Preface 



told off to act as detectives and dog the footsteps 

 of certain insatiable collectors. No man who deliber- 

 ately makes a practice of stealing public property 

 year by year, and knows he is breaking the law by so 

 doing, could find reasonable fault with a repressive 

 measure of this kind. 



Unless something is done, and done quickly and 

 effectively, more of our rare birds will have to be deleted 

 from the list of British breeders, and others will cease 

 to render the useful service they have given to agricul- 

 ture for uncounted ages. 



RICHARD KEARTON 



Ashdene, 

 Caterham Valley, Surrey 



Vlll 



