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diff --git a/40334-8.txt b/40334-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index a3bd5e4..0000000 --- a/40334-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7803 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, Birds in London, by W. H. Hudson, Illustrated -by Bryan Hook, A. D. McCormick, and R. B. Lodge - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - - - - -Title: Birds in London - - -Author: W. H. Hudson - - - -Release Date: July 25, 2012 [eBook #40334] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BIRDS IN LONDON*** - - -E-text prepared by René Anderson Benitz, Adrian Mastronardi, and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page -images generously made available by Internet Archive/American Libraries -(http://archive.org/details/americana) - - - -Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this - file which includes the original illustrations. - See 40334-h.htm or 40334-h.zip: - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/40334/40334-h/40334-h.htm) - or - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/40334/40334-h.zip) - - - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive/American Libraries. See - http://archive.org/details/cu31924090264866 - - - - - -[Illustration: 'THE CROW WITH HIS VOICE OF CARE'] - - -BIRDS IN LONDON - -by - -W. H. HUDSON, F.Z.S. - -Illustrated by Bryan Hook, A. D. Mccormick -and from Photographs from Nature by R. B. Lodge - - - - - - - -Longmans, Green, and Co. -39 Paternoster Row, London -New York and Bombay -1898 - -All rights reserved - - - - -PREFACE - - -The opening chapter contains, by way of introduction, all that need be -said concerning the object and scope of this work; it remains to say -here that, as my aim has been to furnish an account of the London wild -bird life of to-day, there was little help to be had from the writings -of previous observers. These mostly deal with the central parks, and are -interesting now, mainly, as showing the changes that have taken place. -At the end of the volume a list will be found of the papers and books on -the subject which are known to me. This list will strike many readers as -an exceedingly meagre one, when it is remembered that London has always -been a home of ornithologists--that from the days of Oliver Goldsmith, -who wrote pleasantly of the Temple Gardens rookery, and of Thomas -Pennant and his friend Daines Barrington, there have never been wanting -observers of the wild bird life within our gates: The fact remains that, -with the exception of a few incidental passages to be found in various -ornithological works, nothing was expressly written about the birds of -London until James Jennings's 'Ornithologia' saw the light a little over -seventy years ago. Jennings's work was a poem, probably the worst ever -written in the English language; but as he inserted copious notes, -fortunately in prose, embodying his own observations on the bird life of -east and south-east London, the book has a very considerable interest -for us to-day. Nothing more of importance appeared until the late -Shirley Hibberd's lively paper on 'London Birds' in 1865. From that date -onward the subject has attracted an increased attention, and at present -we have a number of London or park naturalists, as they might be called, -who view the resident London species as adapted to an urban life, and -who chronicle their observations in the 'Field,' 'Nature,' 'Zoologist,' -'Nature Notes,' and other natural history journals, and in the -newspapers and magazines. - -To return to the present work. Treating of actualities I have been -obliged for the most part to gather my own materials, relying perhaps -too much on my own observation; since London is now too vast a field for -any person, however diligent, to know it intimately in all its extent. - -Probably any reader who is an observer of birds on his own account, and -has resided for some years near a park or other open space in London, -will be able to say, by way of criticism, that I have omitted some -important or interesting fact known to him--something that ought to have -had a place in a work of this kind. In such a case I can only plead -either that the fact was not known to me, or that I had some good reason -for not using it. Moreover, there is a limit to the amount of matter -which can be included in a book of this kind, and a selection had to be -made from a large number of facts and anecdotes I had got together. - -All the matter contained in this book, with the exception of one -article, or part of an article, on London birds, in the 'Saturday -Review,' now appears for the first time. - -In conclusion, I have to express my warm thanks to those who have helped -me in my task, by supplying me with fresh information, and in other -ways. - - W. H. H. - -LONDON: _April_, 1898. - - - - -CONTENTS - - -CHAPTER I - -THE BIRDS AND THE BOOK - PAGE - A handbook of London birds considered--Reasons for not writing - it--Changes in the character of the wild bird population, and - supposed cause--The London sparrow--Its abundance--Bread-begging - habits--Monotony--Its best appearance--Beautiful finches--Value - of open spaces--The sparrows' afternoon tea in Hyde Park--Purpose - of this book 1 - -CHAPTER II - -CROWS IN LONDON - - A short general account of the London crows--The magpie--The - jay--London ravens--The Enfield ravens--The Hyde Park ravens--The - Tower ravens--The carrion crow, rook, and jackdaw 20 - -CHAPTER III - -THE CARRION CROW IN THE BALANCE - - The crow in London--Persecuted in the royal parks--Degradation - of Hyde Park--Ducks in the Serpentine: how they are - thinned--Shooting a chicken with a revolver--Habits of the Hyde - Park mallard--Anecdotes--Number of London crows--The crow a - long-lived bird: a bread-eater--Anecdote--Seeks its food on the - river--The crow as a pet--Anecdotes 32 - -CHAPTER IV - -THE LONDON DAW - - Rarity of the daw in London--Pigeons and daws compared--Æsthetic - value of the daw as a cathedral bird--Kensington Palace daws; - their disposition and habits--Friendship with rooks--Wandering - daws at Clissold Park--Solitary daws--Mr. Mark Melford's - birds--Rescue of a hundred daws--The strange history of an - egg-stealing daw--White daws--White ravens--Willughby's - speculations--A suggestion 52 - -CHAPTER V - -EXPULSION OF THE ROOKS - - Positions of the rook and crow compared--Gray's Inn Gardens - rookery--Break-up of the old, and futile attempt of the - birds to establish new rookeries--The rooks a great loss to - London--Why the rook is esteemed--Incidents in the life of a - tame rook--A first sight of the Kensington Gardens rookery--The - true history of the expulsion of the rooks--A desolate scene, - and a vision of London beautified 68 - -CHAPTER VI - -RECENT COLONISTS - - The wood-pigeon in Kensington Gardens--Its increase--Its beauty - and charm--Perching on Shakespeare's statue in Leicester - Square--Change of habits--The moorhen--Its appearance and - habits--An æsthetic bird--Its increase--The dabchick in - London--Its increase--Appearance and habits--At Clissold - Park--The stock-dove in London 89 - -CHAPTER VII - -LONDON'S LITTLE BIRDS - - Number of species, common and uncommon--The London sparrow--His - predominance, hardiness, and intelligence--A pet - sparrow--Breeding irregularities--A love-sick bird--Sparrow - shindies: their probable cause--'Sparrow chapels'--Evening in the - parks--The starling--His independence--Characteristics--Blackbird, - thrush, and robin--White blackbirds--The robin--Decrease in - London--Habits and disposition 104 - -CHAPTER VIII - -MOVEMENTS OF LONDON BIRDS - - Migration as seen in London--Swallows in the parks--Fieldfares--A - flock of wild geese--Autumn movements of resident - species--Wood-pigeons--A curious habit--Dabchicks and - moorhens--Crows and rooks--The Palace daws--Starlings--Robins--A - Tower robin and the Tower sparrows--Passage birds in the - parks--Small birds wintering in London--Influx of birds during - severe frosts--Occasional visitors--The black-headed gull--A - winter scene in St. James's Park 129 - -CHAPTER IX - -A SURVEY OF THE PARKS: WEST LONDON - - A general survey of the metropolitan parks--West London--Central - parks, with Holland Park--A bird's highway--Decrease of - songsters--The thrush in Kensington Gardens--Suggestions--Owls - in Kensington Gardens--Other West London open spaces--Ravenscourt - Park as it was and as it is 151 - -CHAPTER X - -NORTH-WEST AND NORTH LONDON - - Open spaces on the borders of West London--The Scrubs, Old Oak - Common, and Kensal Green Cemetery--North-west district--Paddington - Recreation Ground, Kilburn Park, and adjoining open - spaces--Regent's Park described--Attractive to birds, but not - safe--Hampstead Heath: its character and bird life--The ponds--A - pair of moorhens--An improvement suggested--North London - districts--Highgate Woods, Churchyard Bottom Wood, Waterlow Park, - and Highgate Cemetery--Finsbury Park--A paradise of - thrushes--Clissold Park and Abney Park Cemetery 171 - -CHAPTER XI - -EAST LONDON - - Condition of the East district--Large circular group of open - spaces--Hackney Downs and London Fields--Victoria Park with Hackney - Common--Smoky atmosphere--Bird life--Lakes--An improvement - suggested--Chaffinch fanciers--Hackney Marsh with North and - South Mill Fields--Unique character of the Marsh--White House - Fishery--The vanished sporting times--Anecdotes--Collection of - rare birds--A region of marshes--Wanstead Old Park--Woodland - character--Bird life--Heronry and rookery--A suggestion 192 - -CHAPTER XII - -SOUTH-EAST LONDON - - General survey of South London--South-east London: its most populous - portion--Three small open spaces--Camberwell New Park--Southwark - Park--Kennington Park--Fine shrubberies--Greenwich Park and - Blackheath--A stately and depressing park--Mutilated trees--The - extreme East--Bostell Woods and Heath--Their peculiar - charm--Woolwich and Plumstead Commons--Hilly Fields--Peckham - Rye and Park--A remonstrance--Nunhead and Camberwell - Cemeteries--Dulwich Park--Brockwell Park--The rookery 216 - -CHAPTER XIII - -SOUTH-WEST LONDON - - Introductory remarks--Comparative large extent of public - ground in South-west London--Battersea Park--Character and - popularity--Bird life--Clapham Common: its present and past - character--Wandsworth Common--The yellowhammer--Tooting - Common--Tooting Bec--Questionable improvements--A passion - for swans--Tooting Graveney--Streatham Common--Bird - life--Magpies--Rookery--Bishop's Park, Fulham--A suggestion--Barn - Elms Park--Barnes Common--A burial-ground--Birds--Putney Heath, - Lower Putney Common, and Wimbledon Common--Description--Bird - life--Rookeries--The badger--Richmond Park--Its vast extent and - character--Bird life--Daws--Herons--The charm of large soaring - birds--Kew Gardens--List of birds--Unfavourable changes--The - Queen's private grounds 237 - -CHAPTER XIV - -PROTECTION OF BIRDS IN THE PARKS - - Object of this book--Summary of facts contained in previous - chapters--An incidental result of changes in progress--Some degree - of protection in all the open spaces, efficient protection in - none--Mischievous visitors to the parks--Bird fanciers and - stealers--The destructive rough--The barbarians are few--Two - incidents at Clissold Park--Love of birds a common feeling of - the people 270 - -CHAPTER XV - -THE CAT QUESTION - - The cat's unchangeable character--A check on the sparrows--Number - of sparrows in London--What becomes of the annual increase--No - natural check on the park sparrows--Cats in the parks--Story of - a cat at Battersea Park--Rabbits destroyed by cats in Hyde - Park--Number of cats in London--Ownerless cats--Their miserable - condition--How cats are made ownerless--How this evil may be - remedied--How to keep cats out of the parks 284 - -CHAPTER XVI - -BIRDS FOR LONDON - - Restoration of the rook--The Gray's Inn rookery--Suggestions--On - attracting rooks--Temple Gardens rookery--Attempt to - establish a rookery at Clissold Park--A new colony of - daws--Hawks--Domestic pigeons--An abuse--Stock-dove - and turtle-dove--Ornamental water-fowl, pinioned and - unpinioned--Suggestions--Wild water-fowl in the parks--Small - birds for London--Missel-thrush--Nuthatch--Wren--Loudness a - merit--Summer visitants to London--Kingfisher--Hard-billed - birds--A use for the park sparrows--Natural checks--A sanctuary - described 304 - -BIBLIOGRAPHY 330 - -INDEX 331 - - - - -LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - -PLATES - - 'THE CROW WITH HIS VOICE OF CARE' _Frontispiece_ - - 'THE SEVEN SISTERS' _to face p._ 24 - - CARRION CROW'S NEST " 34 - - PIGEONS AT THE LAW COURTS " 52 - - WOOD-PIGEON ON SHAKESPEARE'S STATUE " 92 - - LOVE-SICK COCK SPARROW " 112 - - FEEDING THE GULLS AT ST. JAMES'S PARK " 148 - - MAP OF LONDON " 156 - - VIEW ON HAMPSTEAD HEATH " 176 - - WHITE HOUSE FISHERY, HACKNEY MARSH " 206 - - WANSTEAD OLD PARK: EARLY SPRING " 214 - - BOSTELL HEATH AND WOODS " 226 - - THE ROOKERY, BROCKWELL PARK " 234 - - WIMBLEDON COMMON " 256 - - NEST OF CHAFFINCH " 280 - - PARK SPARROWS " 290 - - MOORHEN AND CHICKS " 316 - - -ILLUSTRATIONS IN TEXT - - PAGE - PARK SPARROW BEGGING 11 - - THE LAST RAVEN 21 - - THE LADY AND THE DAW 60 - - LONDON CROWS 69 - - DABCHICK ON NEST 99 - - LONDON STARLINGS 119 - - FIELDFARES AT THE TOWER 131 - - WOOD-PIGEON FEEDING ON HAWS 136 - - RAVENSCOURT PARK 153 - - CORMORANTS AT ST. JAMES'S PARK 170 - - DABCHICK FEEDING ITS YOUNG 189 - - NIGHTINGALE ON ITS NEST 249 - - CHAFFINCH 271 - - STARLING AT HOME 303 - - DABCHICK'S FLOATING NEST: ST. JAMES'S PARK 329 - - - - -BIRDS IN LONDON - - - - -CHAPTER I - -THE BIRDS AND THE BOOK - - A handbook of London birds considered--Reasons for not writing - it--Changes in the character of the wild bird population, and - supposed cause--The London sparrow--Its abundance--Bread-begging - habits--Monotony--Its best appearance--Beautiful finches--Value of - open spaces--The sparrows' afternoon tea in Hyde Park--Purpose of - this book. - - -Among the many little schemes and more or less good intentions which -have flitted about my brain like summer flies in a room, there was one -for a small volume on London birds; to contain, for principal matter, -lists of the species resident throughout the year, of the visitants, -regular and occasional, and of the vanished species which have inhabited -the metropolis in recent, former, or historical times. For everyone, -even the veriest Dryasdust among us, has some glow of poetic feeling -in him, some lingering regret for the beautiful that has vanished and -returneth not; consequently, it would be hard in treating of London bird -life not to go back to times which now seem very ancient, when the kite -was common--the city's soaring scavenger, protected by law, just as the -infinitely less attractive turkey-buzzard is now protected in some towns -of the western world. Again, thanks to Mr. Harting's researches into old -records, we have the account of beautiful white spoonbills, associated -with herons, building their nests on the tree-tops in the Bishop of -London's grounds at Fulham. - -To leave this fascinating theme. It struck me at first that the book -vaguely contemplated might be made useful to lovers and students of -bird life in London; and I was also encouraged by the thought that the -considerable amount of printed material which exists relating to the -subject would make the task of writing it comparatively easy. - -But I no sooner looked attentively into the subject than I saw how -difficult it really was, and how unsatisfactory, and I might almost add -useless, the work would prove. - -To begin with, what is London? It is a very big town, a 'province -covered with houses'; but for the ornithologist where, on any side, does -the province end? Does it end five miles south of Charing Cross, at -Sydenham, or ten miles further afield, at Downe? Or, looking north, do -we draw the line at Hampstead, or Aldenham? The whole metropolitan area -has, let us say, a circumference of about ninety miles, and within its -outermost irregular boundary there is room for half a dozen concentric -lines, each of which will contain a London, differing greatly in size -and, in a much less degree, in character. If the list be made to include -all the birds found in such rural and even wild places--woods, thickets, -heaths, and marshes--as exist within a sixteen-mile radius, it is clear -that most of the inland species found in the counties of Kent, Surrey, -Middlesex, Hertfordshire, and Essex would be in it. - -The fact is, in drawing up a list of London birds, the writer can, -within limits, make it as long or short as he thinks proper. Thus, if he -wishes to have a long list, and is partial to round numbers, he will be -able to get a century of species by making his own twelve or thirteen -mile radius. Should he then alter his mind, and think that a modest -fifty would content him, all he would have to do to get that number -would be to contract his line, bringing it somewhere near the -indeterminate borders of inner London, where town and country mix or -pass into each other. Now a handbook written on this plan would be -useful only if a very exact boundary were drawn, and the precise -locality given in which each resident or breeding species had its -haunts, where the student or lover of birds could watch or listen for it -with some chance of being rewarded. Even so, the book would not serve -its purpose for a longer period than two or three years; after three -years it would most certainly be out of date, so great and continuous -is the growth of London on all sides. Thus, going round London, keeping -to that partly green indeterminate borderland already mentioned, there -are many little hidden rustic spots where in the summer of 1897 the -woodpecker, green and spotted, and the nuthatch and tree-creeper bred; -also the nightingale, bottle-tit, and wryneck, and jay and crow, and -kestrel and white and brown owl; but who can say that they will breed in -the same places in 1899, or even in 1898? For these little green rustic -refuges are situated on the lower slopes of a volcano, which is always -in a state of eruption, and year by year they are being burnt up and -obliterated by ashes and lava. - - * * * * * - -After I had at once and for ever dropped, for the reasons stated, all -idea of a handbook, the thought remained that there was still much to be -said about London bird life which might be useful, although in another -way. The subject was often in my mind during the summer months of 1896 -and 1897, which, for my sins, I was compelled to spend in town. During -this wasted and dreary period, when I was often in the parks and open -spaces in all parts of London, I was impressed more than I had been -before with the changes constantly going on in the character of the bird -population of the metropolis. These changes are not rapid enough to show -a marked difference in a space of two or three years; but when we take a -period of fifteen or twenty years, they strike us as really very great. -They are the result of the gradual decrease in numbers and final dying -out of many of the old-established species, chiefly singing birds, and, -at the same time, the appearance of other species previously unknown in -London, and their increase and diffusion. Considering these two facts, -one is inclined to say off-hand that the diminution or dying out of one -set of species is simply due to the fact that they are incapable of -thriving in the conditions in which they are placed; that the London -smoke is fatal in the long run to some of the more delicate birds, as it -undoubtedly is to the rose and other plants that require pure air and -plenty of sunshine; and that, on the other hand, the new colonists -that are increasing are species of a coarser fibre, greater vitality, -and able, like the plane-tree in the plant world, to thrive in such -conditions. It is really not so: the tits and finches, the robin, -wren, hedge-sparrow, pied wagtail, some of the warblers, and the -missel-thrush, are as vigorous and well able to live in London as -the wood-pigeon. They are, moreover, very much more prolific than the -pigeon, and find their food with greater ease. Yet we see that these -lively, active species are dying out, while the slow, heavy dove, which -must eat largely to live, and lays but two eggs on a frail platform of -sticks for nest, is rapidly increasing. - -Here then, it seemed, was a subject which it might be for the advantage -of the bird-lovers in London to consider; and I write in the conviction -that there are as many Londoners who love the sight and sound of wild -bird life as there are who find refreshment in trees and grass and -flowers, who are made glad by the sight of a blue sky, to whom the -sunshine is sweet and pleasant to behold. - - * * * * * - -In going about London, after my mind had begun to dwell on this subject, -I was frequently amused, and sometimes teased, by the sight and sound -of the everywhere-present multitudinous sparrow. In London there are no -grain-growers and market-gardeners, consequently there is no tiresome -sparrow question, and no sparrow-clubs to vex the tender-hearted. These -sparrows were not to be thought about in their relation to agriculture, -but were simply little birds, too often, in many a weary mile, in many -an unlovely district, the only representatives of the avian class, -flying to and fro, chirping and chirruping from dawn to dark; nor birds -only: I had them also for butterflies, seen sometimes in crowds and -clouds, as in the tropics, with no rich nor splendid colouring on their -wings; and I had them for cicadas, and noisy locusts of arboreal habits, -hundreds and thousands of them, whirring in a subdued way in the park -trees during the sultry hours. They were all these things and scavengers -as well, ever busy at their scavengering in the dusty and noisy ways; -everywhere finding some organic matter to comfort their little stomachs, -or to carry to their nestlings. - -At times the fanciful idea would occur to me that I was on a commission -appointed to inquire into the state of the wild bird life of London, or -some such subject, and that my fellow commissioners were sparrows, so -incessantly were they with me, though in greatly varying numbers, during -my perambulations. - -After all, the notion that they attended or accompanied me in my walks -was not wholly fanciful. For no sooner does any person enter any public -garden or park, or other open space where there are trees, than, if -he be not too absorbed in his own thoughts, he will see that several -sparrows are keeping him company, flying from tree to tree, or bush to -bush, alighting occasionally on the ground near him, watching his every -movement; and if he sit down on a chair or bench several of them will -come close to him, and hop this way and that before him, uttering a -little plaintive note of interrogation--_Have you got nothing for us?_ -They have come to look on every human being who walks among the park -trees and round the garden-beds as a mere perambulating machine for the -distribution of fragments of bread. The sparrow's theory or philosophy -of life, from our point of view, is very ridiculous, but he finds it -profitable, and wants no better. - -I remember that during those days, when the little creatures were so -much with me, whether I wanted them or no, some person wrote to one of -the newspapers to say that he had just made the acquaintance of the -common sparrow in a new character. The sparrow was and always had been -a familiar bird to him, but he had never previously seen it gathered in -crowds at its 'afternoon tea' in Hyde Park, a spectacle which he had now -witnessed with surprise and pleasure. - -If (I thought) this innumerous feathered company could only be varied -somewhat, the modest plumage retouched, by Nature, with harmonious -olive green and yellow tints, pure greys and pure browns, with rose, -carmine, tile and chestnut reds; and if the monotonous little burly -forms could be reshaped, and made in some cases larger, in others -smaller, some burlier still and others slimmer, more delicate and aërial -in appearance, the spectacle of their afternoon tea would be infinitely -more attractive and refreshing than it now is to many a Londoner's tired -eyes. - -Their voices, too--for the refashioned mixed crowd would have a various -language, like the species that warble and twitter and call musically to -one another in orchard and copse--would give a new and strange delight -to the listener. - -No doubt the sparrow is, to quote the letter-writer's expression, 'a -jolly little fellow,' quite friendly with his supposed enemy man, -amusing in his tea-table manners, and deserving of all the praise and -crumbs we give him. He is even more. To those who have watched him -begging for and deftly catching small scraps of bread, suspended like a -hawk-moth in the air before the giving hand, displaying his conspicuous -black gorget and the pale ash colour of his under surface, while his -rapidly vibrating wings are made silky and translucent by the sunlight -passing through them, he appears, indeed, a pretty and even graceful -creature. - -[Illustration: PARK SPARROW BEGGING] - -But he is, after all, only a common sparrow, a mean representative of -bird life in our midst; in all the æsthetic qualities which make birds -charming--beauty of form and colour, grace of motion, and melody--less -than the least of the others. Therefore to greatly praise him is to -publish our ignorance, or, at all events, to make it appear that he -is admired because, being numerous and familiar with man, he has been -closely and well looked at, while the wilder and less common species -have only been seen at a distance, and therefore indistinctly. - -A distinguished American writer on birds once visited England in order -to make the acquaintance of our most noted feathered people, and in -his haste pronounced the chaffinch the 'prettiest British songster.' -Doubtless he had seen it oftenest, and closely, and at its best; but he -would never have expressed such an opinion if he had properly seen many -other British singing birds; if, for instance (confining ourselves to -the fringilline family), he had seen his 'shilfa's' nearest relation, -the brambling, in his black dress beautifully variegated with buff -and brown; or the many-coloured cirl-bunting; or that golden image of -a bird, the yellowhammer; or the green siskin, 'that lovely little -oddity,' seeking his food, tit-like, among the pine needles, or clinging -to pendulous twigs; or the linnet in his spring plumage--pale grey and -richest brown and carmine--singing among the flowery gorse; or the -goldfinch, flitting amidst the apple-bloom in May, or feeding on the -thistle in July and August, clinging to the downy heads, twittering as -he passes from plant to plant, showing his gay livery of crimson, black, -and gold; or the sedentary bullfinch, a miniature hawk in appearance, -with a wonderful rose-coloured breast, sitting among the clustering -leaves of a dark evergreen--yew or holly. - -Beautiful birds are all these, and there are others just as beautiful in -other passerine families, but alas! they are at a distance from us; they -live in the country, and it is only that small 'whiff of the country' -to be enjoyed in a public park which fate allows to the majority of -Londoners, the many thousands of toilers from year's end to year's end, -and their wives and children. - -To those of us who take an annual holiday, and, in addition, an -occasional run in the country, or who are not bound to town, it is -hardly possible to imagine how much is meant by that little daily -or weekly visit to a park. Its value to the confined millions has -accordingly never been, and probably cannot be, rightly estimated. -For the poor who have not those periods of refreshment which others -consider so necessary to their health and contentment, the change from -the close, adulterated atmosphere of the workshop and the living-room, -and stone-paved noisy street, to the open, green, comparatively quiet -park, is indeed great, and its benefit to body and mind incalculable. -The sight of the sun; of the sky, no longer a narrow strip, but wide, -infinite over all; the freshness of the unconfined air which the lungs -drink in; the green expanse of earth, and large trees standing apart, -away from houses--all this produces a shock of strange pleasure and -quickens the tired pulse with sudden access of life. In a small way--sad -it is to think in how small a way!--it is a return to nature, an escape -for the moment from the prison and sick-room of unnatural conditions; -and the larger and less artificial the park or open space, and the more -abounding in wild, especially bird, life, the more restorative is the -effect. - -It is indeed invariably the animal life which exercises the greatest -attraction and is most exhilarating. It is really pathetic to see how -many persons of the working class come every day, all the year round, -but especially in the summer months, to that minute transcript of wild -nature in Hyde Park at the spot called the Dell, where the Serpentine -ends. They are drawn thither by the birds--the multitude of sparrows -that gather to be fed, and the wood-pigeons, and a few moorhens that -live in the rushes. - -'I call these my chickens, and I'm obliged to come every day to feed -them,' said a paralytic-looking white-haired old man in the shabbiest -clothes, one evening as I stood there; then, taking some fragments of -stale bread from his pockets, he began feeding the sparrows, and while -doing so he chuckled with delight, and looked round from time to time -to see if the others were enjoying the spectacle. - -To him succeeded two sedate-looking labourers, big, strong men, with -tired, dusty faces, on their way home from work. Each produced from his -coat-pocket a little store of fragments of bread and meat, saved from -the midday meal, carefully wrapped up in a piece of newspaper. After -bestowing their scraps on the little brown-coated crowd, one spoke: -'Come on, mate, they've had it all, and now let's go home and see what -the missus has got for _our_ tea'; and home they trudged across the -park, with hearts refreshed and lightened, no doubt, to be succeeded by -others and still others, London workmen and their wives and children, -until the sun had set and the birds were all gone. - -Here then is an object lesson which no person who is capable of -reading the emotions in the countenance, who has any sympathy with his -fellow-creatures, can fail to be impressed by. Not only at that spot -in Hyde Park may it be seen, but at all the parks and open spaces in -London; in some more than others, as at St. James's Park, where the -gulls are fed during the winter months, and at Battersea and Regent's -Parks, where the starlings congregate every evening in July and August. -What we see is the perpetual hunger of the heart and craving of those -who are compelled to live apart from Nature, who have only these -momentary glimpses of her face, and of the refreshment they experience -at sight of trees and grass and water, and, above everything, of wild -and glad animal life. How important, then, that the most should be -made of our few suitable open spaces; that everything possible should -be done to maintain in them an abundant and varied wild bird life! -Unfortunately, this has not been seen, else we should not have lost so -much, especially in the royal parks. In some of the parks under the -County Council there are great signs of improvement, an evident anxiety -to protect and increase the stock of wild birds; but even here the most -zealous of the superintendents are not fully conscious of the value of -what they are themselves doing. They are encouraging the wild birds -because they are considered 'ornaments' to the park, just as they plant -rhododendrons and other exotic shrubs that have big gaily-coloured -flowers in their season, and as they exhibit some foreign bird of -gorgeous plumage in the park aviary. They have not yet grasped the -fact--I hope Mr. Sexby, the excellent head of the parks department, will -pardon my saying it--that the feathered inhabitants of our open spaces -are something more than 'ornaments'; that the sight and sound of any -wild bird, from the croaking carrion crow to the small lyrical kitty -wren or tinkling tomtit, will afford more pleasure to the Londoner--in -other words, conduce more to his health and happiness--than all the -gold pheasants and other brightly-apparelled prisoners, native and -foreign, to be seen in the park cages. - - * * * * * - -From the foregoing it will be seen that this little book, which comes -in place of the one I had, in a vague way, once thought of writing, -is in some degree a book with a purpose. Birds are not considered -merely as objects of interest to the ornithologist and to a few other -persons--objects or creatures which the great mass of the people of -the metropolis have really nothing to do with, and vaguely regard as -something at a distance, of no practical import, or as wholly unrelated -to their urban life. Rather they are considered as a necessary part of -those pleasure- and health-giving transcripts of nature which we retain -and cherish as our best possessions--the open sun-lit and tree-shaded -spaces, green with grass and bright with water; so important a part -indeed, as bringing home to us that glad freedom and wildness which is -our best medicine, that without it all the rest would lose much of its -virtue. - -But on this point--the extreme pleasure which the confined Londoner -experiences in seeing and hearing wild birds, and the consequent value -of our wild bird life--enough has been said in this place, as it will be -necessary to return to the subject in one of the concluding chapters. