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BIRDS Bedfordshire at the hands of the zoologist has received less attention than almost any other English county. Only one work, and that touching but briefly upon its vertebrata, has been published. In the History of Luton and its Hamlets (1855, and a second edition in 1 874), a list of species is given with a few particulars, but unfortunately several of the records are untrustworthy. In addition to this work, the scattered notes in the Zoologist and Field and local newspapers form almost the only printed records from which information has been gleaned. With the exception of the chalk-hill range running through the south of the county (where, until about twenty years ago,the stone curlew still continued to nest and dotterel whilst on migration were annually known to tarry awhile) there is but little attraction for any rarer breeding species, other than that which a highly cultivated county with a consider- able number of smaller woodlands more or less generally dispersed would offer. Early in the past century when our woods were more extensive the common buzzard and kite still nested, and possibly the honey buzzard, and the hen harrier also still frequented the more open areas ; but of our hawks the sparrow hawk and kestrel alone remain, the hobby not having been known to nest since 1892. Several pairs of ravens con- tinued nesting until the middle of the century, the last pair being exterminated from Woburn about 1871 ; the carrion crow, though con- siderably reduced in numbers, still remains with us. On several estates where there is a considerable amount of fir plantation the nightjar is still evident, but in lesser numbers than formerly, and the long-eared owl is fairly abundant. The existence of several small ' heronries ' is within the memory of some of our older inhabitants, but the nests of one or two pairs only are to be found now, and these are not in the localities that were formerly chosen. The preserved waters in the parks at Southill, Woburn and Battlesden are the favourite resorts of the great crested grebe (and until quite recently the little grebe), as well as Luton Hoo. Pochard ducks have nested in considerable numbers around the latter pools ; teals in many instances, particularly at Southill, and shovel ducks have bred in the county on several occasions. With the exception of the now much restricted Flitwick Marsh — on which until the year 1901 at least one pair of snipe nested — little undrained land remains. The meadow-pipit is another bird awaiting extermination as a breeding species ; one pair only could be found nest- ing at Flitwick during the spring of 1902, and the only other haunts of 104