BIRDS the marsh-tit are fairly common about Falmouth. The corn-bunting is plentiful and the bullfinch locally common, but the goldfinch is gradually disappearing. The wood-lark appears to be confined to the east of the district. The kingfisher is seen at times on most of the streams in winter, but is becoming scarce in summer. The wheatear breeds on the downs ; the grey wagtail on one, or perhaps two, of the moorland streams. The dipper and the goat-sucker are by no means rare and are generally distributed. Lately the corncrake and the water-rail have been noticeably scarce. The quail breeds not infrequently about Falmouth. The stock-dove nests as far west as the Helford river, and the rock-dove is now a well-established colonist at intervals along the coast. Perhaps the most conspicuous bird of the dis- trict is the heron, which has populous head quarters about Tregothnan and at Bosahan. No less than thirty-five were counted one afternoon along the sides of the main creek during a canoe journey between St. Just-in-Roseland and Truro. The little grebe, or ' dipchick,' the moorhen, the mallard, and the coot breed in suitable localities throughout the district, but the last two are much commoner in winter than in summer. The other grebes and the divers are on the whole commoner than in the Tamar-Fowey district. The regular winter visitors include the merlin, the black redstart, the brambling, the spotted crake and the redshank, the latter occasionally venturing as far up the estuary as the quay at Truro. The snow-bunting and the fire-crest are of frequent occurrence. In severe weather the bean-goose, brent-goose, and bernacle-goose are frequent visitors, the two former often occurring in large flocks. The white-fronted goose is only occasionally seen. The mallard is the only duck that breeds regularly in the district, though young teal are not infrequently reported in the summer months. In the winter, however, not only are those two species abundant, especially in severe weather, but shovelers, pintail, and wigeon often appear in considerable numbers, and the pochard, golden eye, and of late years the scaup, are regular visitors. The tufted duck is erratic, but by no means rare, and the garganey is a not uncommon spring casual. The sheldrake is frequently seen in autumn and winter. Falmouth Bay is naturally the centre of extensive migratory movements both in autumn and spring, and consequently many vagrants have been recorded from the two estuaries and from Swanpool, a small bird-frequented ley on the intervening coast, which forms the annual gathering-ground for many migratory species in the autumn. The vagrants include such rare birds as the red-breasted flycatcher, mealy redpoll, red-footed falcon, American red-winged starling, ruddy sheldrake, red-crested pochard, ferruginous duck, surf-scoter, avocet, black-winged stilt, pectoral sandpiper, little stint, Bonaparte's gull, ivory gull, black guillemot and Briinnich's guillemot. 6. LIZARD LAND'S END DISTRICT The island-promontory of the Lizard is one of the wildest and most solitary districts in Cornwall. It consists for the most part of an extensive plateau two or three hundred feet high, the central portion of which is formed by the Goonhilly Downs, while to the south lies the rough heathland that covers the outcrop of serpentine. The undulations on this great stretch 3 2 3