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -CROWS IN LONDON - - A short general account of the London crows--The magpie--The - jay--London ravens--The Enfield ravens--The Hyde Park ravens--The - Tower ravens--The carrion crow, rook, and jackdaw. - - -There are not many crows in London; the number of the birds that are -left are indeed few, and, if we exclude the magpie and jay, there -are only three species. But the magpie and jay cannot be left out -altogether, when we find both species still existing at a distance of -six and a half to seven miles from Charing Cross. The magpie is all but -lost; at the present time there are no more than four birds inhabiting -inner London, doubtless escaped from captivity, and afraid to leave the -parks in which they found refuge--those islands of verdure in the midst -of a sea, or desert, of houses. One bird, the survivor of a pair, has -his home in St. James's Park, and is the most interesting figure in that -haunt of birds; a spirited creature, a great hater and persecutor of -the carrion crows when they come. The other three consort together in -Regent's Park; once or twice they have built a nest, but failed to hatch -their eggs. Probably all three are females. When, some time ago, the -'Son of the Marshes' wrote that the magpie had been extirpated in his -own county of Surrey, and that to see it he should have to visit the -London parks, he made too much of these escaped birds, which may be -numbered on the fingers of one hand. Yet we know that the pie was -formerly--even in this century--quite common in London. Yarrell, in -his 'British Birds,' relates that he once saw twenty-three together in -Kensington Gardens. In these gardens they bred, probably for the last -time, in 1856. Nor, so far as I know, do any magpies survive in the -woods and thickets on the outskirts of the metropolis, except at two -spots in the south-west district. The fate of the last pair at Hampstead -has been related by Harting, in Lobley's 'Hampstead Hill' (London, -1889). For several years this pair had their nest in an unclimbable -tree at the Grove; at length, one of the pair was shot by a local -bird-stuffer, after which the surviving bird twice found and returned -with a new mate; but one by one all were killed by the same miscreant. - -[Illustration: THE LAST RAVEN] - -It would be easy enough for any person to purchase a few magpies in the -market and liberate them in St. James's and Regent's Parks, and other -suitable places, where, if undisturbed, they would certainly breed; but -I fear that it would not be an advisable thing to do at present, on -account of the very strong prejudice which exists against this handsome -bird. Thus, at St. James's Park the one surviving bird is 'one too -many,' according to the keepers. 'One for sorrow' is an old saying. -He is, they say, a robber and a teaser, dangerous to the ornamental -water-fowl in the breeding season, a great persecutor of the -wood-pigeons, and in summer never happy unless he has a pigeon's egg -in his beak. It strikes one forcibly that this is not a faithful -portrait--that the magpie has been painted all black, instead of black -and white as nature made him. At all events, we know that during the -first two or three decades of the present century there was an abundant -and varied wild bird life in the royal parks, and that at the same time -the magpies were more numerous there than they are now known to be in -any forest or wild place in England. - -The jay does not inhabit any of the inner parks and open spaces; nor -is there any evidence of its having been a resident London species at -any time. But it is found in the most rural parts and in the wooded -outskirts of the metropolis. Its haunts will be mentioned in the -chapters descriptive of the parks and open spaces. - -There is no strong prejudice against the jay among the park keepers, and -I am glad to know that, in two or three parks, attempts will be made -shortly to introduce this most beautiful of British birds. It is to be -hoped that when we have got him his occasional small peccadilloes will -not be made too much of. - - * * * * * - -The raven has long been lost to London, but not so long as might be -imagined when we consider how nearly extinct this noble species, as an -inland breeder, now is in all the southern half, and very nearly all -the northern half, of England. It is not my intention in this book -to go much into the past history of London bird life, but I make an -exception of the raven on account of an extreme partiality for that most -human-like of feathered creatures. Down to about the middle of last -century, perhaps later, the raven was a common London bird. He was, -after the kite had vanished, the principal feathered scavenger, and -it was said that a London raven could easily be distinguished from a -country bird by his dulled or dusty-looking plumage, the result of his -food-seeking operations in dust and ash heaps. A little way out of the -metropolis he lingered on, as a breeding species, down to within a -little more than half a century ago; the last pair, so far as I can -discover, bred at Enfield down to about 1845. The original 'raven -tree' on which this pair had nested for many years was cut down, after -which the birds built a nest in a clump of seven elm-trees, known -locally as the 'seven sisters,' five of which are still standing. - -[Illustration: 'THE SEVEN SISTERS'] - -In London the last pair had ceased to breed about twenty years earlier; -and of a hundred histories of 'last ravens' to be met with in all parts -of the country, that of these London birds is by no means the least -interesting, and is worth relating again. - -Down to about 1826 this pair bred annually on one of the large elms in -Hyde Park, until it entered into the head of one of the park keepers -to pull down the nest containing young birds. The name and subsequent -history of this injurious wretch have not been handed down. Doubtless he -has long gone to his account; and let us add the pious wish that his -soul, along with the souls of all those who were wanton destroyers -of man's feathered fellow-creatures, is now being driven, like a -snow-flake, round and round the icy pole in that everlasting whirlwind -described by Courthope in his 'Paradise of Birds.' - -The old ravens, deprived of their young, forsook the park. One of the -young birds was successfully reared by the keeper; and the story of -this raven was long afterwards related by Jesse. He was allowed the -fullest liberty, and as he passed a good deal of his time in the -vicinity of the Row, he came to be very well known to all those who were -accustomed to walk in Hyde Park at that time. He was fond of the society -of the men then engaged in the construction of Rennie's bridge over the -Serpentine, and the workmen made a pet of him. His favourite amusement -was to sidle cunningly up to some passer-by or idler, and, watching his -chance, give him or her a sharp dig on the ankle with his beak. One day -a fashionably dressed lady was walking near the bridge, when all at -once catching sight of the bird at her feet, on feeling its sharp beak -prodding her heel, she screamed and gave a great start, and in starting -dropped a valuable gold bracelet from her wrist. No sooner did the jewel -touch the ground than the raven snatched it up in his beak and flew away -with it into Kensington Gardens, where it was searched for, but never -found. It was believed that he made use of one of the hollow trees in -the gardens as a hiding place for plunder of this kind. At length the -raven disappeared--some one had stolen him; but after an absence -of several weeks he reappeared in the park with clipped wings. His -disposition, too, had suffered a change: he moped a good deal, and -finally one morning was found dead in the Serpentine. It was surmised -that he had drowned himself from grief at having been deprived of the -power of flight. - -A few ravens have since visited London. In 1850 a keeper in Regent's -Park observed two of these birds engaged in a savage fight, which ended -in the death of one of the combatants. - -In March 1890 a solitary raven appeared in Kensington Gardens, and -remained there for several weeks. A keeper informed me that it was -captured and taken away. If this unfortunate raven had known his London -better, he would not have chosen a royal park for a residence. - -Was this Kensington raven, it has been asked, a wild bird, or a strayed -pet, or an escaped captive? I believe the following incident will throw -some light on the question. - -For many years past two or three ravens have usually been kept at the -Tower of London. About seven years ago, as near as I can make out, -there were two birds, male and female, and they paired and set to work -building a nest on a tree. By and by, for some unknown reason, they -demolished the nest they had made and started building a new one in -another place. This nest also failed to satisfy them and was pulled to -pieces like the first, and another begun; and finally, after half a -dozen such attempts, the cock bird, who was a strong flyer, abandoned -the task altogether and took to roaming about London, possibly in search -of a new mate with a better knowledge of nest-building. It was his habit -to mount up to a considerable height in the air, and soar about above -the Tower, then to fly away to St. Paul's Cathedral, where he would -perch on the cross above the dome and survey the raree-show beneath. -Then he would wing his way to the docks, or in some other direction; and -day by day his wanderings over London were extended, until the owner or -owners of the bird were warned that if his wings were not clipped he -would, soon or late, be lost. - -But when it was at last resolved to cut his wings he refused to be -caught. He had grown shy and suspicious, and although he came for food -and to roost on one of the turrets every evening, he would not allow any -person to come too near him. After some weeks of this semi-independent -life he finally disappeared, having, as I believe, met his end in -Kensington Gardens. - -His old mate 'Jenny,' as she is named, still lives at the Tower. I hear -she has just been provided with a new mate. - - * * * * * - -Three other crows remain--the carrion crow, rook, and jackdaw, all -black but comely, although not beautiful nor elegant, like the bright -vari-coloured jay and the black and white pie. Unfortunately they are a -small remnant, and we are threatened with the near loss of one, if not -of all. The first-named of this corvine trio is now the largest and most -important wild bird that has been left to us; if any as big or bigger -appear, they are but casual visitors--a chance cormorant in severe -weather, and the heron, that sometimes comes by night to the ornamental -waters in the parks in search of fish, to vanish again, grey and -ghostlike in the grey dawn. - -It is curious to find that the big, loud-voiced, hated carrion crow--so -conspicuous and aggressive a bird--has a firmer hold on life in the -metropolis than his two relations, the rook and daw; for these two are -sociable in habits and inclined to be domestic, and are everywhere -inhabitants of towns. Or, rather, it would be strange but for the fact -that the crow is less generally disliked in London than out of it. - -Now, although these our three surviving crows are being left far -behind in actual numbers by some other species that have only recently -established themselves among us, and are moreover decreasing, and may be -wholly lost at no distant date, they have been so long connected -with London, and historically, as well as on account of their high -intelligence and interesting habits, are so much more to us than the -birds of other families, that I am tempted to write at considerable -length about them, devoting a separate chapter to each species. I also -cherish the hope that their threatened loss may yet be prevented; -doubtless every Londoner will agree that it would be indeed a pity to -lose these old residents. - -It is a fact, although perhaps not a quite familiar one, that those who -reside in the metropolis are more interested in and have a kindlier -feeling for their wild birds than is the case in the rural districts. -The reason is not far to seek: the poorer we are the more do we prize -our small belongings. A wind-fluttered green leaf, a sweet-smelling red -rose, a thrush in song, is naturally more to a Londoner than to the -dweller in mid-Surrey, or Kent, or Devon. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -THE CARRION CROW IN THE BALANCE - - The crow in London--Persecuted in the royal parks--Degradation - of Hyde Park--Ducks in the Serpentine: how they are - thinned--Shooting a chicken with a revolver--Habits of the Hyde - Park mallard--Anecdotes--Number of London crows--The crow a - long-lived bird; a bread-eater--Anecdote--Seeks its food on the - river--The crow as a pet--Anecdotes. - - -The carrion crow has probably always been an inhabitant of the central -parks; at all events it is well known that for a long time past a pair -bred annually in the trees on the north side of the Serpentine, down to -within the last three years. As these birds took toll of the ducks' eggs -and ducklings when they had a nest full of ravenous young to feed, it -was resolved that they should no longer be tolerated; their nests were -ordered to be pulled down and the old birds shot whenever an opportunity -offered. Now it is not the Hyde Park crows alone that will suffer if -this policy be adhered to, but the London crows generally will be in -danger of extermination, for the birds are constantly passing and -repassing across London, visiting all the parks where there are large -trees, on their way to and from their various feeding-grounds. Hyde Park -with Kensington Gardens is one of their favourite stopping places; one -or more pairs may be seen there on most mornings, frequently at noon -again on their return to Richmond, Kew, and Syon Park, and to the -northern heights of London. On the morning of October 10, 1896, I saw -eight carrion crows, in pairs, perched at a considerable distance apart -on the elm-tops near the palace in Kensington Gardens. After calling for -some time on the trees, they began to pursue and buffet one another with -violence, making the whole place in the meantime resound with their -powerful, harsh, grating cries. Their mock battle over, they rose to a -considerable height in the air and went away towards Hammersmith. It -seemed to me a marvellous thing that I had witnessed such a scene in -such a place. But it is not necessary to see a number of carrion crows -together to feel impressed with the appearance of the bird. There are -few finer sights in the wild bird life of London than one of these -visitors to the park on any autumn or winter morning, when he will allow -you to come quite near to the leafless tree on which he is perched, to -stand still and admire his massive raven-like beak and intense black -plumage glossed with metallic green, as he sits flirting his wings and -tail, swelling his throat to the size of a duck's egg, as, at intervals, -he pours out a succession of raucous caws--the cry of a true savage, and -the crow's 'voice of care,' as Chaucer called it. - -[Illustration: CARRION CROW'S NEST] - -The crow is, in fact, the grandest wild bird left to us in the -metropolis; and after corresponding and conversing with a large number -of persons on the subject, I find that in London others--most persons, -I believe--admire him as much as I do, and are just as anxious that he -should be preserved. It may be mentioned here that in two or three of -the County Council's parks the superintendents protect and take pride in -their crows. Why, then, should these few birds, which Londoners value, -be destroyed in the royal parks for fear of the loss of a few ducklings -out of the hundreds that are annually hatched and reared? - -The ducks in the Serpentine are very numerous; many bucketfuls of -food--meal and grain--are given to them every day when they congregate -at the boat-house, and they get besides large quantities of broken bread -cast to them by the public; all day long, and every day when it is not -raining, there is a continual procession of men, women, and children -bringing food for the birds. Is it permissible to ask for whose -advantage this large number of ducks is reared and fattened for the -table at so small a cost? Hyde Park is maintained by the nation, and -presumably for the nation; it is a national as well as a royal park; is -it not extraordinary that so noble a possession, the largest and most -beautiful open space in the capital of the British empire, the chief -city of the world, should be degraded to something like a poultry farm, -or at all events a duck-breeding establishment, and that in order to get -as much profit as possible out of the ducks, one of the chief ornaments -of the park, the one representative of noble wild bird life that has -survived until now in London, should be sacrificed? - -Let us by all means have ducks, and many of them; they are gregarious by -nature and look well in flocks, and are a source of innocent pleasure -to numberless visitors to the parks, especially to children and -nursemaids; but let us not have ducks only--a great multitude of ducks, -to the exclusion of other wilder and nobler birds. - -Personally, I am very fond of these ducks, although I have never had -one on my table, and believe that I am as well able to appreciate their -beauty and feel an interest in their habits as any of the gentlemen in -authority who have decreed that the carrion crow shall go the way of the -raven in Hyde Park. I love them because they are not the ducks that have -been made lazy and fat, with all their fine faculties dulled, by long -domestication. They are the wild duck, or mallard, introduced many -years ago into the Serpentine. Doubtless they have some domestic taint -in them, since the young birds reared each season exhibit a very -considerable variation in colour and markings. Those that vary in -colour are weeded out each winter, and the original type is in this way -preserved; but not strictly preserved, as the weeding-out process is -carelessly--I had almost said stupidly--performed. - -The thinning takes place in December, and at that season people who -live in the vicinity of the park are startled each morning by the sound -of firing, as at the covert side. The sub-ranger and his friends and -underlings are enjoying their big annual shoot. And there is no reason -why they should not have this sport, if it pleases them, and if by this -means the object sought could be obtained. But it is not obtained, as -anyone may see for himself; and it also seems a trifle ridiculous that -any man can find sport in shooting birds accustomed to walk about among -people's legs and feed out of little children's hands. - -Once upon a time, in a distant country, I came with a companion to a -small farmhouse. We were very much in want of a meal, but no person was -about, and the larder was empty, and so we determined to kill and broil -a chicken for ourselves. On our making certain chuckling noises, which -domestic birds understand, a number of fowls scattered about near the -place rushed up to us, expecting to be fed. We made choice of a very -tall cockerel for our breakfast; so tall was this young bird on his -long, bright yellow stilt-like shanks that he towered head and neck -above his fellows. My companion, who was an American, had a revolver -in his pocket, and pulling it out he fired five shots at the bird at a -distance of about six yards, but failed to hit it. He was preparing to -reload his weapon, when, to expedite matters, I picked up a stick and -knocked the chicken over, and in less than fifty minutes' time we were -picking his bones. - -I doubt if the Hyde Park sportsmen will see anything very amusing in -this story. - -The mallard is an extremely handsome fowl, and it is pleasant to see -such a bird in flocks, at home on the ornamental waters, and at the same -time to learn that it is, in a sense, a wild bird, that in the keenness -of its faculties, its power of flight, and nesting habits it differs -greatly from its degenerate domestic relation. By day he will feed from -any person's hand; in the evening he returns to his ancient wary habit, -and will not suffer a person to approach him. He is active by night, -particularly in the autumn, flying about the park and gardens in -small flocks and feeding on the grass. It is a curious and delightful -experience to be alone on a damp autumn night in Kensington Gardens. One -is surrounded by London; its dull continuous murmur may be heard, and -the glinting of distant lamps catches the eye through the trees; these -fitful gleams and distant sounds but make the silence and darkness all -the more deep and impressive. Suddenly the whistling of wings is heard, -and the loud startled cry of a mallard, as the birds, vaguely seen, -rush by overhead; the effect on the mind is wonderful--one has been -transported as by a miracle into the midst of a wild and solitary -nature. - -Both by day and night there is much going to and fro between the -Serpentine and the Round Pond, but each bird appears to be faithful to -its _home_, and those that have been reared on the Round Pond breed -in its vicinity on the west side of the gardens. Where their eggs are -deposited is known to few. Strange as it may seem, they nest in the -trees, in holes in the trunks of the large elms, in many cases -at a height of thirty feet or more from the ground. Some of the -breeding-trees are known, of others the secret has been well kept by the -birds. Not a few ducks breed in Holland Park, and find it an exceedingly -difficult matter to get their broods into the gardens. More than once -the strange spectacle of a duck leading its newly-hatched young along -the thronged pavements of Kensington High Street has been witnessed. - -When the young have been hatched in a tree the parent bird takes them up -in her beak and drops them one by one to the ground, and the fall does -not appear to hurt them. Last year a duck bred in a tree broken off at -the top near St. Gover's Well, in the gardens. One morning she appeared -with four ducklings, and leaving them near the pond went back to the -tree and in time returned with a second lot of four. Still she was not -satisfied, but continued to go back to the tree and to fly round and -round it with a great clamour. A keeper who had been watching her -movements sent for a man with a ladder to have the tree-top examined. -The man found the broken stem hollow at the top, and by thrusting his -arm down shoulder-deep was able to reach the bottom of the cavity with -his hand. One duckling was found in it and rescued, and its mother made -happy. That she had succeeded in getting all the others out of so deep -and narrow a shaft seemed very astonishing. - -An extraordinary incident relating to these Kensington ducks was told -to me by one of the keepers, who himself heard it by a very curious -chance. One dark evening, after leaving the gardens, he got on to an -omnibus near the Albert Hall to go to his home at Hammersmith. Two men -who occupied the seat in front of him were talking about the gardens -and the birds, and he listened. One of the men related that he once -succeeded in taking a clutch of ducks' eggs from the gardens. He put -them under a hen at his home in Hammersmith, and nine ducklings were -hatched. They were healthy and strong and grew up into nine as fine -ducks as he had ever seen. Such fine birds were they that he was loth -to kill or part with them, and before he had made up his mind what to -do he lost them in a very strange way. One morning he was in his back -yard, where his birds were kept, when a crow appeared flying by at a -considerable height in the air; instantly the ducks, with raised heads, -ran together, then with a scream of terror sprang into the air and flew -away, to be seen no more. Up till that moment they had never seen beyond -the small back yard where they lived--it was their world--nor had any -one of them ever attempted to use his wings. - -Let us now return to the nobler bird, the subject of this chapter. - -It would not, I imagine, be difficult for one who had the time to count -the London crows; those I am accustomed to see number about twenty, and -I should not be surprised to learn that as many as forty crows frequent -inner London. But with the exception of two, or perhaps three pairs, -they do not now breed in London, but have their nesting-haunts in woods -west, north, and east of the metropolis. These breeders on the outskirts -bring the young they succeed in rearing to the parks, from which they -have themselves in some cases been expelled, and the tradition is thus -kept up. Most of the birds appear to fly over London every day, paying -long visits on their way to Regent's Park, Holland Park, the central -parks, and Battersea Park. As their movements are very regular it would -be possible to mark their various routes on a map of the metropolis. - -Mr. W. H. Tuck, writing to me about the carrion crow, says: 'For many -years, when living in Kensington, several pairs of crows going from N.E. -to S.W. passed at daybreak over my house on their way to the Thames -banks at Chelsea, and I could always time them within a minute or two.' -These birds come on their way from the northern heights to the river -at Chelsea; the crows that breed in the neighbourhood of Syon Park and -Richmond fly over the central parks to Westminster, and then follow the -river down to its mouth. - -The persistency with which the carrion crow keeps to his nesting-place -may be seen in the case of a pair that have bred in private grounds at -Hillfield, Hampstead, for at least sixty years. Nor is it impossible to -believe that the same birds have occupied the site for this long period, -the crow being a long-lived creature. The venerable author of 'Festus,' -who also has the secret of long life, might have been thinking of this -very pair when, more than half a century ago, he wrote his spirited -lyric:-- - - The crow! the crow! the great black crow! - He lives for a hundred years and mo'; - He lives till he dies, and he dies as slow - As the morning mists down the hill that go. - Go--go! you great black crow! - But it's fine to live and die like a great black crow. - -Many persons might be inclined to think that it must be better for the -crow to have his nest a little way out of the hurly-burly, or at all -events within easy reach of the country; for how, they might ask, can -this large flesh-eating, voracious creature feed himself and rear a nest -full of young with cormorant appetites in London? - -Eliza Cook, whose now universally neglected works I admired as a boy, -makes the bird say, in her 'Song of the Crow':-- - - I plunged my beak in the marbling cheek, - I perched on the clammy brow; - And a dainty treat was that fresh meat - To the greedy carrion crow. - -The unknown author of 'The Twa Corbies' was a better naturalist as well -as a better poet when he wrote-- - - I'll pick out his bonny blue een. - -But this relates to a time when the bodies of dead men, as well as of -other large animals, were left lying promiscuously about; in these -ultra-civilised days, when all dead things are quickly and decently -interred, the greedy carrion crow has greatly modified his feeding -habits. In London, as in most places, he takes whatever he finds on the -table, and though not in principle a vegetarian, there is no doubt that -he feeds largely on vegetable substances. Like the sparrow and other -London birds, he has become with us a great bread-eater. - -Mr. Kempshall, the superintendent at Clissold Park, relates a curious -story of this civilised taste in the crow. The park for very many years -was the home of a pair of these birds. Unfortunately, when this space -was opened to the public, in 1889, the birds forsook it, and settled in -some large trees on private grounds in the neighbourhood. These trees -were cut down about three years ago, whereupon the birds returned to -Clissold Park; but they have now again left it. One summer morning -before the park was opened, when there were young crows in the nest, -Mr. Kempshall observed one of the old birds laboriously making his -way across the open ground towards the nesting-tree, laden with a -strange-looking object. This was white and round and three times as big -as an orange, and the crow, flying close to the ground, was obliged to -alight at short intervals, whereupon he would drop his pack and take a -rest. Curious to know what he was carrying, the superintendent made a -sudden rush at the bird, at a moment when he had set his burden down, -and succeeded in getting near enough to see that the white object was -the round top part of a cottage loaf. But though the rush had been -sudden and unexpected, and accompanied with a startling shout, the crow -did not lose his head; striking his powerful beak, or _plunging_ it, as -Eliza Cook would have said, into the mass, he flopped up and struggled -resolutely on until he reached the nest, to be boisterously welcomed by -his hungry family. They had a big meal, but perhaps grumbled a little at -so much bread without any ghee. - -Probably the London crows get most of their food from the river. Very -early every morning, as we have seen, they wing their way to the Thames, -and at all hours of the day, when not engaged in breeding, crows may be -seen travelling up and down the river, usually in couples, from Barnes -and Mortlake and higher up, down to the sea. They search the mud at low -tide for dead fishes, garbage, bread, and vegetable matter left by the -water. Even when the tide is at its full the birds are still able to -pick up something to eat, as they have borrowed the gull's habit of -dropping upon the water to pick up any floating object which may form -part of their exceedingly varied dietary. It is amusing to see the -carrion crow fishing up his dinner in this way, for he does not venture -to fold his wings like the gull and examine and take up the morsel at -leisure; he drops upon the water rather awkwardly, wetting his legs and -belly, but keeps working his wings until he has secured the floating -object, then rises heavily with it in his beak. Another curious habit of -some London crows in the south-west district, is to alight, dove-like, -on the roofs and chimney-stacks of tall houses. - -In an article on this bird which appeared in the 'Fortnightly Review' -for May 1895, I wrote: 'It sometimes greatly adds to our knowledge of -any wild creature to see it tamed--not confined in any way, nor with its -wings clipped, but free to exercise all its faculties and to come and go -at will. Some species in this condition are very much more companionable -than others, and probably none so readily fall into the domestic life as -the various members of the crow family; for they are more intelligent -and adaptive, and nearer to the mammalians in their mental character -than most birds. It is therefore curious to find that the subject of -this paper appears to be little known as a domestic bird, or pet. A -caged crow, being next door, so to speak, to a dead and stuffed crow, -does not interest me. Yet the crow strikes one as a bird with great -possibilities as a pet: one would like to observe him freely associating -with the larger unfeathered crows that have a different language, to -learn by what means he communicates with them, to sound his depths of -amusing devilry, and note the modulations of his voice; for he, too, -like other corvines, is loquacious on occasions, and much given to -soliloquy. He is also a musician, a fact which is referred to by Æsop, -Yarrell, and other authorities, but they have given us no proper -description of his song. A friend tells me that he once kept a crow -which did not prove a very interesting pet. This was not strange in the -circumstances. The bird was an old one, just knocked down with a charge -of shot, when he was handed over in a dazed condition to my informant. -He recovered from his wounds, but was always a very sedate bird. He -had the run of a big old country house, and was one day observed in a -crouching attitude pressed tightly into the angle formed by the wall -and floor. He had discovered that the place was infested by mice, and -was watching a crevice. The instant that a mouse put out a head the crow -had him in his beak, and would kill him by striking him with lightning -rapidity two or three times on the floor, then swallow him. From that -time mouse-catching was this bird's sole occupation and amusement, and -he went about the house in the silent and stealthy manner of a cat. - -'I am anxious to get the history of a tame crow that never had his -wing-feathers clipped, and did not begin the domestic life as an old -bird with several pellets of lead in his body.' - -Curiously enough, not long after this article appeared another -bird-lover in London was asking the same question in another journal. -This was Mr. Mandeville B. Phillips, of South Norwood, then private -secretary to the late Archbishop of Canterbury. By accident he had -become possessed of a carrion crow, sold to him as a young raven taken -from a nest at Ely. This bird made so interesting a pet that its owner -became desirous of hearing the experiences of others who had kept -carrion crows. Mr. Phillips, in kindly giving me the history of his -bird, says that at different times he has kept ravens, daws, jays, and -magpies, but has never had so delightful a bird friend as the crow. It -was a revelation to him to find what an interesting pet this species -made. No other bird he had owned approached him in cleverness and in -multiplicity of tricks and devices: he could give the cleverest jackdaw -points and win easily. If his bird was an average specimen of the race, -he wondered that the crow is not more popular as a pet. This bird was -fond of his liberty, but would always come to his master when called, -and roosted every night in an outhouse. Like the tame raven, and also -like human beings of a primitive order of mind, he was excessively fond -of practical jokes, and whenever he found the dog or cat asleep he would -steal quietly up and administer a severe prod on the tail with his -powerful beak. He would also fly into the kitchen when he saw the -window open, to steal the spoons; but his chief delight was in a box -of matches, which he would carry off to pick to pieces and scatter the -matches all over the place. He was extremely jealous of a tame raven and -a jackdaw that shared the house and garden with him, and which he chose -to regard as rivals; but this was his only unhappiness. The appearance -of his master dressed in 'blazers' always greatly affected him. It -would, indeed, throw him into such a frenzy of terror that Mr. Phillips -became careful not to exhibit himself in such bizarre raiment in the -garden. My informant concludes, that he is not ashamed to say that he -shed a few tears at the loss of this bird. - -I may add that I received a large number of letters in answer to my -article on the carrion crow, but none of my correspondents in this -country had any knowledge of the bird as a pet. In several letters -received from America--the States and Canada--long histories of the -common crow of that region as a pet bird were sent to me. