. WILD LIFE IN THE HOME COUNTIES
[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.]
Sin,—For the first time, for at least 20. years, a buzzard, or buzzards, have reappeared in this district, where West Sussex, Surrey and Hampshire join. A few individual members of this fine and picturesque species can do no real harm to game preServation, or poultry keeping, and I ani glad to say that a number of landowners have given orders to their keepers not to shoot the buzzard or buzzards. It is possible that there is a nest somewhere in the locality. Any reader of The Spectator, in this neighbourhood, who may chance to discover it would, I suggest, best serve the cause of its preservation by mentioning its existence to no one, except the person on whose property it is ; the latter should be approached aid.. begged to leave the family un- disturbed.
I take the opportunity of mentioning one or two other Natural History -facts about the -neighbourhood which arc interesting, when one realizes that it is, to -a large degree,: a residential one, and only 41 miles from London.- Great crested grebes, which were very rare in these parts a genera- tion ago, are today common. There has been an undoubted , increase, in the same period, of badgers who,. in recent years, have appeared in districts where they were previously unknown.
About 30 years ago, a few roe-deer (who had probably escaped from Lord Leconfichl's Park at Petworth) appeared in this neighbourhood. Today their . descendants, in fair numbers, but not sufficiently great to be a menace to farming or forestry operations, range in the large woods within, roughly, a ten-mile radius of this house. The bucks carry very fine heads, which . is surprising, considering how " in- bred " they must be. • About 15 miles away, in the great common, or small forest, known as Harting Combe, there was, two years ago (and for aught I knowi.is today) a small number of red deer, including hinds with calves. How these deer, or their parents, got there, is . a complete - mystery to me.—I am, Sir, &c., WINTERTON. Shillinglee Park, Chiddingfold.
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