The risk to bird life from chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticides.

Abstract

The fourth report is compiled from records of birds, mammals and invertebrates sent in to the R. S. P. B. for chemical analysis between 1st September, 1962, and 31st July, 1963. These records have been collected both by the Joint Committee on Toxic Chemicals of the British Trust for Ornithology and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, who, as before, have concentrated on collecting information on the deaths of birds by toxic chemicals from all over the country, and by the Game Research Association, who made a more detailed survey of certain incidents.

As in the past, most of the present analyses have been made by a firm of Public Analysts and Consulting Chemists, but certain selected species were examined by the Nature Conservancy and the Government Chemist, for whose help we are most grateful. Copies of all analyses commissioned by the R. S. P. B. have been passed to the Infestation Control Laboratory, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, at Tolworth, Surrey.