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -THE LONDON DAW - - Rarity of the daw in London--Pigeons and daws compared--Æsthetic - value of the daw as a cathedral bird--Kensington Palace daws; - their disposition and habits--Friendship with rooks--Wandering - daws at Clissold Park--Solitary daws--Mr. Mark Melford's - birds--Rescue of a hundred daws--The strange history of an - egg-stealing daw--White daws--White ravens--Willughby's - speculations--A suggestion. - - -It is somewhat curious to find that the jackdaw is an extremely rare -bird in London--that, in fact, with the exception of a small colony at -one spot, he is almost non-existent. At Richmond Park, where pheasants -(and the gamekeeper's traditions) are preserved, he was sometimes shot -in the breeding season; but in the metropolis, so far as I know, he has -never been persecuted. Yet there are few birds, certainly no member of -the crow family, seemingly so well adapted to a London life as this -species. Throughout the kingdom he is a familiar town bird; in one -English cathedral over a hundred pairs have their nests; and in that -city and in many other towns the birds are accustomed to come to the -gardens and window-sills, to be fed on scraps by their human neighbours -and friends. - -[Illustration: PIGEONS AT THE LAW COURTS] - -While the daw has diminished with us, and is near to vanishing, the -common pigeon--the domestic variety of the blue rock--has increased -excessively in recent years. Large colonies of these birds inhabit the -Temple Gardens, the Law Courts, St. Paul's, the Museum, and Westminster -Palace, and many smaller settlements exist all over the metropolis. Now, -a flock or cloud of parti-coloured pigeons rushing up and wheeling about -the roofs or fronts of these imposing structures forms a very pretty -sight; but the daw toying with the wind, that lifts and blows him hither -and thither, is a much more engaging spectacle, and in London we miss -him greatly. - -I have often thought that it was due to the presence of the daw that I -was ever able to get an adequate or satisfactory idea of the beauty -and grandeur of some of our finest buildings. Watching the bird in his -aërial evolutions, now suspended motionless, or rising and falling, then -with half-closed wings precipitating himself downwards, as if demented, -through vast distances, only to mount again with an exulting cry, to -soar beyond the highest tower or pinnacle, and seem at that vast height -no bigger than a swift in size--watching him thus, an image of the -structure over and around which he disported himself so gloriously has -been formed--its vastness, stability, and perfect proportions--and has -remained thereafter a vivid picture in my mind. How much would be lost -to the sculptured west front of Wells Cathedral, the soaring spire of -Salisbury, the noble roof and towers of York Minster and of Canterbury, -if the jackdaws were not there! I know that, compared with the images -I retain of many daw-haunted cathedrals and castles in the provinces, -those of the cathedrals and other great buildings in London have in my -mind a somewhat dim and blurred appearance. It is a pity that, before -consenting to rebuild St. Paul's Cathedral, Sir Christopher Wren did not -make the perpetual maintenance of a colony of jackdaws a condition. -And if he had bargained with posterity for a pair or two of peregrine -falcons and kestrels, his glory at the present time would have been -greater. - -There are, I believe, about sixteen hundred churches in London; probably -not more than three are now tenanted by the 'ecclesiastical daw.' - -On the borders of London--at Hampstead, Greenwich, Dulwich, Richmond, -and other points--daws in limited numbers are to be met with; in London -proper, or inner London, there are no resident or breeding daws except -the small colony of about twenty-four birds at Kensington Palace. Most -of these breed in the hollow elms in Kensington Gardens; others in trees -in Holland Park. There is something curious about this small isolated -colony: the birds are far less loquacious and more sedate in manner than -daws are wont to be. At almost any hour of the day they may be seen -sitting quietly on the higher branches of the tall trees, silent and -spiritless. The wind blows, and they rise not to play with it; the -graceful spire of St. Mary Abbott's springs high above the garden trees -and palace and neighbouring buildings, but it does not attract them. -Occasionally, in winter, when the morning sun shines bright and melts -the mist, they experience a sudden return of the old frolicsome mood, -and at such moments are capable of a very fine display, rushing over -and among the tall elms in a black train, yelping like a pack of aërial -hounds in hot pursuit of some invisible quarry. - -A still greater excitement is exhibited by these somewhat depressed and -sedentary Kensington birds on the appearance of a flight of rooks; for -rooks, sometimes in considerable numbers, do occasionally visit or pass -over London, and keep, when travelling east or west, to the wide green -way of the central parks. Now there are few more impressive spectacles -in bird life in this country than the approach of a large company of -rooks; their black forms, that loom so large as they successively -appear, follow each other with slow deliberate motion at long intervals, -moving as in a funeral procession, with appropriate solemn noises, which -may be heard when they are still at a great distance. They are chanting -something that corresponds in the corvine world to our Dead March -in 'Saul.' The coming sound has a magical effect on the daws; their -answering cries ring out loud and sharp, and hurriedly mounting to a -considerable height in the air, they go out to meet the processionists, -to mix with and accompany them a distance on the journey. It is to me a -wonderful sight--more wonderful here in Kensington Gardens, which have -long been rookless, than in any country place, and has reminded me of -the meeting of two savage tribes or families, living far apart but -cherishing an ancient tradition of kinship and amity, who, after a long -interval, perhaps of years, when at last they come in sight of each -other's faces rush together, bursting into loud shouts of greeting and -welcome. And one is really inclined to believe at times that some such -traditional alliance and feeling of friendship exists between these two -most social and human-like of the crow family. - -Besides this small remnant of birds native to London, flocks of jackdaws -from outside occasionally appear when migrating or in search of new -quarters. One morning, not long ago, a flock of fifteen came down at -Clissold Park. They settled on the dovecote, and amused themselves in -a characteristic way by hunting the pigeons out of their boxes; then, -having cleared the place, they remained contentedly for an hour or -two, dozing, preening their feathers, and conversing together in low -tones. The bird-loving superintendent's heart was filled with joy -at the acquisition of so interesting a colony; but his rejoicing -was premature, the loud call and invitation to fly was at last -sounded, and hastily responded to--_We have not come to stay--we -are off--good-bye--so-long--farewell_--and forthwith they rose up and -flew away, probably in search of fresher woods and less trodden -pastures than those of Clissold Park. - -There are also to be met with in London a few solitary vagrant daws -which in most cases are probably birds escaped from captivity. Close to -my home a daw of this description appears every morning at the house of -a friend and demands his breakfast with loud taps on the window-pane. -The generous treatment he has received has caused him to abandon his -first suspicious attitude; he now flies boldly into the house and -explores the rooms, and is specially interested in the objects on the -dressing-table. Articles of jewellery are carefully put out of sight -when he makes a call. - -My friends, Mr. and Mrs. Mark Melford, of Fulham, are probably -responsible for the existence in London of a good number of wandering -solitary jackdaws. They cherish a wonderful admiration and affection -towards all the members of the crow family, and have had numberless -daws, jays, and pies as pets, or rather as guests, since their birds -are always free to fly about the house and go and come at pleasure. -But their special favourite is the daw, which they regard as far more -intelligent, interesting, and companionable than any other animal, not -excepting the dog. On one occasion Mr. Melford saw an advertisement of -a hundred daws to be sold for trap-shooting, and to save them from so -miserable a fate he at once purchased the lot and took them home. They -were in a miserable half-starved condition, and to give them a better -chance of survival, before freeing them he placed them in an outhouse in -his garden with a wire-netting across the doorway, and there he fed and -tended them until they were well and strong, and then gave them their -liberty. But they did not at once take advantage of it; grown used to -the place and the kindly faces of their protectors, they remained and -were like tame birds about the house; but later, a few at a time, at -long intervals, they went away and back to their wild independent life. - -Of the many stories of their pet daws which they have told me, I will -give one of a bird which was a particular favourite of Mrs. Melford's. -His invariable habit was, on returning from an expedition abroad, to fly -straight into the house in search of her, and, sitting on her head, to -express his affection and delight at rejoining her by passing his beak -through her hair. - -[Illustration: THE LADY AND THE DAW] - -Unfortunately, this bird had a weakness for eggs, which led him into -many scrapes, and in the end very nearly proved his undoing. He was -constantly hanging about and prying into the fowl-house, and whenever -he felt sure that he was not observed he would slip in to purloin an -egg. His cunning reacted on the fowls and made them cunning too. When he -appeared they looked the other way, or walked off pretending not to see -him; but no sooner would he be inside exploring the obscure corners for -an egg than the battle-cry would sound, and then poor Jackie would find -it hard indeed to escape from their fury with nothing worse than a sound -drubbing. In a day or two, before his many sores and bruises had had -time to heal, the cackling of a hen and the thought of a new-laid egg -would tempt him again, and at length one day he could not escape; the -loud cries of rage and of vengeance gratified attracted some person -to the fowl-house, where Jackie was found lying on the ground in the -midst of a crowd of fowls engaged in pounding and pecking his life out, -scattering his hated black feathers in all directions. He was rescued -more dead than alive, and subsequently tended by his mistress with -loving care. He lived, but failed to recover his old gay spirits; day -after day he moped in silence, a picture of abject misery, recalling in -his half-naked, bruised, and bedraggled appearance the famous bird of -Rheims, the stealer of the turquoise ring, after the awful malediction -of the Lord Cardinal Archbishop had taken effect: - - On crumpled claw, - Came limping a poor little lame jackdaw, - No longer gay - As on yesterday; - His feathers all seemed to be turned the wrong way; - His pinions drooped, he could hardly stand, - His head was as bald as the palm of your hand; - His eye so dim, - So wasted each limb, - That, heedless of grammar, they all cried 'That's him!' - -By-and-by, when still in this broken-hearted and broken-feathered state, -a sight to make his mistress weep, he disappeared; it was conjectured -that some compassionate-minded neighbour, finding him in his garden -or grounds, and seeing his pitiable condition, had put an end to his -misery. - -One day, a year later, Mrs. Melford, who was just recovering from an -illness, was lying on a sofa in a room on the ground floor, when her -husband, who was in the garden at the back, excitedly cried out that -a wild jackdaw had just flown down and alighted near him. 'A perfect -beauty!' he exclaimed; never had he seen a jackdaw in finer plumage! -The lady, equally excited, called back, begging him to use every device -to get the bird to stay. No sooner was her voice heard than the jackdaw -rose up and dashed into the house, and flying the length of three rooms -came to where she was lying, and at once alighted on her head and began -passing his beak through her hair in the old manner. In no other way -could this wild-looking and beautified bird have established his -identity. His return was a great joy; they caressed and feasted him, -and for several hours, during which he showed no desire to renew his -intercourse with the fowls, he was as lively and amusing as he had ever -been in the old days before he had got into trouble. But before night he -left them, and has never returned since; doubtless he had established -relations with some of the wild daws on the outskirts of London. - -Before ending this chapter I should like to say a word about white -jackdaws. It is a mystery to me where all the albinos occasionally to -be seen in the London bird markets come from. I have seen half a dozen -in the hands of one large dealer, two at another dealer's, and several -single birds at other shops; altogether about sixteen or eighteen white -daws on sale at one time. - -One often hears of and occasionally sees a white blackbird or other -species in a wild state, but these uncoloured specimens are rare; they -are also dear to the collector (nobody knows why), and as a rule are not -long permitted to enjoy existence. Besides, in nine cases out of ten the -abnormally white birds are not albinos. They are probably mere 'sports,' -like our domestic white pigeons, fowls, and ducks, and would doubtless -be more common but for the fact that their whiteness is a disadvantage -to them in their struggle for life. It is rather curious to find that -among wild birds those that have a black plumage appear more subject -to loss of colour than others. Thus we find that, of our small birds, -whiteness is more common in the blackbird than in any other species. -Within the last twelve to eighteen months I have known of the existence -of seven or eight white or partly white blackbirds in London; but during -the same period I have not seen nor heard of a white thrush, and have -only seen one white sparrow. My belief is that the species most commonly -found with white or partly white plumage are the blackbird, rook, and -daw. When carrion crows and ravens were abundant in this country it was -probably no very unusual thing to meet with white specimens. The old -ornithologist, Willughby, writing over two centuries ago, mentions two -milk-white ravens which he saw; but the fact of their whiteness is -less interesting to read at this distant date than the old author's -delightful speculations as to the cause of the phenomenon. He doubts -that white ravens were as common in this country as Aldrovandus had -affirmed that they were, and then adds: 'I rather think that they -are found in those mountainous Northern Countries, which are for the -greatest part of the year covered with snow: Where also many other -Animals change their native colours, and become white, as _Bears_, -_Foxes_, _Blackbirds_, &c., whether it proceeds from the force of -imagination, heightened by the constant intuition of Snow, or from -the cold of the Climate, occasioning such a languishing of colour; as -we see in old Age, when the natural heat decays, the hair grows grey, -and at last white.' - -To return to the subject of the beautiful albino daws, and the numbers -sometimes seen in our bird markets. One can only say that the monster -London throws its nets over an exceedingly wide area, capturing all rare -and quaint and beautiful things for its own delight. Thinking of these -wonderful white daws, when I have cast up my eyes to the birdless towers -and domes of our great London buildings, it has occurred to me to ask -the following question: Is there not one among the many very wealthy men -in London, who annually throw away hundreds of thousands of pounds on -their several crazes--is there not one to give, say, fifty or sixty -pounds per annum to buy up all these beautiful albinos, at the usual -price of one or two guineas per bird, for three or four years, and -establish a colony at Westminster, or other suitable place, where -thousands of people would have great delight in looking at them every -day? For it would indeed be a strange and beautiful sight, and many -persons would come from a distance solely to see the milk-white daws -soaring in the wind, as their custom is, above the roofs and towers; -and he who made such a gift to London would be long and very pleasantly -remembered. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -EXPULSION OF THE ROOKS - - Positions of the rook and crow compared--Gray's Inn Gardens - rookery--Break-up of the old, and futile attempt of the birds to - establish new rookeries--The rooks a great loss to London--Why the - rook is esteemed--Incidents in the life of a tame rook--A first - sight of the Kensington Gardens rookery--The true history of the - expulsion of the rooks--A desolate scene, and a vision of London - beautified. - - -We have seen how it is with the carrion crow--that he is in the balance, -and that if the park authorities will but refrain from persecuting him -he will probably be able to keep his ancient place among the wild birds -of London. To what has already been said on the subject of this bird I -will only add here that there is, just now, an unfortunate inclination -in some of the County Council's parks to adopt the policy of the royal -parks--to set too high a value on domestic and ornamental water-fowl, -which, however beautiful and costly they may be, can never give as much -pleasure or produce the same effect on the mind as the wild bird. The -old London crow is worth more to London than many exotic swans and ducks -and geese. - -[Illustration: LONDON CROWS] - -We have also seen that the case of the jackdaw is not quite hopeless; -for although the birds are now reduced to an insignificant remnant, the -habits and disposition of this species make it reasonable to hope that -they will thrive and increase, and, in any case, that if we want the -daw we can have him. But the case of the rook appears to me well nigh -hopeless, and on this account, in this list of the corvines, he is put -last that should have been first. There are nevertheless two reasons why -a considerable space--a whole chapter--should be given to this species: -one is, that down to within a few years ago the rook attracted the -largest share of attention, and was the most important species in the -wild bird life of the metropolis; the other, that it would be well that -the cause of its departure should not be forgotten. It is true that -in the very heart of the metropolis a rookery still exists in Gray's -Inn Gardens, and that although it does not increase neither does it -diminish. Thus, during the last twenty years there have never been -fewer than seventeen or eighteen, and never more than thirty nests -in a season; and for the last three seasons the numbers have been -twenty-five, twenty-three, and twenty-four nests. Going a little farther -back in the history of this ancient famous colony, it is well to relate -that, twenty-three years ago, it was well-nigh lost for ever through -an unconsidered act of the Benchers, or of some ignorant person in -authority among them. It was thought that the trees would have a better -appearance if a number of their large horizontal branches were lopped -off, and the work was carried out in the month of March, just when the -rooks were busy repairing their old and building new nests. The birds -were seized with panic, and went away in a body to be seen no more for -the space of three years; then they returned to settle once more, and -at present they are regarded with so much pride and affection by the -Benchers, and have so much food cast to them out of scores of windows, -that they have grown to be the most domestic and stay-at-home rooks to -be found anywhere in England. - -With the exception of this one small colony, it is sad to have to say -that utter, irretrievable disaster has fallen on the inner London -rookeries--those that still exist in the suburbs will be mentioned in -subsequent chapters--and although rooks may still be found within our -gates, go they will and go they must, never to return. The few birds -that continue in constantly diminishing numbers to breed here and there -in the metropolis, in spite of its gloomy atmosphere and the long -distances they are obliged to travel in quest of grubs and worms -for their young, are London rooks, themselves hatched in parks and -squares--the town has always been their home and breeding place; and -although it is more than probable that some of these town birds are from -time to time enticed away to the country, it is indeed hard to believe -that rooks hatched in the rural districts are ever tempted to come to -us. During the last dozen years many attempts at founding new colonies -have been made by small bands of rooks. These birds were and are -survivors of the old broken-up communities. All these incipient -rookeries, containing from two or three to a dozen nests (as at -Connaught Square), have failed; but the birds, or some of them, still -wander about in an aimless way in small companies, from park to park, -and there is no doubt that year by year these homeless rooks will -continue to decrease in number, until the ancient tradition is lost, -and they will be seen no more. - -It is no slight loss which we have to lament; it is the loss to the -millions inhabiting this city, or congeries of cities and towns, of a -bird which is more to us than any other wild bird, on account of its -large size and interesting social habits, its high intelligence, and -the confidence it reposes in man; and, finally, of that ancient kindly -regard and pride in it which, in some degree, is felt by all persons -throughout the kingdom. The rook has other claims to our esteem and -affection which are not so generally known: in a domestic state it is -no whit behind other species in the capacity for strong attachments, in -versatility and playfulness, and that tricksy spirit found in most of -the corvines, which so curiously resembles, or simulates, the sense of -humour in ourselves. - -I recall here an incident in the life of a tame rook, and by way of -apology for introducing it I may mention that this bird, although -country bred, was of London too, when his mistress came to town for -the season accompanied by her glossy black pet. I will first relate -something of his country life, and feel confident that this digression -will be pardoned by those of my readers who are admirers of the rook, a -bird which we are accustomed to regard as of a more sedate disposition -than the jackdaw. - -He was picked up injured in a park in Oxfordshire, taken in and nursed -by the lady of the house until he was well and able to fly about once -more; but he elected to stay with his benefactress, although he always -spent a portion of each day in flying about the country in company with -his fellows. He had various ways of showing his partiality for his -mistress, one of which was very curious. Early every morning he flew -into her bedroom by the open window, and alighting on her bed would -deposit a small offering on the pillow--a horse-chestnut bur, a little -crooked stick, a bleached rabbit bone, a pebble, a bit of rusty iron, -which he had picked up and regarded as a suitable present. Whatever -it was, it had to be accepted with demonstrations of gratitude and -affection. If she took no notice he would lift it up and replace it -again, calling attention to it with little subdued exclamations which -sounded like words, and if she feigned sleep he would gently pull her -hair or tap her cheek with his bill to awake her. Once the present -was accepted he would nestle in under her arm and remain so, very -contentedly, until she got up. - -Here we get a delightful little peep into the workings of the rook's -mind. We ourselves, our great philosopher tells us, are 'hopelessly' -anthropomorphic. The rook appears to be in as bad a case; to his -mind we are nothing but bigger rooks, somewhat misshapen, perhaps, -featherless, deprived by some accident of the faculty of flight, and -not very well able to take care of ourselves. - -One summer day the rook came into the daughter's bedroom, where she was -washing her hands, and had just taken off a valuable diamond ring from -her finger and placed it on the marble top of the washing-stand. The -rook came to the stand and very suddenly picked up the ring and flew -out at the open window. The young lady ran down stairs and on to the -terrace, calling out that the bird had flown away with her ring. Her -mother quickly came out with a field glass in her hand, and together -they watched the bird fly straight away across the park to a distance -of about a third of a mile, where he disappeared from sight among the -trees. The ring was gone! Two hours later the robber returned and flew -into the dining-room, where his mistress happened to be; alighting on -the table, he dropped the ring from his beak and began walking round -it, viewing it first with one, then the other eye, uttering the while a -variety of little complacent notes, in which he seemed to be saying: 'I -have often admired this beautiful ring, but never had an opportunity of -examining it properly before; now, after having had it for some time in -my possession and shown it to several wild rooks of my acquaintance, I -have much satisfaction in restoring it to its owner, who is my very good -friend.' - -During his summer visits to London this rook met with many curious and -amusing adventures, as he had the habit of flying in at the open windows -of houses in the neighbourhood of Park Lane, and making himself very -much at home. He also flew about Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens every -day to visit his fellow-rooks. One day his mistress was walking in the -Row, at an hour when it was full of fashionable people, and the rook, -winging his way homewards from the gardens, spied her, and circling down -alighted on her shoulders, to the amazement of all who witnessed the -incident. 'What an astonishing thing!' exclaimed some person in the -crowd that gathered round her. 