THE DARTFORD WARBLER 237 



before, if indeed some of them have not already gone, 

 are the sea-eagle, osprey, kite, hen harrier, Montagu's 

 harrier, stone curlew, Kentish plover, dotterel, red- 

 necked phalarope, roseate tern, bearded tit, grey- 

 lag goose, and great skua. These in their turn will 

 be followed by the chough, hobby, great black- 

 backed gull, furze wren, crested tit, and others. 

 These are the species which, as things are going, will 

 absolutely and for ever disappear, as residents and 

 breeders, from off the British Islands. Meanwhile 

 other species that, although comparatively rare, are 

 less local in their distribution, are being annually 

 exterminated in some parts of the country : it is 

 poor comfort to the bird lover in southern England 

 to know that many species that formerly gave life 

 and interest to the scene, and have lately been done 

 to death there, may still be met with in the wilder 

 districts of Scotland, or in some forest in the north 

 of Wales. Finally, we have among our annual 

 visitants a considerable number of species which 

 have either bred in these islands in past times (some 

 quite recently), or else would probably remain to 

 breed if they were not immediately killed on arrival — 

 bittern, little bittern, night heron, spoonbill, stork, 

 avocet, black tern, hoopoe, golden oriole, and many 

 others of less well-known names. 



