6 MAY 1949, Page 20

Late Visitors At this season, as usual, lists appear in

several places of the arrival of our summer visitors, most of which have appeared pat to the average date, though some are rather late than early. In none of these.lists have I seen any reference to the turtle-dove. It used to be regarded as among the latest, if not the very latest, of summer visitors ; but of recent years it has vastly increased in numbers—at least in my experience—and certainly reached us at an earlier and earlier date, anticipating, for example, the swift, which has this year arrived early, in single spies if not battalions.