26 JULY 1919, Page 14

RARE BIRDS.

[To THE ED/TOR OF THE " SPECTATOR.")

Sia,—Last year a pair of red-breasted flycatchers nested and reared a brood here. The meadow bunting also nested in this neighbourhood. These facts were duly chronicled in Bird Notes, issued by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. I have not seen either species this year. About four weeks ago a hoopoe was seen not far from Weimer, and ring ouzels

have nested on the Downs; but egg-collectors seem to have re- sumed their activities, and species that have become uncommon stand a poor chance of increasing their numbers unless more effective measures for their protection are adopted and, what is important, enforced.—I am, Sir, dre.,