'Oh, not at all,' answered the lady, -caressing the bird with her hand, while he rubbed his beak against her -cheek; 'if you were as fond of the birds as I am, and treated them as -well, they would be glad to come down on to your shoulders, too.' - -This happened when the now vanished rooks had their populous rookery in -Kensington Gardens, where they were to be seen all day flying to and -from the old nesting-trees, and stalking over the green turf in search -of grubs on the open portions of Hyde Park. And we should have had them -there now if they had not been driven out. - - * * * * * - -The two largest London rookeries were those at Greenwich Park and -Kensington Gardens. In the first-named the trees were all topped over -twenty years ago, with the result that the birds left; and although the -locality has much to attract them, and numbers of rooks constantly visit -the park, they have never attempted to build nests since the trees were -mutilated. This rookery I never saw; that of Kensington Gardens I knew -very well. - -Over twenty years ago, on arriving in London, I put up at a City hotel, -and on the following day went out to explore, and walked at random, -never inquiring my way of any person, and not knowing whether I was -going east or west. After rambling about for some three or four hours, -I came to a vast wooded place where few persons were about. It was a -wet, cold morning in early May, after a night of incessant rain; but -when I reached this unknown place the sun shone out and made the air -warm and fragrant and the grass and trees sparkle with innumerable -raindrops. Never grass and trees in their early spring foliage looked -so vividly green, while above the sky was clear and blue as if I had -left London leagues behind. As I advanced farther into this wooded space -the dull sounds of traffic became fainter, while ahead the continuous -noise of many cawing rooks grew louder and louder. I was soon under the -rookery listening to and watching the birds as they wrangled with one -another, and passed in and out among the trees or soared above their -tops. How intensely black they looked amidst the fresh brilliant green -of the sunlit foliage! What wonderfully tall trees were these where -the rookery was placed! It was like a wood where the trees were -self-planted, and grew close together in charming disorder, reaching a -height of about one hundred feet or more. Of the fine sights of London -so far known to me, including the turbid, rushing Thames, spanned by -its vast stone bridges, the cathedral with its sombre cloud-like dome, -and the endless hurrying procession of Cheapside, this impressed me the -most. The existence of so noble a transcript of wild nature as this tall -wood with its noisy black people, so near the heart of the metropolis, -surrounded on all sides by miles of brick and mortar and innumerable -smoking chimneys, filled me with astonishment; and I may say that I -have seldom looked on a scene that stamped itself on my memory in -more vivid and lasting colours. Recalling the sensations of delight -I experienced then, I can now feel nothing but horror at the thought -of the unspeakable barbarity the park authorities were guilty of in -destroying this noble grove. _Why_ was it destroyed? It was surely worth -more to us than many of our possessions--many painted canvases, statues, -and monuments, which have cost millions of the public money! Of brick -and stone buildings, plain and ornamental, we have enough to afford -shelter to our bodies, and for all other purposes, but trees of one or -two centuries' growth, the great trees that give shelter and refreshment -to the soul, are not many in London. There must, then, have been some -urgent reason and necessity for the removal of this temple not builded -by man. It could not surely have been for the sake of the paltry sum -which the wood was worth--paltry, that is to say, if we compare the -amount the timber-merchant would pay for seven hundred elm-trees with -the sum of seventy-five thousand pounds the Government gave, a little -later, for half a dozen dreary canvases from Blenheim--dust and ashes -for the hungry and thirsty! Those who witnessed the felling of these -seven hundred trees, the tallest in London, could but believe that the -authorities had good cause for what they did, that they had been advised -by experts in forestry; and it was vaguely thought that the trees, which -looked outwardly in so flourishing a condition, were inwardly eaten up -with canker, and would eventually (and very soon perhaps) have to come -down. If the trees had in very truth been dying, the authorities would -not have been justified in their action. In the condition in which trees -are placed in London it is well nigh impossible that they should have -perfect health; but trees take long to die, and during decay are still -beautiful. Not far from London is a tree which Aubrey described as very -old in his day, and which has been dying since the early years of this -century, but it is not dead yet, and it may live to be admired by -thousands of pilgrims down to the end of the twentieth century. In any -case, trees are too precious in London to be removed because they are -unsound. But the truth was, those in Kensington Gardens were not dying -and not decayed. The very fact that they were chosen year after year by -the rooks to build upon afforded the strongest evidence that they were -the healthiest trees in the gardens. When they were felled a majority -of them were found to be perfectly sound. I examined many of the finest -boles, seventy and eighty feet long, and could detect no rotten spot in -them, nor at the roots. - -The only reasons I have been able to discover as having been given for -the destruction were that grass could not be made to grow so as to form -a turf in the deep shade of the grove; that in wet weather, particularly -during the fall of the leaf, the ground was always sloppy and dirty -under the trees, so that no person could walk in that part of the -grounds without soiling his boots. - -It will hardly be credited that the very men who did the work, before -setting about it, respectfully informed the park authorities that they -considered it would be a great mistake to cut the trees down, not only -because they were sound and beautiful to the eye, but for other reasons. -One was that the rooks would be driven away; another that this tall -thick grove was a protection to the gardens, and secured the trees -scattered over its northern side from the violence of the winds from the -west. They were laughed at for their pains, and told that the 'screen' -was not wanted, as every tree was made safe by its own roots; and as to -the rooks, they would not abandon the gardens where they had bred for -generations, but would build new nests on other trees. Finally, when it -came to the cutting down, the men begged to be allowed to spare a few of -the finest trees in the grove; and at last one tree, with no fewer than -fourteen nests on it: they were sharply ordered to cut down the lot. And -cut down they were, with disastrous consequences, as we know, as during -the next few years many scores of the finest trees on the north side of -the gardens were blown down by the winds, among them the noblest tree in -London--the great beech on the east side of the wide vacant space where -the grove had stood. The rooks, too, went away, as they had gone before -from Greenwich Park, and as in a period of seventeen years they have not -succeeded in establishing a new rookery, we may now regard them as lost -for ever. - -Seventeen years! Some may say that this is going too far back; that in -these fast-moving times, crowded with historically important events, it -is hardly worth while in 1898 to recall the fact that in 1880 a grove -of seven hundred trees was cut down in Kensington Gardens for no reason -whatever, or for a reason which would not be taken seriously by any -person in any degree removed from the condition of imbecility! - -To the nation at large the destruction of this grove may not have been -an important event, but to the millions inhabiting the metropolis, who -in a sense form a nation in themselves, it was exceedingly important, -immeasurably more so than most of the events recorded each year in the -'Annual Register.' - -It must be borne in mind that to a vast majority of this population of -five millions London is a permanent home, their 'province covered with -houses' where they spend their toiling lives far from the sights and -sounds of nature; that the conditions being what they are, an open -space is a possession of incalculable value, to be prized above all -others, like an amulet or a thrice-precious gem containing mysterious -health-giving properties. He, then, who takes from London one of these -sacred possessions, or who deprives it of its value by destroying its -rural character, by cutting down its old trees and driving out its bird -life, inflicts the greatest conceivable injury on the community, and is -really a worse enemy than the criminal who singles out an individual -here and there for attack, and who for his misdeeds is sent to Dartmoor -or to the gallows. - -We give praise and glory to those who confer lasting benefits on the -community; we love their memories when they are no more, and cherish -their fame, and hand it on from generation to generation. In honouring -them we honour ourselves. But praise and glory would be without -significance, and love of our benefactors would lose its best virtue, -its peculiar sweetness, if such a feeling did not have its bitter -opposite and correlative. - - * * * * * - -In conclusion of this in part mournful chapter I will relate a little -experience met with in Kensington Gardens, seventeen years ago. I was -in bad health at the time, with no prospect of recovery, and had been -absent from London. It was a bright and beautiful morning in October, -the air summer-like in its warmth, and, thinking how pleasant my -favourite green and wooded haunt would look in the sunshine, I paid a -visit to Kensington Gardens. Then I first saw the great destruction that -had been wrought; where the grove had stood there was now a vast vacant -space, many scores of felled trees lying about, and all the ground -trodden and black, and variegated with innumerable yellow chips, which -formed in appearance an irregular inlaid pattern. - -As I stood there idly contemplating the sawn-off half of a prostrate -trunk, my attention was attracted to a couple of small, ragged, -shrill-voiced urchins, dancing round the wood and trying to get bits -of bark and splinters off, one with a broken chopper for an implement, -the other with a small hand-hatchet, which flew off the handle at every -stroke. Seeing that I was observing their antics, one shouted to the -other, 'Say, Bill, got a penny?' 'No, don't I wish I had!' shouted the -other. - -'Little beggars,' thought I, 'do you really imagine you are going to get -a penny out of me?' So much amused was I at their transparent device -that I deliberately winked an eye--not at the urchins, but for the -benefit of a carelessly dressed, idle-looking young woman who happened -to be standing near just then, regarding us with an expression of slight -interest, a slight smile on her rosy lips, the sunshine resting on her -beautiful sun-browned face, and tawny bronzed hair. I must explain -that I had met her before, often and often, in London and other towns, -and in the country, and by the sea, and on distant seas, and in many -uninhabited places, so that we were old friends and quite familiar. - -Presently an exceedingly wasted, miserable-looking, decrepid old woman -came by, bent almost double under a ragged shawl full of sticks and -brushwood which she had gathered where the men were now engaged in -lopping off the branches of a tree they had just felled. 'My! she's got -a load, ain't she, Bill?' cried the first urchin again. 'Oh, if we had -a penny, now!' - -I asked him what he meant, and very readily and volubly he explained -that on payment of a penny the workmen would allow any person to take -away as much of the waste wood as he could carry, but without the penny -not a chip. I relented at that and gave them a penny, and with a whoop -of joy at their success they ran off to where the men were working. - -Then I turned to leave the gardens, nodding a good-bye to the young -woman, who was still standing there. The slight smile and expression of -slight interest, that curious baffling expression with which she regards -all our actions, from the smallest to the greatest, came back to her -lips and face. But as she returned my glance with her sunny eyes, behind -the sunniness on the surface there was a look of deep meaning, such as I -have occasionally seen in them before. It seemed to be saying sorrowful -and yet comforting things to me, telling me not to grieve overmuch at -these hackings and mutilations of the sweet places of the earth--at -these losses to be made good. It was as if she had shown me a vision -of some far time, after this London, after the dust of all her people, -from park ranger to bowed-down withered old woman gathering rotten -rain-sodden sticks for fuel, had been blown about by the winds of many -centuries--a vision of old trees growing again on this desecrated spot -as in past ages, oak and elm, and beech and chestnut, the happy, green -homes of squirrel and bird and bee. It was very sweet to see London -beautified and made healthy at last! And I thought, quoting Hafiz, that -after a thousand years my bones would be filled with gladness, and, -uprising, dance in the sepulchre. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -RECENT COLONISTS - - The wood-pigeon in Kensington Gardens--Its increase--Its beauty and - charm--Perching on Shakespeare's statue in Leicester Square--Change - of habits--The moorhen--Its appearance and habits--An æsthetic - bird--Its increase--The dabchick in London--Its increase--Appearance - and habits--At Clissold Park--The stock-dove in London. - - -Of the species which have established colonies in London during recent -years, the wood-pigeon, or ringdove, is the most important, being the -largest in size and the most numerous; and it is also remarkable on -account of its beauty, melody, and tameness. Indeed, the presence of -this bird and its abundance is a compensation for some of our losses -suffered in recent years. It has for many of us, albeit in a less degree -than the carrion crow, somewhat of glamour, producing in such a place as -Kensington Gardens an illusion of wild nature; and watching it suddenly -spring aloft, with loud flap of wings, to soar circling on high and -descend in a graceful curve to its tree again, and listening to the -beautiful sound of its human-like plaint, which may be heard not only in -summer but on any mild day in winter, one is apt to lose sight of the -increasingly artificial aspect of things; to forget the havoc that has -been wrought, until the surviving trees--the decayed giants about whose -roots the cruel, hungry, glittering axe ever flits and plays like a -hawk-moth in the summer twilight--no longer seem conscious of their -doom. - -Twenty years ago the wood-pigeon was almost unknown in London, the very -few birds that existed being confined to woods on the borders of -the metropolis and to some of the old private parks--Ravenscourt, -Brondesbury, Clissold and Brockwell Parks; except two or three pairs -that bred in the group of fir trees on the north side of Kensington -Gardens, and one pair in St. James's Park. Tree-felling caused these -birds to abandon the parks sometime during the seventies. But from 1883, -when a single pair nested in Buckingham Palace Gardens, wood-pigeons -have increased and spread from year to year until the present time, when -there is not any park with large old trees, or with trees of a moderate -size, where these birds are not annual breeders. As the park trees no -longer afford them sufficient accommodation they have gone to other -smaller areas, and to many squares and gardens, private and public. -Thus, in Soho Square no fewer than six pairs had nests last summer. -It was very pleasant, a friend told me, to look out of his window on -an April morning and see two milk-white eggs, bright as gems in the -sunlight, lying in the frail nest in a plane tree not many yards away. -In North London these birds have increased greatly during the last three -years. Sixteen pairs bred successfully in 1897 in Clissold Park, which -is small, and there were scores of nests in the neighbourhood, on trees -growing in private grounds. - -Even in the heart of the smoky, roaring City they build their nests and -rear their young on any large tree. To other spaces, where there are -no suitable trees, they are daily visitors; and lately I have been -amused to see them come in small flocks to the coal deposits of the -Great Western Railway at Westbourne Park. What attraction this busy -black place, vexed with rumbling, puffing, and shrieking noises, can -have for them I cannot guess. These doves, when disturbed, invariably -fly to a terrace of houses close by and perch on the chimney-pots, a -newly acquired habit. In Leicester Square I have seen as many as a dozen -to twenty birds at a time, leisurely moving about on the asphalted walks -in search of crumbs of bread. It is not unusual to see one bird perched -in a pretty attitude on the head of Shakespeare's statue in the middle -of the square, the most commanding position. I never admired that marble -until I saw it thus occupied by the pretty dove-coloured guest, with -white collar, iridescent neck, and orange bill; since then I have -thought highly of it, and am grateful to Baron Albert Grant for his -gift to London, and recall with pleasure that on the occasion of its -unveiling I heard its praise, as a work of art, recited in rhyme by -Browning's-- - - Hop-o-my-thumb, there, - Banjo-Byron on his strum-strum, there. - -I heartily wish that the birds would make use in the same way of many -other statues with which our public places are furnished, if not -adorned. - -[Illustration: WOOD-PIGEON ON SHAKESPEARE'S STATUE] - -So numerous are the wood-pigeons at the end of summer in their favourite -parks that it is easy for any person, by throwing a few handfuls of -grain, to attract as many as twenty or thirty of them to his feet. Their -tameness is wonderful, and they are delightful to look at, although so -stout of figure. Considering their enormous appetites, their portliness -seems only natural. But a full habit does not detract from their beauty; -they remind us of some of our dearest lady friends, who in spite of -their two score or more summers, and largeness where the maiden is slim, -have somehow retained loveliness and grace. We have seen that the London -wood-pigeon, like the London crow, occasionally alights on buildings. -One bird comes to a ledge of a house-front opposite my window, and -walks up and down there. We may expect that other changes in the birds' -habits will come about in time, if the present rate of increase should -continue. Thus, last summer, one pair built a nest on St. Martin's -Church, Trafalgar Square; another pair on a mansion in Victoria Street, -Westminster. - -Something further will be said of this species in a chapter on the -movements of birds in London. - -Next to the ringdove in importance--and a bird of a more fascinating -personality, if such a word be admissible--is the moorhen, pretty and -quaint in its silky olive-brown and slaty-grey dress, with oblique -white bar on its side, and white undertail, yellow and scarlet beak and -frontal shield, and large green legs. _Green-legged little hen_ is its -scientific name. Its motions, too, are pretty and quaint. Not without -a smile can we see it going about on the smooth turf with an air of -dignity incongruous in so small a bird, lifting up and setting down its -feet with all the deliberation of a crane or bustard. A hundred curious -facts have been recorded of this familiar species--the 'moat-hen' of old -troubled days when the fighting man, instead of the schoolmaster as now, -was abroad in England, and manor-houses were surrounded by moats, in -which the moorhen lived, close to human beings, in a semi-domestic -state. But after all that has been written, we no sooner have him near -us, under our eyes, as in London to-day, than we note some new trait or -pretty trick. Thus, in a pond in West London I saw a moorhen act in a -manner which, so far as I know, had never been described; and I must -confess that if some friend had related such a thing to me I should -have been disposed to think that his sight had deceived him. This -moorhen was quietly feeding on the margin, but became greatly excited -on the appearance, a little distance away, of a second bird. Lowering -its head, it made a little rush at, or towards, the new-comer, then -stopped and went quietly back; then made a second little charge, and -again walked back. Finally it began to walk _backwards_, with slow, -measured steps, towards the other bird, displaying, as it advanced, or -retrograded, its open white tail, at the same time glancing over its -shoulder as if to observe the effect on its neighbour of this new mode -of motion. Whether this demonstration meant anger, or love, or mere fun, -I cannot say. - -Instances of what Ruskin has called the moorhen's 'human domesticity of -temper, with curious fineness of sagacity and sympathies in taste,' have -been given by Bishop Stanley in his book on birds. He relates that the -young, when able to fly, sometimes assist in rearing the later broods, -and even help the old birds to make new nests. Of the bird's æsthetic -taste he has the following anecdote. A pair of very tame moorhens that -lived in the grounds of a clergyman, in Cheadle, Staffordshire, in -constantly adding to the materials of their nest and decorating it, made -real havoc in the garden; the hen was once seen sitting on her eggs -'surrounded with a brilliant wreath of scarlet anemones.' An instance -equally remarkable occurred in 1896 in Battersea Park. A pair of -moorhens took it into their fantastic little heads to build their nest -against a piece of wire-netting stretched across the lake at one point. -It was an enormous structure, built up from the water to the top of the -netting, nearly three feet high, and presented a strange appearance -from the shore. On a close view the superintendent found that four -tail-feathers of the peacock had been woven into its fabric, and so -arranged that the four broad tips stood free above the nest, shading the -cavity and sitting bird, like four great gorgeously coloured leaves. - -The moorhen, like the ringdove, was almost unknown in London twenty -years ago, and is now as widely diffused, but owing to its structure and -habits it cannot keep pace with the other bird's increase. It must have -water, and some rushes, or weeds, or bushes to make its nest in; and -wherever these are found, however small the pond may be, there the -moorhen will live very contentedly. - - * * * * * - -A very few years ago it would have been a wild thing to say that -the little grebe was a suitable bird for London, and if some wise -ornithologist had prophesied its advent how we should all have laughed -at him! For how should this timid feeble-winged wanderer be able to -come and go, finding its way to and from its chosen park, in this -large province covered with houses, by night, through the network of -treacherous telegraph wires, in a lurid atmosphere, frightened by -strange noises and confused by the glare of innumerable lamps? Of birds -that get their living from the water, it would have seemed safer to look -for the coming (as colonists) of the common sandpiper, kingfisher, coot, -widgeon, teal: all these, also the heron and cormorant, are occasional -visitors to inner London, and it is to be hoped that some of them -will in time become permanent additions to the wild bird life of the -metropolis. - -The little grebe, before it formed a settlement, was also an occasional -visitor during its spring and autumn travels; and in 1870, when there -was a visitation on a large scale, as many as one hundred little grebes -were seen at one time on the Round Pond in Kensington Gardens. But it -was not until long afterwards, about fifteen years ago, that the first -pair had the boldness to stay and breed in one of the park lakes, in -sight of many people coming and going every day and all day long. This -was at St. James's Park, and from this centre the bird has extended his -range from year to year to other parks and spaces, and is now as well -established as the ringdove and moorhen. But, unlike the others, he is -a summer visitor, coming in March and April, and going, no man knows -whither, in October and November. If he were to remain, a long severe -frost might prove fatal to the whole colony. He lives on little fishes -and water insects, and must have open water to fish in. - -He is not a showy bird, nor large, being less than the teal in size, -and indeed is known to comparatively few persons. Nevertheless he is a -welcome addition to our wild bird life, and is, to those who know him, a -wonderfully interesting little creature, clothed in a dense unwettable -plumage, olive, black, and chestnut in colour, his legs set far -back--'becoming almost a fish's tail indeed, rather than a bird's legs,' -the lobed feet in shape like a horse-chestnut leaf. His habits are -as curious as his structure. His nest is a raft made of a mass of -water-weeds, moored to the rushes or to a drooping branch, and sometimes -it breaks from its moorings and floats away, carrying eggs and sitting -bird on it. On quitting the nest the bird invariably draws a coverlet of -wet weeds over the eggs; the nest in appearance is then nothing but a -bunch of dead vegetable rubbish floating in the water. When the young -are out of the eggs, the parent birds are accustomed to take them under -their wings, just as a man might take a parcel under his arm, and dive -into the water. - -[Illustration: DABCHICK ON NEST] - -Another curious habit of the dabchick was discovered during the -summer of 1896 in Clissold Park, when, for the second time, a pair of -these birds settled in the too small piece of water at that place. -Unfortunately, their nest was attacked and repeatedly destroyed by the -moorhens, who took a dislike to these 'new chums,' and by the swans, -who probably found that the wet materials used by the little grebe in -building its nest were good to eat. Now, it was observed that when the -nest was made on deep water, where the swans could swim up to it, the -dabchicks defended it by diving and pecking at, or biting, the webbed -feet of the assailants under water. It was a curious duel between a -pigmy and a giant--one a stately man-of-war floating on the water, the -other a small submerged torpedo, very active and intelligent. The swans -were greatly disconcerted and repeatedly driven off by means of this -strategy, but in the end the brave little divers were beaten, and reared -no young. - -The moral of this incident, which applies not only to Clissold but to -Brockwell, Dulwich, and to a dozen other parks, is that you cannot have -a big aquatic happy family in a very small pond. - -But it is extremely encouraging to all those who wish for a 'better -friendship' with the fowls of the air to find that this contest was -watched with keen interest and sympathy with the defenders by the -superintendent of a London park and the park constables. - -It is curious to note that the three species we have been considering, -differing so widely in their structures and habits, should be so closely -associated in the history of London wild bird life. That they should -have established colonies at very nearly about the same time, and very -nearly at the same centre, from which they have subsequently spread over -the metropolis; and that this centre, the cradle of the London races of -these birds, should continue to be their most favoured resort. Seeing -the numbers of wood-pigeons to-day, and their tameness everywhere, the -statement will seem almost incredible to many readers that only fifteen -years ago, one spring morning, the head gardener at Buckingham Palace, -full of excitement, made a hurried visit to a friend to tell him that a -pair of these birds had actually built a nest on a tree in the Palace -grounds. Up till now the birds are most numerous in this part of London. -The moorhen, I believe, bred first at St. James's Park about seventeen -years ago; a few days ago--January 1898--I saw twelve of these birds in -a little scattered flock feeding in the grass in this park. In no other -public park in London can so many be seen together. The dabchick first -bred in St. James's Park about fifteen years ago, and last summer, 1897, -as many as seven broods were brought out. In no other London park were -there more than two broods. - - * * * * * - -The three species described are the only permanent additions in recent -years to the wild bird life of the metropolis. But when it is considered -that their colonies were self-planted, and have shown a continuous -growth, while great changes of decrease and increase have meanwhile been -going on in the old-established colonies, we find good reason for the -hope that other species, previously unknown to the metropolis, will be -added from time to time. We know that birds attract birds, both their -own and other kinds. Even now there may be some new-comers--pioneers and -founders of fresh colonies--whose presence is unsuspected, or known only -to a very few observers. I have been informed by Mr. Howard Saunders -that he has seen the stock-dove in one of the West-end parks, and that a -friend of his had independently made the discovery that this species is -now a visitor to, and possibly a resident in, London. One would imagine -the stock-dove to be a species well suited to thrive with us, as it -would find numberless breeding-holes both in the decayed trees in the -parks and in big buildings, in which to rear its young in safety. I -should prefer to see the turtle-dove, a much prettier and more graceful -bird, with a better voice, but beggars must not be choosers; with the -stock-dove established, London will possess three of the four doves -indigenous in these islands, and the turtle-dove--at present an annual -breeder in woods quite near to London--may follow by-and-by to complete -the quartette. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -LONDON'S LITTLE BIRDS - - Number of species, common and uncommon--The London sparrow--His - predominance, hardiness, and intelligence--A pet sparrow--Breeding - irregularities--A love-sick bird--Sparrow shindies: their probable - cause--'Sparrow chapels'--Evening in the parks--The starling--His - independence--Characteristics--Blackbird, thrush, and robin--White - blackbirds--The robin--Decrease in London--Habits and disposition. - - -There are not more than about twenty species of small passerine birds -that live all the year in London proper. The larger wild birds that -breed in London within the five-mile radius are eight species, or if we -add the semi-domestic pigeon or rock-dove, there are nine. Of the twenty -small birds, it is surprising to find that only five can be described as -really common, including the robin, which in recent years has ceased to -be abundant in the interior parks, and has quite disappeared from the -squares, burial grounds, and other small open spaces. The five familiar -species are the sparrow, starling, blackbird, song-thrush or throstle, -and robin, and in the present chapter these only will be dealt with. -All the other resident species found in London proper, or inner -London--missel-thrush, wren, hedge-sparrow, nuthatch, tree-creeper, tits -of five species, chaffinch, bullfinch, greenfinch, and yellowhammer, -also the summer visitants, and some rare residents occasionally to be -found breeding on the outskirts of the metropolis--will be spoken of in -subsequent chapters descriptive of the parks and open spaces. - -Here once more the sparrow takes precedence. 