Return of the Native It is an especial pleasure to
lovers of birds to know of the return to Britain of species which had been annihilated or scared off by collectors or, in one case, by a photographer or by casual gunners. Two of the most interesting members of this class have this year re-established them- selves, we may hope permanently. I believe that no fewer than fifteen pairs of avocets bred successfully in the east of England this summer, and what a charming bird it isl The second bird is the kite, that hand- some hawk, most frequently referred to in our literature. So the West has its triumph as well as the East. For myself, who has never seen the avocet in Britain, I associate it particularly with Majorca, where it seemed to be the commonest species. I saw a number daily, along with thick-kneed plover and hoopoe. An un-British bird that ought to nest here is the golden oriole, which is common in both France and Germany, even in suburbs. Whether or no they built in England this year I do not know, but a pair were seen last week in a paddock dose to my house in Hertfordshire ; and I have heard of others in more southern shires.
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