A HISTORY OF CORNWALL jeveral obtained on Tregoss Moors by Johnson Tellam, the father of the present keeper ; a flock of eight or ten was seen on St. Martin's, Scilly, by C. R. Gawen ; and one killed near St. Just in Penwith, in 1889. 195. Black Grouse. Tetrao tetrix, Linn. Locally, Heath Poult. Well-nigh extinct as a resident. Two nests were found on the Bodmin Moors in 1900, and one in 1904. In 1903 there was one nest on the Kilk- hampton Moors, but none last year. For over fifty years now it appears to have been on the verge of extinction. Hybrids between the grey hen and cock pheasant occasionally occur. One such brood was seen by F. R. Rodd in Redmoor Marsh in the autumn of 1868. 1 96. Red Grouse. Lagppus scoticus (Latham). A fine adult male was shot by William Henry Buscombe near Delank, Bodmin, in 1 86 1, and is still in the possession of his daughter at Bodmin. The late H. J. Rowse of Carworgie shot one on Queen's Hill, St. Columb, in November of the same year. 197. Pheasant. Phasianus cokhicus, Linn. Abundant ; was successfully introduced into Tresco half a century ago by Augustus Smith, and is bred regularly every spring. Nearly all the Cornish birds show the influence of the Chinese ring-tailed P. torquatus in their markings. 198. Partridge. Perdrix cinerea, Latham. Resident, and where preserved as a rule abundant. In several districts in the north and west not a single covey may be seen for the year, and J. D. Enys says that at Enys only one covey has been seen during the last thirty years. Several attempts to introduce this species into Scilly have been made at various times, but have met with little success. [Furneaux, in some MS. notes dated 1879, says that the red-legged partridge, Caccalis rufa, has been shot at St. Germans. Dr. Hammond of Liskeard says that he has eaten specimens shot at Quethiock. The Barbary partridge, Perdrix petrosa, was shot at Killiganoon in the winter of 1865. A second example was obtained in the autumn of 1867 or 1868, close to St. Cleer. In all probability both of these species were introductions or escapes.] 199. Quail. Coturnlx communls, Bonnaterre. A fairly common casual summer visitor throughout the county, and not infrequently breeding there ; unusually abundant in 1870, when it bred in con- siderable numbers at Trebartha, at Dosemary Pool, and about Bodmin, St. Columb, and Falmouth ; fairly plentiful in 1892 and in 1895, when several nested on the Bodmin Moors and west to the Hel- ford river ; two nests found near Falmouth in 1899, and one close to Truro in 1904 ; has bred at least once at Scilly. zoo. Corncrake or Landrail. Crex pratensis, Bechstein. A summer migrant formerly abundant, but now rather scarce except on autumn migration ; occasionally seen during the winter ; breeds at Scilly. 201. Spotted Crake. Porzana maruetta (Leach). A regular autumn and winter visitor to the snipe marshes throughout the county, except about Pen- zance, the Lizard, and the north coast, where it appears for the most part to be a rare casual ; generally overlooked because of its small size and skulking habit ; bred in Crowdy Marsh in 1860 and again in 1862, and near Dosemary Pool in 1874; has twice occurred at Scilly. 202. Little Crake, Porzana parva (Scopoli). A casual visitor that has been obtained at least twice in the county : once by a cat at St. Dominic, in March, 1878,' and once by G. Harrison, 25 Oc- tober, 1892. A specimen was obtained by Pechell at Scilly in the early fifties. 203. Baillon's Crake. Porzana ballloni (Vieillot). A casual visitor obtained at least four times from West Corn wall, namely from the pier basin, Penzance ; the neighbourhood of Zennor ; near Land's End in July, 1858 ; and from Marazion Marshes in October, 1877. 204. Water Rail. Rallus aquaticus, Linn. Locally, Fencock. Resident ; formerly tolerably common in places, now rather scarce ; still breeds near Bude, on the Bodmin Moors, sparingly on the Goss Moors, about Bishop's Wood, Truro, and till lately at St. Erth : in severe weather often abundant in the autumn at Scilly. 205. Moor Hen. GalKnula chhropus (Linn.). Resident ; common, in some localities abundant, and generally distributed on marshy land, reed-beds, and ditches ; breeds at Scilly. 206. Coot. Fulica atra, Linn. A scarce widely-diffused resident, but often abundant as a winter visitor and on migration ; nests sparingly on the Bodmin Moors, the Goss Moors, Marazion Marsh, and occasionally about Looe, Truro, and Falmouth ; thousands sometimes seen on the Loe Pool, Helston, in winter ; not known about Launceston, and only seen about Trebartha in severe weather ; common at Tresco, Scilly, in winter, a few remaining to breed. 207. Crane. Grus communls, Bechstein. A solitary specimen frequented the banks of the Tamar for some time in the autumn of 1826, and was ultimately shot on the Devonshire side of the river; one shot at Tresco, Scilly, 13 April, 1 88 1. 208. Great Bustard. Otis tarda, Linn. A casual winter visitor ; one recorded from Goon- hilly Downs in 1843, one from St. Austell in 1854, and a third from Looe in December, 1879. 209. Little Bustard. Otis tetrax, Linn. A casual winter visitor of which about twenty have been recorded for the county, chiefly from the west, though one has been obtained at Padstow, one at St. Columb, and one at Looe ; latest captures, St. Mawes, January, 1893, Constantine, December, 1904. 210. Stone Curlew, or Norfolk Plover. Oedicnemus icolopax (S. G. Gmelin). An irregular winter visitor in small numbers to the south and west of the county ; three obtained at Scilly ; frequently seen in the St. Ives district and at Looe. Cornwall seems to be on the northern limit of its winter habitat. 1 Sec Gatcombe's account in the Zoologist of that year, p. 214. 342