'What! the sparrow again!' -the reader may exclaim; 'I thought we had quite finished with that -little bird, and were now going on to something else.' Unfortunately, -as we have seen, there is little else to go on to until we get to the -suburbs, and that little bird the sparrow is not easily finished with. -Besides, common as he is, intimately known to every man, woman, and -child in the metropolis, even to the meanest gutter child in the poorest -districts, it is always possible to find something fresh to say of a -bird of so versatile a mind, so highly developed, so predominant. He -must indeed be gifted with remarkable qualities to have risen to such a -position, to have occupied, nay conquered, London, and made its human -inhabitants food-providers to his nation; and, finally, to have kept his -possession so long without any decay of his pristine vigour, despite the -unhealthy conditions. He does not receive, nor does he need, that fresh -blood from the country which we poor human creatures must have, or else -perish in the course of a very few generations. Nor does he require -change of air. It is commonly said that 'town sparrows' migrate to the -fields in summer, to feast on corn 'in the milk,' and this is true of -our birds in the outlying suburbs, who live in sight of the fields; -farther in, the sparrow never leaves his London home. I know that _my_ -sparrows--a few dozen that breed and live under my eyes--never see the -country, nor any park, square, or other open space. - -The hardiness and adaptiveness of the bird must both be great to enable -it to keep its health and strength through the gloom and darkness of -London winters. There is no doubt that many of our caged birds would -perish at this season if they did not feed by gas or candle light. When -they do not so feed it is found that the mortality, presumably from -starvation, is very considerable. During December and January the London -night is nearly seventeen hours in length, as it is sooner dark and -later light than in the country; while in cold and foggy weather the -birds feed little or not at all. They keep in their roosting-holes, and -yet they do not appear to suffer. After a spell of frosty and very dark -weather I have counted the sparrows I am accustomed to observe, and -found none missing. - -But the sparrow's chief advantage over other species doubtless lies in -his greater intelligence. That ineradicable suspicion with which he -regards the entire human race, and which one is sometimes inclined to -set down to sheer stupidity, is, in the circumstances he exists in, his -best policy. He has good cause to doubt the friendliness of his human -neighbours, and his principle is, not to run risks; when in doubt, keep -away. Thus, when the roads are swept the sparrows will go to the dirt -and rubbish heaps, and search in them for food; then they will fly up to -any window-sill and eat the bread they find put there for them. But let -them see any rubbish of any description there, anything but bread--a -bit of string, a chip of wood, a scrap of paper, white or blue or -yellow, or a rag, or even a penny piece, and at the first sight of it -away they will dart, and not return until the dangerous object has been -removed. A pigeon or starling would come and take the food without -paying any attention to the strange object which so startled the -sparrow. They are less cunning. Without doubt there are many boys and -men in all parts of London who amuse themselves by trying to take -sparrows, and the result of their attempts is that the birds decline to -trust anyone. - -In this extreme suspiciousness, and in their habits generally, all -sparrows appear pretty much alike to us. When we come to know them -intimately, in the domestic state, we find that there is as much -individual character in sparrows as in other highly intelligent -creatures. The most interesting tame sparrow I have known in London was -the pet of a lady of my acquaintance. This bird, however, was not a -cockney sparrow from the nest: he was hatched on the other side of the -Channel, and his owner rescued him, when young and scarce able to fly, -from some street urchins in a suburb of Paris, who were playing with -and tormenting him. In his London home he grew up to be a handsome bird, -brighter in plumage than our cock sparrows usually seem, even in the -West-end parks. He was strongly attached to his mistress, and liked -to play with and to be caressed by her; when she sat at work he -would perch contentedly by her side by the half-hour chirruping his -sparrow-music, interspersed with a few notes borrowed from caged -songsters. He displayed a marked interest in her dress and ornaments, -and appeared to take pleasure in richly coloured silks and satins, and -in gold and precious stones. But all these things did not please him in -the same degree, and the sight of some ornaments actually angered him: -he would scold and peck at the brooch or necklace, or whatever it was, -which he did not like, and if no notice was taken at first, he would -work himself into a violent rage, and the offensive jewel would have to -be taken off and put out of sight. He also had his likes and dislikes -among the inmates and guests in the house. He would allow me to sit by -him for an hour, taking no notice, but if I made any advance he would -ruffle up his plumage, and tell me in his unmistakable sparrow-language -to keep my distance. Once he took a sudden violent hatred to his -owner's maid; no sooner would she enter the room where the sparrow -happened to be than he would dart at her face and peck and beat her with -his wings; and as he could not be made to like, nor even to tolerate -her, she had to be discharged. It was, however, rare for him to abuse -his position of first favourite so grossly as on this occasion. He was -on the whole a good-tempered bird, and had a happy life, spending the -winter months each year in Italy, where his mistress had a country -house, and returning in the spring to London. Then, very unexpectedly, -his long life of eighteen years came to an end; for up to the time -of dying he showed no sign of decadence. To the last his plumage and -disposition were bright, and his affection for his mistress and love for -his own music unabated. - -After all, it must be said that the sparrow, as a pet, has his -limitations; he is not, mentally, as high as the crow, aptly described -by Macgillivray as the 'great sub-rational chief of the kingdom -of birds.' And however luxurious the home we may give him, he is -undoubtedly happier living his own independent life, a married bird, -making slovenly straw nests under the tiles, and seeking his food in -the gutter. - -Many years ago Dr. Gordon Stables said, in an article on the sparrow, -that he felt convinced from his own observation of these birds that -curious irregularities in their domestic or matrimonial relations -were of very frequent occurrence, a fact which the ornithologists had -overlooked. Last summer I had proof that such irregularities do occur, -but I very much doubt that they are so common as he appears to believe. - -I had one pair of sparrows breeding in a hole under the eaves at the top -of the house, quite close to a turret window, from which I look down -upon and observe the birds, and on the sill of which I place bread for -them. This pair reared brood after brood, from April to November, and so -long as they found bread on the window-sill they appeared to feed their -young almost exclusively on it, although it is not their natural food; -but there was no green place near where caterpillars might be found, -and I dare say the young sparrow has an adaptive stomach. At all events -broods of four and five were successively brought out and taught to feed -on the window-sill. After a few days' holiday the old birds would begin -to tidy up the nest to receive a fresh clutch of eggs. In July I noticed -that a second female, the wife, as it appeared, of a neighbouring bird, -had joined the first pair, and shared in the tasks of incubation and of -feeding the young. The cast-off cock-sparrow had followed her to her new -home, and was constantly hanging about the nest trying to coax his wife -to go back to him. Day after day, and all day long, he would be there, -and sitting on the slates quite close to the nest he would begin his -chirrup--chirrup--chirrup; and gradually as time went on, and there was -no response, he would grow more and more excited, and throw his head -from side to side, and rock his body until he would be lying first on -one side, then the other, and after a while he would make a few little -hops forward, trailing his wings and tail on the slates, then cast -himself down once more. Something in his monotonous song with its not -unmusical rhythm, and his extravagant love-sick imploring gestures and -movements, reminded me irresistibly of Chevalier in the character of Mr. -'Enry 'Awkins--his whole action on the stage, the thin piping cockney -voice, the trivial catching melody, and, I had almost added, the very -words-- - - So 'elp me bob, I'm crazy! - Lizer, you're a daisy! - Won't yer share my 'umble 'ome? - Oh, Lizer! sweet Lizer! - -And so on, and on, until one of the birds in the nest would come out and -furiously chase him away. Then he would sit on some chimney-pipe twenty -or thirty yards off, silent and solitary; but by-and-by, seeing the -coast clear, he would return and begin his passionate pleading once -more. - -[Illustration: LOVE-SICK COCK SPARROW] - -This went on until the young birds were brought out, after which they -all went away for a few days, and then the original pair returned. No -doubt 'Enry 'Awkins had got his undutiful doner back. - -The individual sparrow is, however, little known to us: we regard him -rather as a species, or race, and he interests the mass of people -chiefly in his social character when he is seen in companies, and -crowds, and multitudes. He is noisiest and attracts most attention -when there is what may be called a 'shindy' in the sparrow community. -Shindies are of frequent occurrence all the year round, and may arise -from a variety of causes; my belief is that, as they commonly take place -at or near some favourite nesting or roosting site, they result from the -sparrow's sense of proprietorship and his too rough resentment of any -intrusion into his own domain. Sparrows in London mostly remain paired -all the year, and during the winter months roost in the breeding-hole, -often in company with the young of the last-raised brood. Why all the -neighbours rush in to take part in the fight is not so easy to guess: -possibly they come in as would-be peace-makers, or policemen, but are -themselves so wildly excited that they do nothing except to get into -each other's way and increase the confusion. - -Of more interest are those daily gatherings of a pacific nature at some -favourite meeting-place, known to Londoners as a 'sparrows' chapel.' A -large tree, or group of trees, in some garden, square, or other space, -is used by the birds, and here they are accustomed to congregate at -various times, when the rain is over, or when a burst of sunshine after -gloomy weather makes them glad, and at sunset. Their chorus of ringing -chirruping sounds has an exceedingly pleasant effect; for although -compared with the warblers' singing it may be a somewhat rude music, by -contrast with the noise of traffic and raucous cries from human throats -it is very bright and glad and even beautiful, voicing a wild, happy -life. - -It is interesting and curious to find that this habit of concert-singing -at sunset, although not universal, is common among passerine birds in -all regions of the globe. And when a bird has this habit he will not -omit his vesper song, even when the sun is not visible and when rain is -falling. In some mysterious way he knows that the great globe is sinking -beneath the horizon. Day is over, he can feed no more until to-morrow, -in a few minutes he will be sleeping among the clustering leaves, but he -must sing his last song, must join in that last outburst of melody to -express his overflowing joy in life. - -This is a habit of our sparrow, and even on the darkest days, when days -are shortest, any person desirous of hearing the birds need only consult -the almanac to find out the exact time of sunset, then repair to a -'chapel,' and he will not be disappointed. - -In some of the parks, notably at Battersea, where the birds are in -thousands, the effect of so many voices all chirruping together is quite -wonderful, and very delightful. - -The time will come, let us hope, when for half a dozen species of small -birds in London we shall have two dozen, or even fifty; until then the -sparrow, even the common gutter-sparrow, is a bird to be thankful for. - - * * * * * - -The starling ranks second to the sparrow in numbers; but albeit second, -the interval is very great: the starlings' thousands are but a small -tribe compared to the sparrows' numerous nation. - -It has been said that the starling is almost as closely associated with -man as the sparrow. That is hardly the case; in big towns the sparrow, -like the rat and black beetle, although not in so unpleasant a way, is -parasitical on man, whereas the starling is perfectly independent. He -frequents human habitations because they provide him with suitable -breeding-holes; he builds in a house, or barn, or church tower, just as -he does in a hole in a tree in a wild forest, or a hole in the rock -on some sea-cliff, where instead of men and women he has puffins, -guillemots, and gannets for neighbours. The roar of the sea or the -jarring noises of human traffic and industry--it is all one to the -starling. That is why he is a London bird. In the breeding season he is -to be found diffused over the entire metropolis, an astonishing fact -when we consider that he does not, like the sparrow, find his food in -the roads, back gardens, and small spaces near his nest, but, like the -rook, must go a considerable distance for it. - -Two seasons ago (1896) one pair of starlings had their nest close to my -house--a treeless district, most desolate. When the young were hatched -I watched the old birds going and coming, and on leaving the nest they -invariably flew at a good height above the chimney-pots and telegraph -wires, in the direction of the Victoria Gate of Hyde Park. They returned -the same way. It is fully two miles to the park in that direction. The -average number of eggs in a starling's nest is six; and assuming that -these birds had four or five young, we can imagine what an enormous -labour it must have been to supply them with suitable insect food, each -little beakful of grubs involving a return journey of at least four -miles; and the grubs would certainly be very much more difficult to find -on the trodden sward of Hyde Park than in a country meadow. I pitied -these brave birds every day, when I watched them from my turret window, -going and coming, and at the same time I rejoiced to think that this -pair, and hundreds of other pairs with nests just as far from their -scanty feeding-grounds, were yet able to rear their young each season -in London. - -[Illustration: LONDON STARLINGS] - -For the starling is really a splendid bird as birds are with us in this -distant northern land--splendid in his spangled glossy dress of metallic -purple, green, and bronze, a singer it is always pleasant to listen -to, a flyer in armies and crowds whose aërial evolutions in autumn and -winter, before settling to roost each evening, have long been the wonder -and admiration of mankind. He inhabits London all the year round, but -not in the same numbers: in the next chapter more will be said on this -point. He also sings throughout the year; on any autumn or winter day a -small company or flock of a dozen or two of birds may be found in any -park containing large trees, and it is a delight that never grows -stale to listen to the musical conversation, or concert of curiously -contrasted sounds, perpetually going on among them. The airy whistle, -the various chirp, the clink-clink as of a cracked bell, the low chatter -of mixed harsh and musical sounds, the kissing and finger-cracking, and -those long metallic notes, as of a saw being filed not unmusically, -or (as a friend suggests) as of milking a cow in a tin pail;--however -familiar you may be with the starling, you cannot listen to one of -their choirs without hearing some new sound. There is more variety in -the starling than in any other species, and not only in his language; -if you observe him closely for a short time, he will treat you to -a sudden and surprising transformation. Watch him when absorbed in -his own music, especially when emitting his favourite saw-filing or -milking-a-cow-in-a-tin-pail sounds: he trembles on his perch--shivers as -with cold--his feathers puffed out, his wings hanging as if broken, his -beak wide open, and the long pointed feathers of his swollen throat -projected like a ragged beard. He is then a most forlorn-looking object, -apparently broken up and falling to pieces; suddenly the sounds cease, -and in the twinkling of an eye he is once more transformed into the -neat, compact, glossy, alert starling! - -Something further may be said about the pair of starlings that elected -to breed the summer before last in sight of my top windows, in that -brick desert where my home is. When they brought out and led their young -away, I wondered if they would ever return to such a spot. Surely, -thought I, they will have some recollection of the vast labour of -rearing a nestful of young at such a distance from their feeding-ground, -and when summer comes once more will be tempted to settle somewhere -nearer to the park. The Albert Memorial, for instance, gorgeous with -gold and bright colour, might attract them; certainly there was room for -them, since it had in the summer of 1896 but one pair of starlings for -tenants. It was consequently something of a surprise when, on March 23 -last spring, early in the morning, the birds reappeared at the same -place, and spent over an hour in fluttering about and exploring the old -breeding-hole, perching on the slates and chimney-pots, and clinging to -the brick wall, fluttering their wings, screaming and whistling as if -almost beside themselves with joy to be at home once more. - -Brave and faithful starlings! we hardly deserve to have you back, since -London has not been too kind to her feathered children. Quite lately she -has driven out her rooks, who were faithful too; and long ago she got -rid of her ravens; and to her soaring kites she meted out still worse -treatment, pulling down their last nest in 1777 from the trees in Gray's -Inn Gardens, and cutting open the young birds to find out, in the -interests of ornithological science, what they had eaten! - - * * * * * - -Between the starling and the next in order, the blackbird, there is -again a very great difference with regard to numbers. The former counts -thousands, the latter hundreds. Between blackbird and song-thrush, or -throstle, there is not a wide difference, but if we take the whole of -London, the blackbird is much more numerous. After these two, at a -considerable distance, comes the robin. In suburban grounds and gardens -these three common species are equally abundant. But in these same -private places, which ring the metropolis round with innumerable small -green refuges, or sanctuaries, several other species which are dying -out in the parks and open spaces of inner London are also common--wren, -hedge-sparrow, blue, cole, and great tits, chaffinch, and greenfinch--and -of these no more need be said in this chapter. - -As we have seen, there is always a great interest shown (by the collector -especially) in that not very rare phenomenon, an abnormally white bird. -But in London the bird-killers are restrained, and the white specimen -is sometimes able to keep his life for a few or even for several months. -Recently (1897) a very beautiful white blackbird was to be seen in -Kensington Gardens, in the Flower Walk, east of the Albert Memorial. He -was the successor to a wholly milk-white blackbird that lived during the -summer of 1895 in the shrubberies of Kensington Palace, and was killed -by some scoundrel, who no doubt hoped to sell its carcass to some -bird-stuffer. Its crushed body was found by one of the keepers in a -thick holly-bush close to the public path; the slayer had not had time -to get into the enclosure to secure his prize. - -The other bird had some black and deep brown spots on his mantle, and a -few inky black tail and wing feathers--a beautiful Dominican dress. But -when I first saw him, rushing out of a black holly-bush, one grey misty -morning in October, his exceeding whiteness startled me, and I was -ready to believe that I had beheld a blackbird's ghost, when the bird, -startled too, emitted his prolonged chuckle, proving him to be no -supernatural thing, but only a fascinating freak of nature. He lived -on, very much admired, until the end of March last year (1897), having -meanwhile found a mate, and was then killed by a cat. - - * * * * * - -The robin, although common as ever in all the more rural parts of -London--the suburban districts where there are gardens with shrubs and -trees--is now growing sadly scarce everywhere in the interior of the -metropolis. In 1865 the late Shirley Hibberd wrote that this bird -was very common in London: 'Robins are seen among the hay-carts at -Whitechapel, Smithfield, and Cumberland Markets, in all the squares, in -Lincoln's Inn, Gray's Inn, and other gardens, in the open roadway of -Farringdon Street, Ludgate Hill, the Strand, and Blackfriars Road; nay, -I once saw a robin on a lovely autumn afternoon perch upon the edge of a -gravestone in St. Paul's Churchyard and trill out a carol as sweetly as -in any rural nook at home.' - -Now the robin has long vanished from all these public places, even from -the squares that are green, and that he is becoming very scarce in all -the interior parks I shall have occasion to show in later chapters. It -is a great pity that this should be so, as this bright little bird is -a universal favourite on account of his confidence in and familiarity -with man, and his rare beauty, and because, as becomes a cousin of the -nightingale, he is a very sweet singer. Moreover, just as his red breast -shines brightest in autumn and winter, when all things look grey and -desolate, or white with the snow's universal whiteness, so does his -song have a peculiar charm and almost unearthly sweetness in the silent -songless season. It is not strange that in credulous times man's -imagination should have endowed so loved a bird with impossible virtues, -that it should have been believed that he alone--heaven's little -feathered darling--cared for 'the friendless bodies of unburied men' -and covered them with leaves, and was not without some supernatural -faculties. Nor can it be said that all these pretty fables have quite -faded out of the rustic mind. But, superstition apart, the robin -is still a first favourite and dear to everyone, and some would -gladly think he is a _better_ bird, in the sense of being gentler, -sweeter-tempered, more affectionate and _human_, than other feathered -creatures. But it is not so, the tender expression of his large dark eye -is deceptive. The late Mr. Tristram-Valentine, writing of the starling -in London, its neat, bright, glossy appearance, compared with that of -the soot-blackened disreputable-looking sparrow, says 'the starling -always looks like a gentleman.' In like manner the robin will always be -a robin, and act like one, in London or out of it--the most unsocial, -fierce-tempered little duellist in the feathered world. Now I wish to -point out that this fierce intolerant spirit of our bird is an advantage -in London, if we love robins and are anxious to have plenty of them. - -It is a familiar fact that at the end of summer the adult robins -disappear; that they remain in hiding in the shade of the evergreens -and thick bushes until they have got a new dress, and have recovered -their old vigour; that when they return to the world, so to speak, and -find their young in possession of their home and territory, they set -themselves to reconquer it. For the robin will not tolerate another -robin in that portion of a garden, shrubbery, orchard, or plantation -which he regards as his very own. A great deal of fighting then takes -place between old and young birds, and these fights in many instances -end fatally to one of the combatants. The raven has the same savage -disposition and habit with regard to its young; and when a young raven, -in disposition a 'chip of the old block,' refuses to go when ordered, -and fights to stay, it occasionally happens that one of the birds gets -killed. But the raven has a tremendous weapon, a stone axe, in his -massive beak; how much greater the fury and bulldog tenacity of the -robin must be to kill one of his own kind with so feeble a weapon as -his small soft bill! At the end of the summer of 1896 two robins were -observed fighting all day long in the private gardens of Kensington -Palace, the fight ending in the death of one of the birds. - -Finally, as a result of all the chasing and fighting that goes on, the -young birds are driven out to find homes for themselves. In London, in -the interior parks, not many young robins are reared, but many of those -that have been reared in the suburban districts drift into London, and -altogether a considerable number of birds roam about the metropolis in -search of some suitable green spot to settle in; and I will only add -here, in anticipation of what will be said in a later chapter, that if -suitable places were provided for them, the robins would increase year -by year from this natural cause. - -There are other movements of robins in London which it will be more in -order to notice in the next chapter. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -MOVEMENTS OF LONDON BIRDS - - Migration as seen in London--Swallows in the parks--Fieldfares--A flock - of wild geese--Autumn movements of resident species--Wood-pigeons--A - curious habit--Dabchicks and moorhens--Crows and rooks--The Palace - daws--Starlings--Robins--A Tower robin and the Tower sparrows--Passage - birds in the parks--Small birds wintering in London--Influx of birds - during severe frosts--Occasional visitors--The black-headed gull--A - winter scene in St. James's Park. - - -The seasonal movements of the strict migrants are little noticed in -London; there are few such species that visit, fewer still that remain -any time with us. And when they come we scarcely see them: they are not -like the residents, reacted on and modified by their surroundings, made -tame, ready to feed from our hands, to thrust themselves at all times -upon our attention. Nevertheless we do occasionally see something of -these shyer wilder ones, the strangers and passengers; and in London, -as in the rural districts, it is the autumnal not the vernal migration -which impresses the mind. Birds are seldom seen arriving in spring. -Walking to-day in some park or garden, we hear the first willow-wren's -delicate tender warble among the fresh April foliage. It was not heard -yesterday, but the small modest-coloured singer may have been there -nevertheless, hidden and silent among the evergreens. The birds that -appear in the autumn are plainly travellers that have come from some -distant place, and have yet far to go. Wheatears may be seen if looked -for in August on Hampstead Heath, and occasionally a few other large -open spaces in or near London. In September and October swallows and -martins put in an appearance, and although they refuse to make their -summer home in inner London, they often come in considerable numbers -and remain for many days, even for weeks, in the parks in autumn. - -It has been conjectured that the paucity of winged insect life in London -is the cause of the departure of swallows and house-martins as breeding -species. Yet in the autumn of 1896, from September to the middle of -October, hundreds of these birds lived in the central and many other -parks in London, and doubtless they found a sufficiency of food in -spite of the cold east winds which prevailed at that time. - -Among the winter visitors to the outskirts of the metropolis, the -fieldfare is the most abundant as well as the most attractive. During -the winters of 1895-6 and 1896-7 I saw them on numberless occasions -at Wimbledon, Richmond, Hampstead Heath, Bostell Woods, Hackney Marsh, -Wanstead, Dulwich, Brockwell Park, Streatham, and other open spaces and -woods round London. In the gardens of the outer suburbs there is always -a great profusion of winter berries, and the felts seen in these places -are probably regular visitors. Certainly they are tamer than fieldfares -are apt to be in the country, but they seldom penetrate far into the -brick-and-mortar wilderness. I have seen a few in Kensington Gardens, -and in November, 1896, a few fieldfares alighted on a tree at the Tower -of London. Stranger still, in February 1897 a flock of wild geese was -observed flying over the Tower: the birds went down the river flying -low, as it was noticed that when they passed over the Tower Bridge they -were not higher than the pinnacles of the two big towers. - -[Illustration: FIELDFARES AT THE TOWER] - -The birds that are strange to London eyes are very nearly all seen in -the autumn, from September to November. At this mutable season a person -who elects to spend his nights on the roof, with rugs and an umbrella -to keep out cold and wet, may be rewarded by hearing far-off shrill -delicate noises of straggling sandpipers or other shore birds on -passage, or the mysterious cry of the lapwing, 'wailing his way from -cloud to cloud.' - -All these rare sights and sounds are for the very patient watchers -and listeners; nevertheless they are the only 'authentic tidings' the -Londoner receives of that great and wonderful wave of life which travels -southward over half the globe in advance of winter. This annual exodus -and sublime flight to distant delectable regions beyond the sea is, -however, only taken part in by some of the feathered people; meanwhile -the others that remain to brave the cold and scarcity are also seen to -be infected with a restless spirit and desire of change. The starling, -missel-thrush, larks and pipits, and other kinds, alter their way of -life, uniting in flocks and becoming wanderers over the face of the -country. Finches, too, go a-gypsying: the more sedentary species leave -their breeding-haunts for suitable winter quarters; and everywhere there -is a great movement, a changing of places, packing and scattering, a -hurrying to and fro all over the land. - -The London birds are no exception, although their autumnal movements -have hitherto attracted little attention. These movements are becoming -more noticeable, owing to changes going on in the character of the -metropolitan bird population. The sparrow, as we have seen, does not -leave home, but recently there has been a great increase in the more -vagrant species, the starling and wood-pigeon especially. During the -last few years the wood-pigeon has been growing somewhat more domestic, -and less inclined to leave town than formerly, but from time to time the -old wandering instinct reasserts itself, and it was observed that during -the autumn of 1896 a majority of the birds left London. At Lincoln's Inn -Fields there were thirteen birds down to the end of September, then all -but one disappeared. This solitary stayer-at-home had been sprung upon -and injured by a cat some time before the day of departure. - -Last year, 1897, the autumnal exodus was even greater. Thus, on October -25 I walked the whole length of the three central parks, and saw no -pigeons except one pair of young birds not long out of the nest, in Hyde -Park, and one parent bird feeding them. The other parent had probably -gone away to the country, leaving his mate to rear this very late brood -as best she could. Doubtless many of these wanderers from the metropolis -get killed in the country, but in December and January the survivors -return to the safety of the parks, and to a monotonous diet of stale -bread. - -It is probable that with the change of temperature in September and -October the London wood-pigeons, like so many birds, are seized by a -restless and roving spirit; but I am inclined to believe that the taste -of wild nuts and fruits, which they get in the parks at that season, -is one cause of their going away. They do not get much of this natural -food; they first strip the oaks of their acorns almost before they are -quite ripe, depriving the London urchins of their little harvest, and -then attack the haws and holly-berries; and when this small supply has -been exhausted the birds go further afield in search of more. - -[Illustration: WOOD-PIGEON FEEDING ON HAWS] - -On the evening of August 26, 1897, I saw a number of wood-pigeons -feeding on the haws in a manner quite new in my experience. There -were twelve or fourteen birds on a good-sized thorn-tree growing in -Buckingham Palace grounds; but the berries on this tree grew at the -tips of long slender branches and could not have been reached by the -birds in the ordinary way. The pigeons would settle on a branch and -then begin moving cautiously towards the points, the branch bending -beneath the weight more and more until the bird, unable to keep any -longer _on_ the branch, would suddenly turn over and remain hanging head -down, suspended by its clinging feet. In this position, by stretching -its neck it would be able to reach the berries, which it would then -leisurely devour. As many as four or five birds were seen at one time -hanging in this way, appearing with wings half-open like dead or wounded -birds tied by their feet to the branchlets, from which they were -suspended. Since witnessing this curious scene I have been told by Mr. -Coppin, the superintendent at Battersea Park, that he has seen the -wood-pigeons at that place acting in the same way. It is probably a -habit of the birds which has hitherto escaped notice. - - * * * * * - -The dabchicks leave London in the autumn and return in spring: they may -be looked for in the ornamental waters as early as the third week in -March. The moorhens formerly disappeared from London in winter; they -are now residents throughout the year in a few of the parks where there -is shelter, and during severe frosts they feed at the same table with -the ornamental water-fowl. From all the smaller lakes which they have -recently colonised they vanish in cold weather. In autumn they wander -about a good deal by night; any small piece of water will attract them, -and their cries will be heard during the dark hours; before it is light -they will be gone. - -Crows and rooks are most often seen in London during the winter months. -Many rooks have their winter roosting-place in Richmond Park, and small -bands of these birds visit the central parks and other open spaces. On -the morning of February 3, 1897, about fifty rooks visited Kensington -Gardens and fed for some hours on the strip of grassed land adjoining -the palace. The whole jackdaw colony, numbering twenty-four birds, fed -with them, and when, about twelve o'clock, the visitors rose up and -flew away, the daws, after seeing them off, returned in a body to the -tree-tops near the palace, and for the rest of the day continued in an -excited state. From time to time they would rush up with a loud clamour, -then return to the tree-tops, where they would sit close together and -silent as if expecting something, and at intervals of a minute or two a -simultaneous cry would burst from them. - -I have observed that on winter evenings these daws fly away from the -gardens in a north-westerly direction: