19 JANUARY 1940, Page 21

Birds in War-time British and German phenologists, as they call

themselves, kept up a correspondence throughout the last war, though this corner of science is narrow and perhaps not very prolific. An endeavour, so far successful, is being made to keep going a peculiarly interesting experiment in the preservation of duck on behalf of an international organisation. Teal, widgeon and other species of duck have been attracted back to an old haunt in Pembrokeshire, the Orielton Decoy, and if funds are not maintained one of the most valuable of our bird research and preservation stations will go by the board. The organising secretary is Miss Barclay Smith, whose address is the Regent's Park Zoo. The prevention of shooting and other disturbance has already begun to bring back the duck to this favourite spot, which is playing its part in the international effort to preserve these much-persecuted birds. The decoy takes its place beside Skokholm and Heligoland as research stations into the migra- tion of birds. Pembrokeshire takes a place in the West not unlike that of Norfolk in the East.