27 SEPTEMBER 1946, Page 14

English Quail This report gives• some slight further evidence of

the return of the quail. .I learn from other sources that quail have been seen in about a dozen English shires, including the unlikely shire of Hertford, and news from the Continent suggests that the bird is increasing generally. Some of the quails in England have been seen in winter as well as in nesting time. Their continued multiplication (due perhaps to the war) will depend almost wholly on the extent of the nesting on the coast of North Africa, a business that has been much encouraged by English gourmets. International bird-protection advances steadily again, thanks to such efficient and ardent workers as Miss Barclay Smith (of the Zoo). It is interesting to see from their records that, of all European countries, Poland is among the most enthusiastic in the cause of protection.