where their winter roosting-place -is I have not discovered. - -The starling is the most interesting London bird in his autumn movements. -It is only at the end of July, when they are gathered in large bodies, -that some idea can be formed of their numbers. Flocks of a dozen to -forty or fifty birds may be seen in any park and green space any day -throughout the winter; these are the birds that winter with us, and are -but a small remnant of the entire number that breed in London. At the -end of June the starlings begin to congregate every evening at their -favourite roosting-places. Of these there are several, the most favoured -being the islands in the ornamental water at Regent's Park, the island -in the Serpentine, and at Buckingham Palace grounds and Battersea Park. -The last is the most important. Before sunset the birds are seen pouring -in, flock after flock, from all quarters, until the trees on the island -are black with their thousands, and the noise of their singing and -chattering is so great that a person standing on the edge of the lake -can hardly hear himself speak. These meeting places are evidently -growing in favour, and if the autumn of 1898 shows as great an increase -as those of 1896 and 1897 over previous years, London will have as -compensation for its lost rookeries some very fine clouds of starlings. -At the beginning of October most of the birds go away to spend the -winter in the country, or possibly abroad. In February and March they -begin to reappear in small flocks, and gradually scatter over the whole -area of the metropolis, each pair going back to its old nesting-hole. - -The annual scattering of robins at the end of summer, when, after the -moult, the old birds attack and drive away the young, has been described -in the last chapter. This habit of the bird alone would cause a good -deal of moving about of the London robins each year, but it is also a -very general belief of ornithologists that at this season there is a -large migratory movement of young robins throughout the country. At all -events, it is a fact that in August and September robins go about in -London a good deal, and frequently appear in the most unlikely places. -Some of these are no doubt birds of the year hatched in London or the -suburbs, and others may be migrating robins passing through. - -At the Tower of London robins occasionally appear in autumn, but soon go -away. The last one that came settled down and was a great favourite with -the people there for about two months, being very friendly, coming to -window-sills for crumbs, and singing every day very beautifully. Then -one day he was seen in the General's garden wildly dashing about, hotly -pursued by seven or eight sparrows, and as he was never seen again it -was conjectured that the sparrows had succeeded in killing him. The -robin is a high-spirited creature, braver than most birds, and a fair -fighter, but against such a gang of feathered murderous ruffians, bent -on his destruction, he would stand no chance. - -The Tower sparrows, it may be added, appear to be about the worst -specimens of their class in London. They are always at war with the -pigeons and starlings, and would gladly drive them out if they could. -It is a common thing for some foreign bird to escape from its cage on -board ship and to take refuge in the trees and gardens of the Tower, -but woe to the escaped captive and stranger in a strange land who seeks -safety in such a place! Immediately on his arrival the sparrows are all -up against him, not to 'heave half a brick at him,' since they are not -made that way, but to hunt him from place to place until they have -driven him, weak with fatigue and terror, into a corner where they can -finish him with their bludgeon beaks. - -This violence towards strangers of the Tower sparrow is not to be -wondered at, since this unpleasant disposition or habit is common to -many species. The prophet Jeremiah had observed it when he said, 'Mine -heritage is unto me as a speckled bird, the birds round about are -against her.' To the Tower sparrows every feathered stranger is -conspicuously speckled, and they are against her. The wonder is that -they should keep up their perpetual little teasing warfare against the -pigeons and starlings, their neighbours from time immemorial. One would -have imagined that so intelligent and practical a bird as the sparrow, -after vainly trying for several centuries to drive out his fellow -tenants, would have made peace with them and found some more profitable -outlet for his superabundant energies. Possibly the introduction of a -few feathered policemen--owls, or magpies, or sparrow hawks--would have -the effect of making him a less quarrelsome neighbour. - - * * * * * - -In autumn and in spring a variety of summer visitants, mostly warblers, -pass through London, delaying a little in its green spaces. In September -we are hardly cognisant of these small strangers within our gates, all -but one or two being silent at that season. In April and May, in -many of the parks, we may hear the chiffchaff, willow-wren, blackcap, -sedge-warbler, the whitethroat, occasionally the cuckoo, and a few other -rarer species, but they sing little, and soon leave us to seek better -breeding-sites than the inner parks offer. - -While some of our birds, as we have seen, forsake us at the approach of -cold weather, some for a short period, others to remain away until the -following spring, a small contrary movement of birds into London is -going on. These winterers with us come not in battalions and are little -remarked. They are to be found, a few here and a few there, all over -London, wherever there are trees and bushes, but less in the public -parks than in private grounds, cemeteries, and other quiet spots. Thus, -during the last two exceptionally mild winters a few skylarks have lived -contentedly in the comparatively small green area at Lambeth Palace. -Nunhead Cemetery is a favourite winter resort of a number of small -birds--starlings, chaffinches, and greenfinches, and a few of other -species. Chaffinches are found in winter in several of the open spaces -where they do not breed, and among other species to be found wintering -in the quiet green spots in small numbers are linnets, goldfinches, -pipits, and the pied wagtail. - -In exceptionally severe winters birds come into London in considerable -numbers--rooks, starlings, larks, blackbirds and thrushes, finches, and -other small species--and they then visit not only the parks but all the -squares and private gardens. During the big frost of 1890-1 skylarks -were seen every day searching for food on the Thames Embankment. These -strangers all vanish from London on the break-up of the frost. - -During the late autumn and winter months a few large birds occasionally -appear--heron, mallard, widgeon, teal, &c. As a rule they come and -go during the dark hours. The sight of water and the cries of the -ornamental water-fowl attract them. They are mostly irregular visitors, -and cannot very well be included in the list of London birds. - -The case of the black-headed gull is different, as this species may now -be classed with the regular visitors, and not merely to the outlying -spaces, like the fieldfare, but to the central parks of the metropolis, -where, like the wood-pigeon, he looks to man for food. - -The black-headed gull has always been a winter visitor in small numbers -to the lower reaches of the Thames, coming up the river as far as London -Bridge. In severe winters more birds come; thus, in the winter of 1887-8 -they appeared in great numbers, and ranged as high up as Putney. The -late Mr. Tristram-Valentine, in describing this visitation, wrote: -'It is seldom, indeed, that these birds appeared in such numbers in -the Thames above London Bridge as they have done lately, and their -appearance has, from its rarity, caused a corresponding excitement -among Londoners, as is proved by the numbers of people that have crowded -the bridges and embankments to watch their movements. To a considerable -portion of these, no doubt, the marvellous flight and power of wing of -the gull came as an absolute revelation.' - -Gulls came up the river in still greater force during the exceptionally -long and severe frost of 1892-3. That was a memorable season in the -history of the London gulls. Then, for the last time, gulls were shot -on the river between the bridges, and this pastime put a stop to by -the police magistrates, who fined the sportsmen for the offence of -discharging firearms to the public danger. And then for the first time, -so far as I know, the custom of regularly feeding the gulls in London -had its beginning. Every day for a period of three to four weeks -hundreds of working men and boys would take advantage of the free hour -at dinner time to visit the bridges and embankments, and give the scraps -left from their meal to the birds. The sight of this midday crowd -hurrying down to the waterside with welcome in their faces and food in -their hands must have come 'as an absolute revelation' to the gulls. - -During the memorable frost of 1894-5 the birds again appeared in immense -numbers, and would doubtless have soon left us, or else perished of cold -and hunger on the snow-covered hummocks of ice which filled the Thames -and gave it so arctic an aspect, but for the quantities of food cast to -them every day. As in previous years when gulls have visited the Thames -in considerable numbers, many of the birds found their way into the -parks, and were especially numerous in St. James's Park, where they -formed the habit of feeding with the ornamental water-fowl. - -We have since experienced three exceptionally mild winters, so that the -gulls were not driven by want to invade us; but they have come to us -nevertheless, not having forgotten the generous hospitality London -extended to them in the frost. St. James's Park has now become the -favourite wintering place of a considerable number of birds, and their -habit is to spend the day on the lake, feeding on the broken bread and -scraps of meat thrown to them from the bridge, and leaving about sunset -to spend the night on the river. In the autumn of 1896, three or four -days after the gulls began to appear on the Thames, a body of two or -three hundred of these birds settled down in the park water, and fed -there every day and all day long until the following spring--March 1897. - -A favourite pastime of mine during the winter months was to feed these -park gulls with sprats, which were plentiful and could be bought -anywhere for one penny a pound, or in quantities for about a farthing -the pound. Gulls cannot live by bread alone; it is true that even in -London they do not, like the blubber-eating Greenlander, spew it out of -their mouths, for they will eat almost anything, but it is not partaken -of with zest, and even with a crop-full they do not feel that they -have dined. However much bread they had had, no sooner would they see -the silvery gleam of a little tossed-up sprat than there would be a -universal scream of excitement, a rush from all sides, and the whole -white vociferous crowd would be gathered before me, almost brushing my -face with their wings, sweeping round and round, joyfully feasting on -the little fishes, cast to them in showers, to be deftly caught before -they touched the water. - -[Illustration: FEEDING THE GULLS IN ST. JAMES'S PARK] - -Some of the birds, bolder or more intelligent than their fellows, -would actually take the sprats from the hand. - -A very few days before writing this chapter end, on January 30, 1898, -I passed by the water and saw the gulls there, where indeed they have -spent most of the daylight hours since the first week in October. It was -a rough wild morning; the hurrying masses of dark cloud cast a gloom -below that was like twilight; and though there was no mist the trees and -buildings surrounding the park appeared vague and distant. The water, -too, looked strange in its intense blackness, which was not hidden by -the silver-grey light on the surface, for the surface was everywhere -rent and broken by the wind, showing the blackness beneath. Some of the -gulls--about 150 I thought--were on the water together in a close flock, -tailing off to a point, all with their red beaks pointing one way to the -gale. Seeing them thus, sitting high as their manner is, tossed up and -down with the tumbling water, yet every bird keeping his place in the -company, their whiteness and buoyancy in that dark setting was quite -wonderful. It was a picture of black winter and beautiful wild bird life -which would have had a rare attraction even in the desert places of the -earth; in London it could not be witnessed without feelings of surprise -and gratitude. - -We see in this punctual return of the gulls, bringing their young with -them, that a new habit has been acquired, a tradition formed, which has -given to London a new and exceedingly beautiful ornament, of more value -than many works of art. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -A SURVEY OF THE PARKS: WEST LONDON - - A general survey of the metropolitan parks--West London--Central parks, - with Holland Park--A bird's highway--Decrease of songsters--The - thrush in Kensington Gardens--Suggestions--Owls in Kensington - Gardens--Other West London open spaces--Ravenscourt Park as it was - and as it is. - - -Our 'province' of London is happily not entirely 'covered with houses,' -and in each of its six large districts--West, North-west, North, East, -South-east, and South-west--there are many hundreds of acres of green -and tree-shaded spaces where the Londoner may find a moderate degree of -refreshment. Unfortunately for large masses of the population, these -spaces are very unequally distributed, being mostly situated on or close -to the borderland, where town and country meet; consequently they are of -less value to the dwellers in the central and densely peopled districts -than to the inhabitants of the suburbs, who have pure air and ample -healthy room without these public grounds. - -Before going the round of the parks, to note in detail their present -condition and possibilities, chiefly with reference to their wild bird -life, it would be well to take a rapid survey of the metropolitan open -spaces generally. To enable the reader the more closely to follow me in -the survey, I have introduced a map of the County of London on a small -scale, in which the whole of the thickly built-over portion appears -uncoloured; the surrounding country coloured green; the open spaces, -including cemeteries, deep green; the small spaces--squares, graves, -churchyards, gardens, recreation grounds, &c., as dark dots; the -suburban districts, not densely populated, where houses have gardens -and grounds, pale green. - -[Illustration: RAVENSCOURT PARK] - -Now the white space is not really birdless, being everywhere inhabited -by sparrows, and in parts by numerous and populous colonies of semi-wild -pigeons, while a few birds of other species make their homes in London -gardens. Shirley Hibbert, writing of London birds in 1865, says: 'London -is, indeed, far richer in birds than it deserves to be.' He also says: -'A few birds, however, appear to be specially adapted not merely for -London as viewed from without, but for London _par excellence_, that -is to say for the noisy, almost treeless City; with these for pioneers, -nature invades the Stock Exchange, the Court of Aldermen, the Bank, and -all the railway termini, as if to say, '_Shut us out if you can_.' But -with the exception of these few peculiarly urban species we may take it -that the London birds get their food, breed, and live most of the time -in the open spaces where there are trees and bushes. Even the starling, -which breeds in buildings, must go to the parks to feed. - -It must also be borne in mind that birds that penetrate into London from -the surrounding country--those that, like the carrion crow, live on the -borders and fly into or across London every day, migrants in spring and -autumn, young birds reared outside of London going about in search of a -place to settle in, and wanderers generally--all fly to and alight on -the green spaces only. These spaces form their camping grounds. As there -is annually a very considerable influx of feathered strangers, we -can see by a study of the map how much easier to penetrate and more -attractive some portions of the metropolis are than others. It would -simplify the matter still further if we were to look upon London as -an inland sea, an archipelago, about fifty miles in circumference, -containing a few very large islands, several of a smaller size, and -numerous very small ones--a sea or lake with no well-defined shore-line, -but mostly with wide borders which might be described as mixed land and -water, with promontories or tongues of land here and there running into -it. These promontories, also the chains of islands, form, in some cases, -broad green thoroughfares along which the birds come; the sinuous band -of the Thames also forms to some extent a thoroughfare. - -I believe it is a fact that in those parts of the suburbs that are -well timbered, and where the houses have gardens and grounds, the bird -population is actually greater (with fewer species) than in the country -proper, even in places where birds are very abundant. In parts of -Norwood, Sydenham, and Streatham, and the neighbourhoods of Dulwich, -Greenwich, Lee, Highgate, and Hampstead, birds are extremely abundant. -Going a little further afield, on one side of the metropolis we have -Epping Forest, and on the opposite side of the metropolis several vast -and well-wooded spaces abounding in bird life--Kew Gardens, the Queen's -private grounds, Old Deer Park, Syon and Richmond parks, Wimbledon, &c. -From all these districts there is doubtless a considerable overflow of -birds each season on to the adjacent country, and into London, and some -of the large parks are well placed to attract these wanderers. - -In going into a more detailed account of the parks, it is not my -intention to furnish anything like a formal or guide-book description, -assigning a space to each, but, taking them as they come, singly, in -groups and chains, to touch or dwell only on those points that chiefly -concern us--their characters, comparative advantages, and their needs, -with regard to bird life. Beginning with the central parks and other -parks situated in the West district, we will then pass to the North-west -and North districts, and so on until the circle of the metropolis has -been completed. - - * * * * * - -The central parks, Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park, Green Park, and St. -James's Park, contain respectively 274, 360, 55, and 60 acres--in round -numbers 750 acres. Add to this Holland Park, the enclosed meadow-like -grounds adjoining Kensington Palace, Hyde Park Gardens, St. George's -burial-ground, and Buckingham Palace Gardens, and we get altogether a -total of about nine hundred to one thousand acres of almost continuous -green country, extending from High Street, Kensington, to Westminster. -This very large area (for to the eyes of the flying bird it must -appear as one) is favourably situated to attract and support a very -considerable amount of bird life. At its eastern extremity we see that -it is close to the river, along which birds are apt to travel; while -three miles and a half away, at its other end, it is again near the -Thames, where the river makes a great bend near Hammersmith, and not -very distant from the more or less green country about Acton. - -[Illustration: (Map of London)] - -There is no doubt that a majority of the summer visitants and wanderers -generally that appear in the central parks come through Holland Park, -as they are usually first observed in the shrubberies and trees at -Kensington Palace. Holland Park, owing to its privacy and fine old -trees, is a favourite resort of wild birds, and is indeed a better -sanctuary than any public park in London. From the palace shrubberies -the new-comers creep in along the Flower Walk, the Serpentine, and -finally by way of the Green Park to St. James's Park. But they do not -stay to breed, the place not being suitable for such a purpose. It is -possible that a few find nesting-places in Buckingham Palace Gardens, -and that others drift into Battersea Park. - -Another proof that these parks--so sadly mismanaged from the bird-lover's -point of view--are situated advantageously may be found in the fact -that three of the species which have established colonies in London -within the last few years (wood-pigeon, moorhen, and dabchick) first -formed settlements here, and from this centre have spread over the -entire metropolis, and now inhabit every park and open space where the -conditions are suited to their requirements. These three needed no -encouragement: the summer visitors do certainly need it, and at -Battersea, and in some other parks less than one fourth the size of -Hyde Park, they find it, and are occasionally able to rear their young. -Even the old residents, the sedentary species once common in the central -parks, find it hard to maintain their existence; they have died or are -dying out. The missel-thrush, nuthatch, tree-creeper, oxeye, spotted -woodpecker, and others vanished several years ago. The chaffinch was -reduced to a single pair within the last few years; this pair lingered -on for a year or a little over, then vanished. Last spring, 1897, a few -chaffinches returned, and their welcome song was heard in Kensington -Gardens until June. Not a greenfinch is to be seen, the commonest and -most prolific garden bird in England, so abundant that scores, nay -hundreds, may be bought any Sunday morning in the autumn at the -bird-dealers' shops in the slums of London, at about two pence per -bird, or even less. The wrens a few years ago were reduced to a single -pair, and had their nesting-place near the Albert Memorial; of the -pair I believe one bird now remains. Two, perhaps three, pairs of -hedge-sparrows inhabited Kensington Gardens during the summers of 1896 -and 1897, but I do not think they succeeded in rearing any young. Nor -did the one pair in St. James's Park hatch any eggs. In 1897 a pair -of spotted flycatchers bred in Kensington Gardens, and were the only -representatives of the summer visitors of the passerine order in all the -central parks. - -The robin has been declining for several years; a decade ago its sudden -little outburst of bright melody was a common autumn and winter sound in -some parts of the park, and in nearly all parts of Kensington Gardens. -This delightful sound became less and less each season, and unless -something is done will before many years cease altogether. The blue and -cole tits are also now a miserable remnant, and are restricted to the -gardens, where they may be seen, four or five together, on the high -elms or clinging to the pendent twigs of the birches. The blackbird and -song-thrush have also fallen very low; I do not believe that there are -more than two dozen of these common birds in all this area of seven -hundred and fifty acres. A larger number could be found in one corner of -Finsbury Park. Finsbury and Battersea could each send a dozen or two of -songsters as a gift to the royal West-end parks, and not miss their -music. - -Of all these vanishing species the thrush is most to be regretted, on -account of its beautiful, varied, and powerful voice, for in so noisy -an atmosphere as that of London loudness is a very great merit; also -because (in London) this bird sings very nearly all the year round. Even -at the present time how much these few remaining birds are to us! From -one to two decades ago it was possible on any calm mild day in winter -to listen to half a dozen thrushes singing at various points in the -gardens; now it is very rare to hear more than one, and during the -exceedingly mild winter of 1896-7 I never heard more than two. Even -these few birds make a wonderful difference. There is a miraculous -quality in their voice. In the best of many poems which the Poet -Laureate has addressed to this, his favourite bird, he sings: - - Hearing thee first, who pines or grieves - For vernal smiles and showers! - Thy voice is greener than the leaves, - And fresher than the flowers. - -Even here in mid-London the effect is the same, and a strange glory -fills the old ruined and deserted place. But, alas! 'tis but an -illusion, and is quickly gone. The tendency for many years past has -been towards a greater artificiality. It saves trouble and makes for -prettiness to cut down decaying trees. To take measures to prevent their -fall, to drape them with ivy and make them beautiful in decay, would -require some thought and care. It is not so long ago that Matthew Arnold -composed his 'Lines written in Kensington Gardens.' It seems but the -other day that he died; but how impossible it would be for anyone -to-day, at this spot, to experience the feeling which inspired those -matchless verses! - - In this lone, open glade I lie, - Screened by deep boughs on either hand; - And at its end, to stay the eye, - Those black-crown'd, red-boled pine-trees stand! - - Birds here make song, each bird has his, - Across the girdling city's hum. - How green under the boughs it is! - How thick the tremulous sheep-cries come! - - Sometimes a child will cross the glade - To take his nurse his broken toy; - Sometimes a thrush flit overhead - Deep in her unknown day's employ. - - Here at my feet what wonders pass, - What endless, active life is here! - What blowing daisies, fragrant grass! - An air-stirr'd forest, fresh and clear. - - · · · · · - - In the huge world, which roars hard by, - Be others happy if they can! - But in my helpless cradle I - Was breathed on by the rural Pan. - - · · · · · - - Calm soul of all things! Make it mine - To feel amid the city's jar, - That there abides a peace of thine, - Man did not make, and cannot mar. - - The will to neither strive nor cry, - The power to feel with others give! - Calm, calm me more! nor let me die - Before I have begun to live. - -In these vast gardens and parks, with large trees, shrubberies, wide -green spaces, and lakes, there should be ample room for many scores -of the delightful songsters that are now vanishing or have already -vanished. And much might be done, at a very small cost, to restore these -species, and to add others. - -One of the first and most important steps to be taken in order to make -the central parks a suitable home for wild birds, especially of the -songsters, both resident and migratory, that nest on or near the ground, -is the exclusion of the army of cats that hunt every night and all night -long in them. This subject will be discussed more fully in another -chapter. - -Proper breeding-places are also greatly wanted--close shrubberies and -rockeries such as we find at Battersea and Finsbury Parks. The existing -shrubberies give no proper shelter. In planting them the bird's need of -privacy was not considered; the space allowed to them is too small, the -species of plants that birds prefer to roost and nest in are too few. -It would make a wonderful difference if in place of so many unsuitable -exotic shrubs (especially of the ugly, dreary-looking rhododendron) we -had more of the always pleasing yew and holly; also furze and bramble; -with other native plants to be found in any country hedge, massed -together in that charming disorder which men as well as birds prefer, -although the gardeners do not know it. There are several spots in -Kensington Gardens where masses of evergreens would look well and would -form welcome refuges to scores of shy songsters. - -The more or less open ground north of the Flower Walk forms a deep -well-sheltered hollow, where it would be easy to create a small pond -with rushes and osiers growing in it, which would be very attractive to -the birds. It would be easy to make a spot in every park in London where -the sedge-warbler could breed. - -Another very much needed improvement is an island in the Serpentine, -which would serve to attract wild birds. The Serpentine is by a good -deal the largest of the artificial lakes of inner London, yet with the -exception of a couple of moorhens, and in winter a stray gull or two -seen flying over the water, it has no wild bird life, simply because -there is no spot where a wild bird can breed. The existing small island, -close to the north bank and the sub-rangers' village, is used by some of -the ducks to breed in. Something might be done to make this island more -attractive to birds. - -With one, perhaps two, exceptions, the comparatively large birds in the -central parks have been so fully written about in former chapters that -nothing more need be said of them in this place. It remains only to -speak of the owls in Kensington Gardens. - -It is certainly curious to find that in these gardens, where, as we have -seen, birds are not encouraged, two such species as the jackdaw and owl -are still resident, although long vanished from all their other old -haunts in London. Of so important a bird as the owl I should have -preferred to write at some length in one of the earlier chapters, but -there was very little to say, owing to its rarity and secrecy. Nor could -it be included in the chapters on recent colonists, since it is probable -that it has always been an inhabitant of Kensington Gardens, although -its existence there has not been noticed by those who have written -on the wild bird life of London. It is unfortunate that we have no -enjoyment of our owls: they hide from sight in the old hollow trees, -and when they occasionally exercise their voices at night we are not -there to hear them. Still, it is a pleasure to know that they are there, -and probably always have been there. It is certain that during the past -year both the brown and white owl have been living in the gardens, as -the night-watchers hear the widely different vocal performances of both -birds, and have also seen both species. Probably there are not more than -two birds of each kind. Owls have the habit of driving away their young, -and the stray white owls occasionally seen or heard in various parts of -London may be young birds driven from the gardens. Some time ago the -cries of a white owl were heard on several nights at Lambeth Palace, and -it was thought that the bird had made its home in the tower of Lambeth -Church, close by. In the autumn of 1896 a solitary white owl frequented -the trees at Buckhurst Hill. An ornithological friend told me that -he had seen an owl, probably the same bird, one evening flying over -the Serpentine; and on inquiring of some of the park people, I was -told that they knew nothing about an owl, but that a cockatoo had -mysteriously appeared every evening at dusk on one of the trees near -the under-ranger's lodge! After a few weeks it was seen no more. I fancy -that this owl had been expelled from the gardens by its parents. - - * * * * * - -Directly in line with the central and Holland parks, about a mile and a -quarter west of Holland Park, we have Ravenscourt Park--the last link of -a broken chain. To the birds that come and go it occupies the position -of a half-way house between the central parks and the country proper. -Unhappily West Kensington, which lies between Holland and Ravenscourt -Parks, is now quite covered with houses--a brand-new yet depressing -wilderness of red brick, without squares, gardens, boulevards, or -breathing spaces of any description whatsoever. Away on the right -hand and on the left a few small green spaces are found--on one hand -Shepherd's Bush Green, and on the other Brook Green, St. Paul's Schools -ornamental grounds, and Hammersmith Cemetery and Cricket Ground. But -from West Kensington it is far for children's feet to a spot of green -turf. - -Ravenscourt, though not large (32 acres), is very beautiful. With -Waterlow, Clissold, and Brockwell Parks it shares the distinction of -being a real park, centuries old; and despite the new features, the -gravelled paths, garden-beds, iron railings, &c., which had to be -introduced when it was opened to the public, it retains much of its -original park-like character. Its venerable elms, hornbeams, beeches, -cedars, and hawthorns are a very noble possession. To my mind this -indeed is the most beautiful park in London, or perhaps I should say -that it _would_ be the most beautiful if the buildings round it were not -so near and conspicuous. It may be that I am somewhat prejudiced in its -favour. I knew it when it was private, and the old image is very vivid -to memory; I lived for a long time beside it in sad days, when the -constant sight of such a green and shady wilderness from my window was a -great consolation. It was beautiful even