spend the greater part of the winter at Tresco, as in 1870-1, 1900-1, and 1903-4. One was shot by L. R. George at Holy Vale, St. Mary's, May, 1 900 ; a flock of five spent some days there in the spring of 1901, and on 14 April, 1903, a solitary bird was seen, so that it may prove to be a spring bird of passage on that island. 96. Rook. Corvus frugikgus, Linn. An abundant resident. In the autumn the rookeries in a district often unite into one enormous flock for roosting purposes, and come together at the same headquarters every evening like the starlings. A few are occasionally blown over to Scilly from the mainland, and usually remain till the spring. In the early fifties a whole rookery was driven over to Tresco in the autumn, and not only remained through the winter, but towards spring attempted to establish themselves near the Abbey, but the locality was unsuitable, and they gradually disappeared. 97. Skylark. Alauda arvensis, Linn. Resident, common and generally distributed ; does not breed in as great numbers as in the midlands ; large accessions in winter. At Scilly it breeds in small numbers, but during the period of autumn migration and irregularly throughout the winter arrives in large flocks. 98. Wood-Lark. Alauda arborea, Linn. Resident ; local but probably often overlooked ; appears to breed most commonly between Liskeard and Truro ; occasionally seen in the east and in spring about Penzance ; has not been recorded for the north of the county except about Newquay. A casual visitor to Scilly ; two shot by Pechell behind the Great Rock, Tresco, 5 December, 1859 ; two at the same place by F. R. Rodd, 29 December, 1870 ; and one by David Smith in 1891. 99. Crested-Lark. Alauda cristata, Linn. An accidental visitor represented by two specimens shot by Vingoe between Penzance and Marazion in September, 1846; one by J. N. R. Millett near Penzance in October, 1850; and one by Gill, of Falmouth, at Budock Bottoms in December, 1865. 100. Short-toed Lark. Alauda bracbydactyk, Leisler. An accidental vagrant, of which a single example was shot at Skirt Point, Tresco, by Pechell, 20 September, 1854 5 'he only record for the county. 101. Shore-Lark. Otocorys alpestris (Linn.). A casual winter visitor ; two shot in the parish of St. Merryn, near Padstow, 30 October, 1879. 336 102. Swift. Cypselus afus (Linn.). A summer migrant ; common, in some districts abundant and increasing, but somewhat local ; breeds not only about cottages, sea cliffs, and in hollow trees, but in colonies under the granite ledges on many of the Tors on the Bodmin moors. At Scilly it is an occasional bird of passage in small numbers, both in spring and late summer. 103. Alpine Swift. Cypselus mclba (Linn.). A rare accidental summer visitor. One specimen taken off the Lizard came into the hands of Jonathan Couch, 1 a second was obtained by Jackson of Looe, and on his death passed into the museum of the Royal Institution of Cornwall ; a third was shot by Allen Daniel at Mylor in the summer of 1859, and is in the Rodd Collection at Trebartha Hall. 104. Night-jar or Goatsucker. Caprlmulgus europaeus, Linn. Locally, Dorhawk. A summer migrant throughout the county ; com- moner in the east and middle than in the west, but nest- ingoccasionallyin the Land'sEnd district. Not uncom- mon at Scilly in autumn. In August, 1901, Dorrien- Smith saw a great flock of these birds on Annett. 105. Wryneck. Jynx torquilla, Linn. A casual autumn migrant, occasionally reported from the Liskeard district, the Lizard, and Scilly. Single specimens have been obtained at Trebartha, Cam Gulva, near Zennor, and Penzance. One was shot at Scilly by Dorrien-Smith, 4 April, 1893. 1 06. Green Woodpecker. Gecinus viridis (Linn.). Resident and generally distributed throughout the county. Till forty years ago a rare casual visitor to the west, though well known in the east of the county from the Tamar to Lostwithiel ; first nested near Truro about 1869, and at Falmouth in 1873, though stray birds were seen yearly about Tregothnan and the river Fal from 1866 ; first recorded as nesting at Penzance in 1882. Apparently non-migratory, but numbers increased considerably during the severe winter of 1894-5. A single specimen recorded for Scilly in September, 1901. 107. Greater Spotted Woodpecker. Dendncopui major (Linn.). Resident ; up till 1877 bred regularly at Trebartha and Liskeard, and was only a casual visitor to the rest of the county. That year it nested at Doublebois, and has been slowly moving westward ever since. A nest was found near Bodmin in 1884, at Lostwithiel in 1891, at Tregothnan in 1897, and it probably nested at Enys (Penryn) about the same time. It is now common in trees close to Penzance, and in all probability has nested there for several years past. Has not been recorded from the Lizard. 1 08. Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. Dendncopus minor (Linn.). Resident ; like the previous species was at one time known to breed only in the east of the county, but of late years has nested not infrequently about Tre- gothnan, and in 1904 near St. Columb ; occasionally appears further west in the autumn and winter ; prob- ably often overlooked. 1 Couch's Cornish Fauna, pt. iii, p. 147.