in the cold, dark winter months -when it was a waste of snow, and when, despite the bitter weather, the -missel-thrush poured out its loud triumphant notes from the top of -a tall elm. In its spring and summer aspect it had a wild grace and -freshness, which made it unlike any other spot known to me in or near -London. The old manor house inside the park was seldom occupied; no -human figure was visible in the grounds; there were no paths, and all -things grew untended. The grass was everywhere long, and in spring lit -with colour of myriads of wild flowers; from dawn to dusk its shady -places were full of the melody of birds; exquisitely beautiful in its -dewy and flowery desolation, it was like a home of immemorial peace, the -one remnant of unadulterated nature in the metropolis. - -The alterations that had to be made in this park when the County Council -took it over produced in me an unpleasant shock; and the birds were also -seriously affected by the change. When the gates were thrown open, in -1888, and a noisy torrent of humanity poured in and spread itself over -their sweet sanctuary, they fled in alarm, and for a time the park was -almost birdless. The carrion crows, strange to say, stuck to their -nesting-tree, and by-and-by some of the deserters began to return, to -be followed by others, and now there is as much bird life as in the old -days. It is probable, however, that some of the summer visitors -have ceased to breed. At present we have the crow, wood-pigeon, -missel-thrush, chaffinch, wren, hedge-sparrow, and in the summer the -pied wagtail and spotted flycatcher and willow-wren. - -[Illustration: CORMORANTS AT ST. JAMES'S PARK] - - - - -CHAPTER X - -NORTH-WEST AND NORTH LONDON - - Open spaces on the border of West London--The Scrubs, Old Oak Common, - and Kensal Green Cemetery--North-west district--Paddington - Recreation Ground, Kilburn Park, and adjoining open spaces--Regent's - Park described--Attractive to birds, but not safe--Hampstead Heath: - its character and bird life--The ponds--A pair of moorhens--An - improvement suggested--North London districts--Highgate Woods, - Churchyard Bottom Wood, Waterlow Park, and Highgate Cemetery--Finsbury - Park--A paradise of thrushes--Clissold Park and Abney Park Cemetery. - - -Before proceeding to give a brief account of the parks and open spaces -of North-west and North London it is necessary to mention here a group -of open spaces just within the West district, on its northern border, -a mile and a half to two miles north of Ravenscourt Park. These are -Wormwood Scrubs, Little Wormwood Scrubs, Old Oak Common, and Kensal -Green Cemetery. As they contain altogether not far short of three -hundred acres, and are in close proximity, they might in time have been -thrown into one park. A large open space will be sadly needed in that -part of London before many years are passed, and it is certain that West -London cannot go on burying its dead much longer at Kensal Green. But it -is to be feared that the usual short-sighted policy will prevail with -regard to these spaces, and a good deal of the space known as Old Oak -Common has already been enclosed with barbed-wire fences, and it is now -said that the commoners' rights in this space have been extinguished. - -Beyond these spaces are Acton and Harlesden--a district where town and -country mix. - -From Wormwood Scrubs to Regent's Park it is three miles as the crow -flies--three miles of houses inhabited by a working-class population, -with no green spot except the Paddington Recreation Ground, which is -small (25 acres), and of little or no use to the thousands of poor -children in this vast parish, being too far from their homes. - -Crossing the line dividing the West from the North-west district near -Kensal Green, we find the following four not large open spaces in -Kilburn--Kensal Rise, Brondesbury Park (private), Paddington Cemetery, -and Kilburn or Queen's Park (30 acres). - -All this part of London is now being rapidly covered with houses, and -the one beautiful open space, with large old trees in it, is Brondesbury -Park. How sad to think that this fine park will probably be built over -within the next few years, and that the only public open space left -will be the Queen's Park--a dreary patch of stiff clay, where the -vegetation is stunted and looks tired of life. Even a few exceptionally -dirty-looking sparrows that inhabit it appear to find it a depressing -place. - -Two miles east of this melancholy spot is Regent's Park, which now forms -one continuous open space, under one direction, with Primrose Hill, and -contains altogether 473 acres. It is far and away the largest of the -inner London parks, its area exceeding that of Hyde Park by 112 acres. -Its large extent is but one of its advantages. Although not all free to -the public, it is all open to the birds, and the existence of several -more or less private enclosed areas is all in their favour. On its -south, east, and west sides this space has the brick wilderness of -London, an endless forest of chimneys defiling the air with their smoke; -but on the north side it touches a district where gardens abound, and -trees, shrubs, and luxuriant ivy and creepers give it a country-like -aspect. This pleasant green character is maintained until Hampstead -Heath and the country proper is reached, and over this rural stretch of -North-west London the birds come and go freely between the country and -Regent's Park. This large space should be exceedingly attractive to all -such birds as are not intolerant of a clay soil. There are extensive -green spaces, a good deal of wood, and numerous large shrubberies, -which are more suitable for birds to find shelter and breed in than -the shrubberies in the central parks. There is also a large piece of -ornamental water, with islands, and, better still, the Regent's Canal -running for a distance of nearly one mile through the park. The steeply -sloping banks on one side, clothed with rank grass and shrubs and -crowned with large unmutilated trees, give this water the appearance of -a river in the country, and it is, indeed, along the canal where birds -are always most abundant, and where the finest melody may be heard. All -these advantages should make Regent's Park as rich in varied bird life -as any open space in the metropolis. Unfortunately the birds are not -encouraged, and if this park was not so large, and so placed as to -be in some degree in touch with the country, it would be in the same -melancholy condition as Hyde Park. The species now found are the -blackbird and thrush, greenfinch (rare) and chaffinch, robin, dunnock, -and wren (the last very rare), and in summer two or three migrants are -added. But most of the birds find it hard to rear any young owing to the -birds'-nesting boys and loafers, who are not properly watched, and to -the cats that infest the shrubberies. Even by day cats have the liberty -of this park. Wood-pigeons come in numbers to feed in the early morning, -and a few pairs build nests, but as a rule their eggs are taken. Carrion -crows from North London visit the park on most days, and make occasional -incursions into the Zoological Gardens, where they are regarded with -very unfriendly feelings. They go there on the chance of picking up -a crumb or two dropped from the tables of the pampered captives; and -perhaps for a peep at the crow-house, where many corvines from many -lands may be seen turning their eyes skyward, uttering at the same time -a cry of recognition, to watch the sweeping flight of their passing -relatives, who 'mock them with their loss of liberty.' - -The water-birds (wild) are no better off in this park than the songsters -in the shrubberies, yet it could easily be made more attractive and safe -as a breeding-place. As it is, the dabchick seldom succeeds in hatching -eggs, and even the semi-domestic and easily satisfied moorhen finds it -hard to rear any young. - - * * * * * - -The other great green space in the North-west district is Hampstead -Heath, which contains, including Parliament Hill and other portions -acquired in recent years, 507 acres. On its outer border it touches the -country, in parts a very beautiful country; while on its opposite side -it abuts on London proper, forming on the south and south-east the -boundary of an unutterably dreary portion of the metropolis, a congeries -of large and densely-populated parishes--Kentish and Camden Towns, -Holloway, Highbury, Canonbury, Islington, Hoxton: thousands of acres of -houses, thousands of miles of streets, vast thoroughfares full of trams -and traffic and thunderous noises, interminable roads, respectable and -monotonous, and mean streets and squalid streets innumerable. Here, -then, we have a vast part of London, which is like the West-central and -East-central districts in that it is without any open space, except the -comparatively insignificant one of Highbury Fields. It is to the Heath -that the inhabitants of all this portion of London must go for fresh -air and verdure; but the distance is too great for most people, and the -visits are consequently made on Sundays and holidays in summer. Even -this restricted use they are able to make of 'London's playing ground,' -or 'Happy Hampstead,' as it is lovingly called, must have a highly -beneficial effect on the health, physical and moral, of the people. - -[Illustration: VIEW ON HAMPSTEAD HEATH] - -To come to the bird life of this largest of London's open spaces. Owing -to its very openness and large extent, which makes it impossible for the -constables to keep a watch on the visitors, especially on the gangs of -birds'-nesting boys and young men who make it a happy hunting-ground -during the spring and summer months, the Heath is in reality a -very unfavourable breeding-place for birds. Linnets, yellowhammers, -chaffinches, robins, several warblers, and other species nest every -year, but probably very rarely succeed in bringing up their young. -Birds are nevertheless numerous and in great variety: the large space -and its openness attract them, while all about the Heath large private -gardens, woods, and preserves exist, which are perfect sanctuaries for -most small birds and some large species. There is a small rookery on -some elm-trees at the side of the High Street; and another close to the -Heath, near Golder's Hill, on the late Sir Spencer Wells's property. And -in other private grounds the carrion crow, daw, wood-pigeon, stock-dove, -turtle-dove, white owl, and wood owl, green and lesser spotted -woodpecker still breed. The corncrake is occasionally heard. The -following small birds, summer visitors, breed on the Heath or in the -adjacent private grounds, especially in Lord Mansfield's beautiful -woods: wryneck and cuckoo, grasshopper-, sedge- and reed-warblers, -blackcap and garden warbler, both whitethroats, wood and willow wrens, -chiffchaff, redstart, stonechat, pied wagtail, tree-pipit, red-backed -shrike, spotted flycatcher, swallow, house martin, swift, and goldfinch. -Wheatears visit the Heath on passage; fieldfares may be seen on most -days throughout the winter, and occasionally red-wings; also the -redpole, siskin, and the grey wagtail. The resident small birds include -most of the species to be found in the county of Middlesex. The -bullfinch and the hawfinch are rare. - -My young friend, Mr. E. C. H. Moule, who is a keen observer, has very -kindly sent me his notes on the birds of Hampstead, made during a year's -residence on the edge of the Heath, and taking his list with my own, and -comparing them with the list made by Mr. Harting, published in Lobley's -'Hampstead Hill' in 1885, it appears that there have been very few -changes in the bird population of this district during the last decade. - -It would be difficult to make the Heath itself a safer breeding-place -for the birds, resident and migratory, that inhabit it. The only plan -would be to establish small sanctuaries at suitable spots. Unfortunately -these would have to be protected from the nest-robbers by spiked iron -railings, and that open wild appearance of the Heath, which is its -principal charm, would be spoiled. - -With the ponds something can be done. There are a good number of them, -large and small, some used for bathing in summer, and all for skating -in winter, but so far nothing has been done to make them attractive -to the birds; and it may be added that a few beds of rushes and other -aquatic plants for cover, which would make them suitable habitations for -several species of birds, would also greatly add to their beauty. How -little would have to be done to give life and variety to these somewhat -desolate-looking pieces of water, may be seen on the Heath itself. One -of the smallest is the Leg of Mutton Pond, on the West Heath, a rather -muddy pool where dogs are accustomed to bathe. At its narrow end it has -a small bed of bulrushes, which has been inhabited by a pair of moorhens -for several years past. They are very tame, and appear quite unconcerned -in the presence of people standing on the margin to gaze at and admire -them, and of the dogs barking and splashing about in the water a few -yards away. There is no wire netting to divide their own little domain -from the dogs' bathing place, and no railing on the bank. Yet here they -live all the year round very contentedly, and rear brood after brood of -young every summer. Here, as in other places, it has been observed that -the half-grown young birds assist their parents in building a second -nest and in rearing the new brood, and it has also been remarked that -when the young are fully grown the old birds drive them from the pond. -There is room for only one pair in that small patch of rushes, and they -know it. The driven-out young wander about in search of a suitable spot -to settle in, but find no place on the Heath. Probably some of them -spend the winter in Lord Mansfield's woods. A gentleman residing in the -neighbourhood told me that at the end of the short frost in January -1897, when the ice was melted, he saw one morning a large number of -moorhens, between thirty and forty, feeding in the meadow near the ponds -in Lord Mansfield's grounds. - -I have been told that no rushes have been planted on the Heath, and -nothing done to encourage wild birds to settle at the ponds, simply -because it has never occurred to anyone in authority, and no person -has ever suggested that it would be a good thing to do. Now that the -suggestion is made, let us hope that it will receive consideration. -I fancy that every lover of nature would agree that a pair or two of -quaint pretty moorhens; a pair of lively dabchicks, diving, uttering -that long, wild, bubbling cry that is so pleasant to hear, and building -their floating nest; and perhaps a sedge-warbler for ever playing on -that delightful little barrel-organ of his, would give more pleasure -than the pair of monotonous mute swans to be seen on some of the ponds, -looking very uncomfortable, much too big for such small sheets of water, -and altogether out of harmony with their surroundings. - -With the exception of this omission, the management of the Heath by the -County Council has so far been worthy of all praise. The trees recently -planted will add greatly to the beauty and value of this space, which -contains open ground enough for all the thousands that visit it in -summer to roam about and take their sun-bath. - - * * * * * - -Near the Heath, on its east side, in the North London district, we -have a group of four highly attractive open spaces. They are ranged in -pairs at some distance apart. One pair is Highgate Woods (70 acres) -and Churchyard Bottom Wood (52 acres), not yet open to the public; -the second pair is Waterlow Park (26 acres) and Highgate Cemetery -(40 acres). The two first have a special value in their rough, wild, -woodland character, wherein they differ from all other open spaces in -or near London. But although these spaces are both wildernesses, and so -close together as to be almost touching, they each have an individual -character. A very large portion of the space called Highgate Woods is -veritably a wood, very thick and copse-like, so that to turn aside from -the path is to plunge into a dense thicket of trees and saplings, where -a lover of solitude might spend a long summer's day without seeing a -human face. Owing to this thick growth it is impossible for the few -guardians of this space to keep a watch on the mischievous visitors, -with the result that in summer birds'-nesting goes on with impunity; the -evil, however, cannot well be remedied if the woods are to be left in -their present state. It would certainly greatly add to their charm if -such species as inhabit woods of this character were to be met with -here--the woodpeckers, the kestrel and sparrow-hawk and the owls, that -have not yet forsaken this part of London; and the vociferous jay, -shrieking with anger at being disturbed; and the hawfinch, with his -metallic clicking note; and the minute, arrow-shaped, long-tailed tits -that stream through the upper branches in a pretty procession. But -even the warmest friend to the birds would not like to see these woods -thinned and cut through with innumerable roads, and the place changed -from a wilderness to an artificial garden or show park. - -The adjoining Churchyard Bottom Wood is the wildest and most picturesque -spot in North London, with an uneven surface, hill and valley, a small -stream running through it, old unmutilated trees of many kinds scattered -about in groups and groves, and everywhere masses of bramble and furze. -It is quite unspoiled, in character a mixture of park and wild, rough -common, and wholly delightful. Indeed, it is believed to be a veritable -fragment--the only one left--of the primæval forest of Middlesex. - -It is earnestly to be hoped that the landscape gardener will not be -called in to prepare this place for the reception of the public--the -improver on nature, whose conventional mind is only concerned with a -fine show of fashionable blooms, whose highest standard is the pretty, -cloying artificiality of Kew Gardens. Let him loose here, and his first -efforts will be directed to the rooting up of the glorious old gorse -and bramble bushes, and the planting of exotic bushes in their place, -especially the monotonous rhododendron, that dreary plant the sight of -which oppresses us like a nightmare in almost every public park and -garden and open space in the metropolis. - -Waterlow Park, although small, is extremely interesting, and contains -a good amount of large well-grown timber; it is, in fact, one of the -real old parks which have been spared to us in London. It is indeed -a beautiful and refreshing spot, and being so small and so highly -popular, attracting crowds of people every day throughout the summer -months, it does not afford a very favourable breeding-place for birds. -Nevertheless, the number of songsters of various species is not small, -for it is not as if these had no place but the park to breed in; the -town in this district preserves something of its rural character, and -the bird population of the northern portion of Highgate is, like that of -Hampstead, abundant and varied. There is also the fact to be borne in -mind that Waterlow Park is one of two spaces that join, the park being -divided from the cemetery by a narrow lane or footpath. To the birds -these two spaces form one area. - -Of Highgate Cemetery it is only necessary to say, in passing, that its -'manifest destiny' is to be made one open space for the public with its -close neighbour; that from this spot you have the finest view of the -metropolis to be had from the northern heights; and when there are green -leaves in place of a forest of headstones, and a few large trees where -monstrous mausoleums and monuments of stone now oppress the earth, the -ground will form one of the most beautiful open spaces in London. - -There are two little lakes in Waterlow Park where some ornamental fowls -are kept, and of these lakes, or ponds, it may be said, as of the -Hampstead ponds, that they are too small for such a giant as the mute -swan. On the Thames and on large sheets of water the swan is a great -ornament, his stately form and whiteness being very attractive to the -eye. On the small ponds he is apt to get his plumage very dirty and to -be a mischievous bird. He requires space to move about and look well in, -and water-weeds to feed on. It is not strange to find that our small, -interesting, wild aquatic birds have not succeeded in colonising in this -park. - - * * * * * - -A mile and a half east of Waterlow Park there is the comparatively large -park, containing an area of 115 acres, which was foolishly misnamed -Finsbury Park by the Metropolitan Board of Works. It is the largest -and most important open space in North London, and with the exception -of that of Battersea is the best of all the newly-made parks of the -metropolis. It promises, indeed, to be a very fine place, but its -oldest trees have only been planted twenty-eight years, and have not yet -attained to a majestic size. There is one feature which will always to -some extent spoil the beauty of this spot--namely, the exceedingly long, -straight, monotonous Broad Walk, planted with black poplars, where the -trees are all uniform in size and trimmed to the same height from the -ground. Should it ever become necessary to cut down a large number of -trees in London for fuel, or for the construction of street defences, -or some other purpose, it is to be hoped that the opportunity will be -seized to get rid of this unsightly avenue. - -The best feature in this park is the very large extent of well-planted -shrubberies, and it is due to the shelter they afford that blackbirds -and thrushes are more abundant here than in any other open space in the -metropolis, not even excepting that paradise of birds, Battersea Park. -It is delightful to listen to such a volume of bird music as there is -here morning and evening in spring and summer. Even in December and -January, on a dull cold afternoon with a grey smoky mist obscuring -everything, a concert of thrushes may be heard in this park with more -voices in it than would be heard anywhere in the country. The birds are -fed and sheltered and protected when breeding, and they are consequently -abundant and happy. What makes all this music the more remarkable is the -noisiness of the neighbourhood. The park is surrounded by railway lines; -trains rush by with shrieks and earth-shaking thunder every few moments, -and the adjoining thoroughfare of Seven Sisters Road is full of the loud -noises of traffic. Here, more than anywhere in London, you are reminded -of Milton's description of the jarring and discordant grating sounds -at the opening of hell's gates; and one would imagine that in such an -atmosphere the birds would become crazed, and sing, if they sang at all, -'like sweet bells jangled, out of tune and harsh.' But all this noise -troubles them not at all; they sing as sweetly here, with voices just as -pure and rapturous, as in any quiet country lane or wood. - -[Illustration: DABCHICK FEEDING ITS YOUNG] - -The other most common wild birds are the robin, tits, starling, -dabchick, and moorhen. The chaffinch, greenfinch, hedge-sparrow, and -wren are less common. - - * * * * * - -Half a mile to the east of Finsbury Park we have Clissold Park (53 -acres), comparatively small but singularly attractive. This is one -of the old and true parks that have remained to London, and, like -Ravenscourt and Brockwell, it has an old manor house standing in it; -and this building, looking upon water and avenues of noble elms and -wide green spaces, gives it the appearance of a private domain rather -than a public place. Close by is Abney Park Cemetery, which is now so -crammed with corpses as to make it reasonable to indulge the hope that -before long it will be closed as a burial place, only to be re-opened as -a breathing space for the living. And as the distance which separates -these two spaces is not great, let us indulge the further hope that it -may be found possible to open a way between them to make them one park -of not less than about a hundred acres. - -Clissold Park is specially interesting to bird lovers in London on -account of the efforts of the superintendent and the park constables in -encouraging and protecting the bird life of the place. In writing of the -carrion crow, the jackdaw, and the little grebe, I have spoken of this -park, and shall have occasion to speak of it again in a future chapter. - -South of Clissold, with the exception of the strip of green called -Highbury Fields, there is no open space nearer than St. James's Park, -four miles distant. Highbury Fields (27 acres) was opened to the public -about twelve years ago, and although small and badly shaped, it is by -no means an unimportant 'lung' of North London. To the inhabitants of -Highbury, Canonbury, and Islington it is the nearest open space, and -though in so vast and populous an area, is a refreshing and pretty spot, -with good shrubberies and healthy well-grown young trees. A few years -ago a small rookery existed at the northern extremity of the ground, -where some old trees are still standing, but the birds have left, it is -said on account of the decay of their favourite tree. Skylarks also bred -here up to the time of the opening of the ground to the public. The only -wild birds at present, after the sparrows, are the starlings that come -in small flocks, and a few occasional visitors. A few years ago it was -proposed to make a pond: I fear that the matter has been forgotten, or -that all the good things there were to give have been bestowed on the -show parks, leaving nothing for poor Highbury and Islington. - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -EAST LONDON - - Condition of the East district--Large circular group of open - spaces--Hackney Downs and London Fields--Victoria Park with - Hackney Common--Smoky atmosphere--Bird life--Lakes--An improvement - suggested--Chaffinch fanciers--Hackney Marsh with North and - South Mill Fields--Unique character of the Marsh--White House - Fishery--The vanished sporting times--Anecdotes--Collection of - rare birds--A region of marshes--Wanstead Old Park--Woodland - character--Bird life--Heronry and rookery--A suggestion. - - -Judging solely from the map, with its sprinkling of green patches, one -might be led to suppose that East London is not worse off than other -metropolitan districts in the matter of open spaces. The truth is that -it is very much worse off; and it might almost be said that for the -mass of East-enders there are practically no breathing spaces in that -district. The population is about a million, the greatest portion of it -packed into the parishes which border on the river and the East Central -district; that is to say, on all that part of London which is most -destitute of open spaces. In all this poor and overcrowded part of the -East the tendency has been to get more and more housing-room out of the -ground, with the result that not only have the old gardens vanished but -even the mean back-yards have been built over, and houses densely packed -with inmates stand back to back, or with little workshops between. One -can but wonder that this deadly filling-up process has been permitted -to go on by the authorities. It is plain that the people who live in -such conditions, whose lives are passed in small stuffy rooms, with no -outside space but the foul-smelling narrow dusty streets, are more in -need of open spaces than the dwellers in other districts; yet to most of -them even Victoria Park is practically as distant, as inaccessible, as -Hyde Park, or Hampstead Heath, or the country proper. If once in many -days a man is able to get away for needed change and refreshment, he -finds it as easy to go to Epping Forest as to Victoria Park and Hackney -Marsh; but it is not on many days in the year, in some cases not on any -day, that he can take his wife and children. - - * * * * * - -The open spaces of the East district, which (excepting those distant -spaces situated on the borders of Epping Forest) are all near together -and form a large circular group, are Hackney Downs, London Fields, -Victoria Park with Hackney Common, and Hackney Marsh with South and -North Mill Fields--about 730 acres in all. These grounds, as we have -seen, are too distant to be of much benefit to the larger part of the -population, and, it may be added, they have not the same value as -breathing spaces as the parks and commons in other London districts. -Victoria Park does not refresh a man like Hampstead Heath, nor even like -Hyde Park. The atmosphere is not the same. You are not there out of the -smoke and smells and gloom of East London. The atmosphere of Hackney -Marsh is better, but the distance is greater, and the Marsh is not a -place where women and children can rest in the shade, since shade there -is none. - -To begin with the spaces nearest to the boundary line of North London: -we have the two isolated not large spaces of Hackney Downs (41 acres) -and London Fields (26 acres). These are green recreation grounds with -few trees or shrubs, where birds cannot breed and do not live. Hackney -Downs is, however, used as a feeding ground by a few thrushes and other -birds that inhabit some of the adjacent private gardens where there are -trees and shrubs. - -Victoria Park contains 244 acres, to which may be added the 20 acres -of Hackney Common, and is rather more than two-thirds as large as Hyde -Park. Having been in existence for upwards of twenty years, it is one of -the oldest of our new parks, and is important on account of its large -size, also because it is the only park in the most populous metropolitan -district. - -If it were possible to view it with the East-enders' eyes--eyes -accustomed to prospects so circumscribed and to so unlovely an aspect -of things--it might seem like a paradise, with its wide green spaces, -its groves and shrubberies, and lakes and wooded islands. To the -dwellers in West and South-west London it has a somewhat depressing -appearance, a something almost of gloom, as if Nature herself in -straying into such a region had put off her brilliance and freshness -to be more in tune with her human children. The air is always more or -less smoke-laden in that part. That forest of innumerable chimneys, -stretching away miles and miles over all that desolate overcrowded -district to the river, and the vast parishes of Rotherhithe, Bermondsey, -and Deptford beyond it, to the City and Islington and Kingsland on the -north side, dims the atmosphere with an everlasting cloud of smoke; and -Victoria Park is on most days under it. On account of this smokiness -of the air the trees, although of over twenty years' growth, are not -large--not nearly so large as the much younger trees in Battersea Park. -Trees and shrubs have a somewhat grimy appearance, and even the grass -is not so green as in other places. - -Among the recent bird-colonists of London, we find that the moorhen and -ringdove have established themselves here, but in very small numbers. -There are two good-sized lakes (besides a bathing-pond), and the islands -might be made very attractive to birds, both land and water. They are -planted with trees, the best grown in the park, but have no proper cover -for species that nest on the ground and in low bushes, and no rushes -or other aquatic plants on their edges. It is a wonder that even the -moorhens are able to rear any young. The lakes are much used for -boating, and this is said to be in the way of providing the birds with -proper refuges in and round the islands; but there is no lake in London -more used for boating exercise than that of Battersea, yet it has there -been found possible to give proper accommodation and protection to the -water-birds in the breeding season. - -It is melancholy to find that the songsters have been decreasing in this -park for some years past. Birds are perhaps of more value here than in -any other metropolitan open space. Thrushes, blackbirds, and chaffinches -are still not uncommon. The robin, titmouse, and dunnock are becoming -rare. The greenfinch and (I believe) the wren have vanished. The -decrease of the chaffinch is most regretted by the East-enders, who -have an extraordinary admiration for that bird. Bird fanciers are very -numerous in the East, and the gay chaffinch is to them the first of the -feathered race; in fact, it may be said that he is first and the others -nowhere. Now the value of the chaffinch to the bird fancier depends on -his song--on the bird's readiness to sing when his music is wanted, and -the qualities of his notes, their strength, spirit, and wildness. In -the captive state the song deteriorates unless the captive is frequently -made to hear and sing against a wild bird. At these musical contests -the caged bird catches and retains something of the fine passion and -brilliancy of his wild antagonist, and the more often he is given such a -lesson the better will it be for its owner, who may get twenty to fifty -shillings, and sometimes much more, for a good singer. Victoria Park -was the only accessible place to most of the East-enders who keep -chaffinches for singing-matches and for profit, to which their birds -could be taken to get the necessary practice. To this park they were -accustomed to come in considerable numbers, especially on Sunday -mornings in spring and summer. Even now, when the wild birds are so -greatly reduced in numbers, many chaffinch fanciers may be met with; -even on working days I have met as many as a dozen men slouching about -among the shrubberies, each with a small cage covered with a cotton -handkerchief or rag, in quest of a wild bird for his favourite to -challenge and sing against. They do not always succeed in finding their -wild bird, and when found he may not be a first-rate singer, or may -become alarmed and fly away; and as it is a far cry to Epping Forest -and the country, most of the men being very poor and having some -occupation which takes up most of their time, the decline of Victoria -Park as a training ground for their birds is a great loss to them. - -I have tried, but without success, to believe that there was something -more than the sporting or gambling spirit in the East-ender's passion -for the chaffinch. Is it not probable, I have asked myself, that this -short swift lyric, the musical cry of a heart overflowing with gladness, -yet with a ring of defiance in it, a challenge to every other chaffinch -within hearing, has some quality in it which stirs a human hearer too, -even an East-ender, more than any other bird sound, and suddenly wakes -that ancient wild nature that sleeps in us, the vanished sensations of -gladness and liberty? I am reluctantly compelled to answer that I think -not. The East-ender admires the chaffinch because he is a sporting -bird--a bird that affords good sport; just as the man who has been -accustomed to shoot starlings from traps has a peculiar fondness for -that species, and as the cock-fighter admires the gamecock above all -feathered creatures. Deprive the cock-fighter of his sport--the law -has not quite succeeded in taking it away yet--and the bird ceases to -attract him; its brilliant courage, the beauty of its shape, its scarlet -comb, shining red hackles and green sickle plumes, and its clarion voice -that proclaims in the dark silent hours that another day has dawned, all -go for nothing. - -It is unhappily necessary to say even more in derogation of the East-end -chaffinch fancier, who strikes one as nothing worse than a very quiet -inoffensive person, down on his luck, as he goes softly about among the -shrubberies with the little tied-up cage under his arm. He is not always -looking out for a wild chaffinch solely for the purpose of affording his -pet a little practice in the art of singing; he not unfrequently carries -a dummy chaffinch and a little bird-lime concealed about his person, and -is quick and cunning at setting up his wooden bird and limed twigs when -a wild bird appears and the park constable is out of sight. - -In some of the parks, where the wild birds are cared for, the men who -are found skulking about the shrubberies with cages in their hands are -very sharply ordered out. It is not so in Victoria Park, and this may -be the reason of the decrease in its wild bird life. - -In Victoria Park I have met with some amusing instances of the entire -absorption of the chaffinch votaries in their favourite bird, their -knowledge of and quickness in hearing and seeing him, and inability to -see and hear any other species. Thus, one man assured me that he had -never seen a robin in the park, that there were no robins there. Another -related as a very curious thing that he had seen a robin, red breast and -all, and had heard it sing! Yet you can see and hear a robin in Victoria -Park any day. - - * * * * * - -We now come to the famous Marsh. Victoria Park is in shape like a -somewhat gouty or swollen leg and foot, the leg cut off below the knee; -the broad toes of the foot point towards London Fields and the north, -the flat sole towards Bishopsgate Street, distant two miles; the upper -part of the severed leg almost touches the large space of Hackney Marsh. -The Marsh contains 337 acres; the adjoining North and South Mill Fields -23 and 34 acres respectively--the whole thus comprising an area of -nearly 400 acres. It was acquired by the London County Council for the -public in 1894, but before its acquisition the East-end public had the -use of it, and, no doubt, some right in it, as the owners of ponies and -donkeys were accustomed to keep their animals there. It was a kind of -no-man's-land in London, and it is indeed with the greatest bitterness -that the old frequenters of the Marsh of (to them) pleasant memories -recall the liberty they formerly enjoyed in following their own devices, -and compare it with the restrictions of the present time. There is no -liberty now, they complain. If a man sits down on the grass a policeman -will come and look at him to see if he is doing any damage. The County -Council have deprived the public of its ancient sacred rights. It must -be borne in mind that the 'public' spoken of by the discontented ones -means only a small section, and not the most reputable section, of the -very large population of East London. - -To those who know Hackney Marsh from having looked upon it from a -railway carriage window (and most of the dwellers in other districts -know it only in that way) it is but a green, flat, low piece of land, -bounded by buildings of some kind in the distance, a featureless space -over which the vision roams in vain in search of something to rest upon, -utterly devoid of interest, to be seen and straightway forgotten. Yet -I have experienced a pleasing sense of exhilaration here, a feeling -somewhat differing in character from that produced in me by any other -metropolitan open space. And this was not strange, for there is really -nothing like Hackney Marsh in London. Commons, indeed, of various -aspects we have in plenty, parks, too, natural, artificial, dreary, -pretty; and heaths, downs, woods, and wildernesses; but the Marsh alone -presents to the eyes a large expanse of absolutely flat grassy land, -without a bush, stick, or molehill to break its smooth surface. A mile -or a mile and a quarter away, according to the direction, you see an -irregular line of buildings forming the horizon, with perhaps a tapering -church spire and a tall factory chimney or two; and if this extent of -green waste seems not great, it should be borne in mind that a man -standing on a flat surface has naturally a very limited horizon, and -that a mile in this district of London is equal to two miles or more in -the country, owing to the blue haze which produces an illusive effect -of distance. Walking about this green level land in pleasant weather, I -have experienced in some degree the delightful sensation which is always -produced in us by a perfectly flat extensive surface, such as we find -in some parts of Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, and Norfolk. This is the -individual character and peculiar fascination of Hackney Marsh. And it -is possible that this feeling of liberty and ease, which mere flatness -and spaciousness give, was an element in the attraction which the Marsh -has always had for the East Londoner. - -Here on a windy day at the end of February I have been tempted to exclaim -(like a woman), 'What a picture I could make--if I only knew how to -paint!' The rains and floods and spring-like warmth of the winter of -1896-7 had made the grass look preternaturally green; the distant -buildings, ugly perhaps when viewed closely, at the distance of a mile, -or even half a mile, were looking strangely picturesque in the pale -smoky haze, changing, when the sun was obscured by a flying cloud and -again burst forth, from deep blue to bright pearly grey; and the tall -chimneys changed, too, from a darkness that was almost black to glowing -brick-red. The wind was so strong that it was a labour to walk against -it; but as I walked along the river I came on a solitary swan, and as -though alarmed he rose up and flew away before me with a very free -powerful flight in the face of the wind; but he flew low, and for a -distance of a quarter of a mile his white wings shining in the sun -looked wonderfully bright and beautiful against the vivid green expanse. -The swans in this part of the River Lea are the property of the Water -Company, but they fly about very freely, and are like wild birds. Larks, -too, were soaring to sing on that day in spite of the wind's violence; -first one fluttered up before me, then a second, then a third, and -by-and-by I had four high overhead within hearing at the same time. -It struck me as a great thing to hear four larks at one time in -a metropolitan open space, for the lark is fast dying out in the -neighbourhood of London. I greatly doubt if these birds on the Marsh -ever succeed in bringing off any young; but the large green space is -a great attraction, and it is probable that a few stragglers from the -country settle down every spring, and that the numbers are thus kept up. - -The skylark, starling, and sparrow are the only common resident species. -A kestrel hovering above the Marsh is a common sight, and lapwings at -certain times of the year are frequent visitors. The resident species -are indeed few, but there is no spot near London where anything like so -great a variety of waders and water-fowl appear during the autumn and -spring migrations, and in severe weather in winter. - -There is a great deal of running water in Hackney Marsh, and most of the -ground lies between two large currents--the East London Waterworks canal -on the west side and the sinuous River Lea on the other side. Midway in -its course over the Marsh the river divides, the lesser stream being -called Lead Mill Stream; lower down the currents reunite: thus the land -between forms a long, green, flat island. On this island stands the -White House, or White House Fishery, close to the bridge over the Lea, a -favourite house for anglers in the vanished days when the Lea was a good -river to fish in. The anglers have long forsaken it; but it is a pretty -place, standing alone and white on the green level land, surrounded -by its few scattered trees, with something of the air about it of a -remote country inn, very restful to London eyes. It is also a place of -memories, but these are not all of sweet or pleasant things. The White -House was the centre and headquarters of the Hackney Marsh sportsmen, -and the sports they followed were mostly of that description which, -albeit still permissible, are now generally regarded as somewhat brutal -and blackguardly in character. - -[Illustration: WHITE HOUSE FISHERY, HACKNEY MARSH] - -Rabbit coursing, or rabbit worrying, with terriers; and pigeon, -starling, and sparrow shooting from traps, were the favourite pastimes. -The crowds which gathered to witness these matches were not nice to -see and hear, nor were they representative of the people of any London -district; they were, in fact, largely composed of the lowest roughs -drawn from a population of a million souls--raucous-voiced, lawless, -obscene in their language, filthy in their persons, and vicious in their -habits. Yet you will find many persons, not of this evil description, -who lament that these doings on the Marsh have been abolished, so dear -is sport of some kind, involving the killing of animals, to the natural -man! Others rejoice at the change. One oldish man, who said that he had -known and loved the Marsh from boyhood, and had witnessed the sports -for very many years, assured me that only since the County Council had -taken this open space in hand was it possible for quiet and decent folks -to enjoy it. As to the wild bird shooting, he was glad that that too had -been done away with; men who spent their Sundays shooting at starlings, -larks, and passing pigeons were, he said, a rough lot of blackguards. -Two of his anecdotes are worth repeating. One Sunday morning when he was -on the Marsh a young sportsman succeeded in bringing down a pigeon which -was flying towards London. The bird when picked up was found to have a -card attached to its wing--not an unusual occurrence as homing birds -were often shot. On the card in this case was written the brief message, -'Mother is dead.' My informant said that it made him sick, but the young -sportsman was proud of his achievement. - -The other story was of a skylark that made its appearance three summers -ago in a vacant piece of ground adjoining Victoria Park. The bird had -perhaps escaped from a cage, and was a fine singer, and all day long it -could be heard as it flew high above the houses and the park pouring -out a continuous torrent of song. It attracted a good deal of attention, -and all the Hackney Marsh sportsmen who possessed guns were fired with -the desire to shoot it. Every Sunday morning some of them would get -into the field to watch their chance to fire at the bird as it rose or -returned to the ground; and this shooting went on, and the 'feathered -frenzy,' still untouched by a pellet, soared and sung, until cold -weather came, when it disappeared. - -To return to the White House. This has for the last ninety years been -in the possession of a family named Beresford, who have all had a taste -for collecting rare birds, and their collection, now split up and -distributed among the members of the family, shows that during the last -four or five decades Hackney Marsh has been visited by an astonishing -variety of wild birds. The chief prize is a cream-coloured courser, the -only specimen of this rare straggler from Asia ever obtained in the -neighbourhood of London. It was shot on the morning of October 19, 1858, -and the story is that a working man came full of excitement to the White -House to say that he had just seen a strange bird, looking like a piece -of whity-brown paper blowing about on the Marsh; whereupon the late Mr. -George Beresford took down his gun, went out, and secured the wanderer. - - * * * * * - -It may be seen on the map of London that Hackney Marsh lies in that -broad belt of low wet ground which forms the valley of the Lea, and cuts -obliquely through North-east and East London to the Thames at Bugsby's -Reach, as that part of the river between Woolwich and the Isle of Dogs -is beautifully named. Leyton Marsh, Hackney Marsh, Stratford Marsh, West -Ham Abbey Marsh, and Bromley Marsh are all portions of this low strip, -over and beyond which London has spread. This marshy valley is not -wholly built over; it contains a great deal of mud and water, and open -spaces more or less green; but on account of the number of factories, -gasworks, and noisy industries of various kinds, and of its foul and -smoky condition, it is not a home for wild bird life. - -Some distance beyond or east of this marshy belt--seven miles east of -St. Paul's in the City--there is Wanstead Park, or Wanstead Old Park, -and this is the last and outermost public open space and habitation of -wild birds belonging to East London to be described here. Epping Forest -(with Wanstead Flats), although quite close to Wanstead Park at its -nearest end, runs far into Essex, and lies in a perfectly rural district. -Wanstead Park itself may seem almost too distant from London to be -included here; but Wanstead village and Snaresbrook are all one, and -Snaresbrook and Leytonstone extend loving tentacles and clasp each other, -and Leytonstone clasps Leyton, and there is no break in spite of the mud -and water; and the only thing to be said is that east of the Lea it is -Bethnal Green mitigated or ruralised. - -'I was in despair for many days,' some old traveller has said, relating -his adventures in uninhabited and savage places, 'but at length, to my -great joy, I spied a gibbet, for I then knew that I was coming to a -civilised country.' In like manner, at Snaresbrook and Leytonstone many -things tell us that we are coming to, and are practically in, London. -But Wanstead Park itself, and the open country adjoining it, with its -fine old trees, and the River Roding, when the rains have filled it, -winding like a silver serpent across the green earth, is very rural and -beautiful and refreshing to the sight. - -The park (182 acres) is mostly a wood, unlike Highgate, Churchyard -Bottom, Wimbledon, or any other wood open to the public near London. It -has green spaces and a great deal of water (the lakes and the Roding, -which runs through it), and is very charming in its openness, its -perfect wildness, and the variety of sylvan scenery contained in it. As -might be supposed, this park is peculiarly rich in wild bird life, and -among the breeding species may be mentioned mallard and teal, ringdove -and turtle-dove, woodpecker, jay, hawfinch, and nightingale. But the -chief attraction is the very large rookery and heronry contained on one -of the two large wooded islands. It has sometimes happened when rooks -and herons have built on the same trees, or in the same wood, that they -have fallen out, and the herons have gone away in disgust to settle -elsewhere. At Wanstead no disastrous war has yet taken place, although -much quarrelling goes on. The heronry is probably very old, as in -1834 it was described as 'long established and very populous.' The -birds subsequently abandoned their old quarters on Heron Island and -established their heronry on Lincoln Island, and in recent years -they appear to have increased, the nests in 1896 numbering fifty or -fifty-one, and in 1897 forty-nine. - -In conclusion, I wish to suggest that it would be well to make Wanstead -Park as far as possible a sanctuary for all wild creatures. A perfect -sanctuary it could not very well be made--there are certain creatures -which must be kept down by killing. The lake, for instance, is infested -by pike--our crocodile, and Nature's chief executioner in these realms. -I doubt if the wild duck, teal, little grebe, and moorhen succeed in -rearing many young in this most dangerous water. Again, too many jays in -this limited space would probably make it very uncomfortable for the -other birds. Finally, the place swarms with rats, and as there are no -owls, stoats, and weasels to keep them down, man must kill or try to -kill them, badly helped by that most miserable of all his servants, the -ferret. - -But allowing that a perfect sanctuary is not possible, it would be better -to do away with the autumn and winter shooting. It is as great a delight -to see wild duck, snipe, ringdoves in numbers, and stray waders and -water-fowl as any other feathered creatures; and it is probable that if -guns were not fired here, or not fired too often, this well-sheltered -piece of wood and water would become the resort in winter of many -persecuted wild birds, and that they would here lose the excessive -wariness which makes it in most cases so difficult to observe them. - -A word must be added concerning the rook-shooting, which takes place -in May, when there are still a good many young herons in the nests. At -Wanstead I have been seriously told that the herons are mightily pleased -to witness the annual massacre of their unneighbourly black neighbours, -or their young. My own belief, after seeing the process, is that the -panic of terror into which the old herons are thrown may result some day -in the entire colony shifting its quarters into some quieter wood in -Essex; and that it would be well to adopt some other less dangerous -method of thinning the rooks, if they are too numerous, which is -doubtful. - -[Illustration: WANSTEAD OLD PARK: EARLY SPRING] - -For the rest, the Corporation are deserving of nothing but praise for -their management of this invaluable ground. Here is a bit of wild -woodland nature unspoiled by the improving spirit which makes for -prettiness in the Royal Parks and Kew Gardens and in too many of the -County Council's open spaces. The trees are not deprived of their lower -branches, nor otherwise mutilated, or cut down because they are aged -or decaying or draped in ivy; nor are the wind-chased yellow and russet -leaves that give a characteristic beauty and charm to the winter woodland -here swept up and removed like offensive objects; nor are the native -shrubs and evergreens rooted up to be replaced by that always ugly -inharmonious exotic, the rhododendron. - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -SOUTH-EAST LONDON - - General survey of South London--South-east London: its most populous - portion--Three small open spaces--Camberwell New Park--Southwark - Park--Kennington Park--Fine shrubberies--Greenwich Park and - Blackheath--A stately and depressing park--Mutilated trees--The - extreme East--Bostell Woods and Heath--Their peculiar charm--Woolwich - and Plumstead Commons--Hilly Fields--Peckham Rye and Park--A - remonstrance--Nunhead and Camberwell Cemeteries--Dulwich - Park--Brockwell Park--The rookery. - - -South London, comprising the whole of the metropolis on the -Surrey and Kent side of the Thames, is not here divided into two -districts--South-east and South-west--merely for convenience sake, -because it is too large to be dealt with in one chapter. Considered with -reference to its open spaces and to the physical geography of this part -of the metropolitan area, South London really comprises two districts -differing somewhat in character. - -Taking London to mean the whole of the area built upon and the outer -public open spaces that touch or abut on streets, or rows of houses, -we find that South London, from east to west, exceeds North London in -length, the distance from Plumstead and Bostell to Kew and Old Deer -Park being about nineteen miles as the crow flies. Not, however, as the -London crow flies when travelling up and down river between these two -points, as his custom is: following the Thames in its windings, his -journey each way would not be a less distance than twenty-seven to -twenty-eight miles. At the eastern end of South London we find that the -open spaces, from Bostell to Greenwich, lie near the river; that from -Greenwich the line of open spaces diverges wide from the river, and, -skirting the densely populated districts, extends southwards through a -hilly country to Brockwell and Sydenham. On the west side, or the other -half of South London (the South-west district), the open spaces are, -roughly speaking, ranged in a similar way; but they are more numerous, -larger, and extend for a much greater distance along the river--in fact, -from Richmond and Kew to Battersea Park. There the line ends, the other -open spaces being scattered about at a considerable distance from the -river. Thus we have, between the river on one side and the retreating -frontier line of open spaces on the other, a large densely-populated -district, containing few and small breathing-spaces, but not quite so -badly off in this respect as the most crowded portion of East London. - -The Post-Office line dividing the Southern districts cuts through this -populous part of South London, and has a hilly country on the left side -of the line and a comparatively flat country on the right or west side. -The west side is the district of large commons; on the east side the -open spaces are not so many nor, as a rule, so large, but in many ways -they are more interesting. - -All that follows in this chapter will relate to the open spaces on the -east side of the line. - - * * * * * - -The most densely populated portion of South-east London lies between -Greenwich and Kennington Oval, a distance of about four miles and a -half. This crowded part contains about twelve square miles of streets -and houses, and there are in it three open spaces called 'parks,' -but quite insignificant in size considering the needs of so vast a -population. These three spaces are Deptford Park, a small space of 17 -acres opened in 1897, Southwark Park, Kennington Park, and Myatt's -Fields; the last a small open space of fourteen acres, a gift of Mr. -William Minet to the public; formerly the property of one Myatt, a -fruit-grower, and the first to introduce and cultivate the now familiar -rhubarb in this country. - -Southwark Park (63 acres) is the only comparatively large breathing-place -easily accessible to the working-class population inhabiting Deptford, -Rotherhithe, and Bermondsey. - -How great the craving for a breath of fresh air and the sight of green -grass must be in such a district, when we find that this comparatively -small space has been visited on one day by upwards of 100,000 persons! -An almost incredible number when we consider that less than half the -space contained in the park is available for the people to walk on, -the rest being taken up by ornamental water, gardens, shrubberies, -enclosures for cricket, &c. The ground itself is badly shaped, being a -long narrow strip, with conspicuous houses on either hand, which wall -and shut you in and make the refreshing illusions of openness and -distance impossible. Even with a space of fifty or sixty acres, if it be -of a proper shape, and the surrounding houses not too high to be hidden -by trees, this effect of country-like openness and distance, which gives -to a London park its greatest charm and value, can be secured. Again, -this being a crowded industrial district full of 'works,' the atmosphere -is laden with smoke, and everything that meets the eye, even the leaves -and grass, is begrimed with soot. Yet in spite of all these drawbacks -Southwark Park is attractive; you admire it as you would a very dirty -child with a pretty face. The trees and shrubs have grown well, and -there is a lake and island, and ornamental water-fowl. The wild bird -life is composed of a multitude of sparrows and a very few blackbirds -and thrushes. It is interesting and useful to know that these two -species did not settle here themselves, but were introduced by a former -superintendent, and have continued to breed for some years. - -Kennington Park (19 acres) is less than a third the size of Southwark -Park; but though so small and far from other breathing-spaces, in the -midst of a populous district, it has a far fresher and prettier aspect -than the other. It resembles Highbury Fields more than any other open -space, but is better laid out and planted than the miniature North -London park. Indeed, Kennington Park is a surprise when first seen, as -it actually has larger and better-grown shrubberies than several of the -big parks. The shrubberies extend well all around the grounds, and have -an exceptionally fine appearance on account of the abundance of holly, -the most beautiful of our evergreens. With such a vegetation it is not -surprising to find that this small green spot can show a goodly number -of songsters. The blackbird, thrush, hedge-sparrow, and robin are here; -but it is hard for these birds to rear their broods, in the case of the -robin impossible I should say, on account of the Kennington cats. Here, -as in the neighbourhood of the other open spaces in London, the evening -cry of 'All out!' is to them an invitation to come in. - -Two things are needed to make Kennington Park everything that so small a -space might and should be: one is the effectual exclusion of the cats, -which at present keep down the best songsters; the other, a small pond -or two planted with rushes to attract the moorhens, and perhaps other -species. It may be added that the cost of making and maintaining a -small pond is less than that of the gardens that are now being made at -Kennington Park, and that the spectacle of a couple of moorhens occupied -with their domestic affairs in their little rushy house is infinitely -more interesting than a bed of flowers to those who seek refreshment in -our open spaces. - - * * * * * - -From these small spots of verdure in the densely-populated portion of -South-east London we must now pass to the larger open spaces in the -outer more rural parts of that extensive district. The more convenient -plan will be to describe those in the east part first--Greenwich, -Blackheath, and eastwards to Bostell Woods and Heath; then, leaving -the river, to go the round of the outer open spaces that lie west of -Woolwich. - -Greenwich Park and Blackheath together contain 452 acres; but although -side by side, with only a wall and gate to divide them, they are utterly -unlike in character, the so-called heath being nothing but a large green -space used as a recreation ground, where birds settle to feed but do -not live. Greenwich Park contains 185 acres, inclusive of the enclosed -grounds attached to the ranger's lodge, which are now open to the -public. But though not more than half the area of Hyde Park, it really -strikes one as being very large on account of the hilly broken surface -in parts and the large amount of old timber. This park has a curiously -aged and somewhat stately appearance, and so long as the back is kept -turned on the exceedingly dirty and ugly-looking refreshment building -which disgraces it, one cannot fail to be impressed. At the same time -I find that this really fine park, which I have known for many years, -invariably has a somewhat depressing effect on me. It may be that the -historical associations of Greenwich, from the effects of which even -those who concern themselves little with the past cannot wholly escape, -are partly the cause of the feeling. Its memories are of things -dreadful, and magnificent, and some almost ludicrous, but they are all -in some degree hateful. After all, perhaps the thoughts of a royal -wife-killing ruffian and tyrant, a dying boy king, and a fantastic -virgin queen, affect me less than the sight of the old lopped trees. -For there are not in all England such melancholy-looking trees as those -of Greenwich. You cannot get away from the sight of their sad mutilated -condition; and when you walk on and on, this way and that, looking from -tree to tree, to find them all lopped off at the same height from the -ground, you cannot help being depressed. You are told that they were -thus mutilated some twenty to twenty-five years ago to save them from -further decay! What should we say of the head physician of some big -hospital who should one day issue an order that all patients, indoor and -outdoor, should be subjected to the same treatment--that they should be -bled and salivated with mercury in the good old way, men, women, and -children, whatever their ailments might be? His science would be about -on a par with that of the authors of this hideous disfigurement of all -the trees in a large park--old and young, decayed and sound, Spanish -chestnut, oak, elm, beech, horse-chestnut, every one lopped at the same -height from the ground! We have seen in a former chapter what the effect -of this measure was on the nobler bird life of the park. - -Of all the crows that formerly inhabited Greenwich, a solitary pair of -jackdaws bred until recently in a hollow tree in the 'Wilderness,' but -have lately disappeared. The owls, too, which were seen from time to -time down to within about two years ago, appear to have left. The lesser -spotted woodpecker and tree-creeper are sometimes seen; nuthatches -are not uncommon; starlings are very numerous; robins, hedge-sparrows, -greenfinches, chaffinches, thrushes, and blackbirds are common. In -summer several migrants add variety to the bird life, and fieldfares may -always be seen in winter. In the gardens and private grounds of Lee, -Lewisham, and other neighbouring parishes small birds are more numerous -than in the park. - - * * * * * - -London (streets and houses) extends along or near the river about -five miles beyond Greenwich Park. Woolwich and Plumstead now form one -continuous populous district, still extending rows of new houses in all -available directions, and promising in time to become a new and not -very much better Deptford. Plumstead, being mostly new, reminds one -of a meaner West Kensington, with its rows on rows of small houses, -gardenless, all exactly alike, as if made in one mould, and coloured red -and yellow to suit the tenants' fancy. But at Plumstead, unlovely and -ignoble as it is in appearance, one has the pleasant thought that at -last here, on this side, one is at the very end of London, that the -country beyond and on either side is, albeit populous, purely rural. On -the left hand is the river; on the right of Plumstead is Shooter's Hill, -with green fields, hedges, woods, and preserves, and here some fine -views of the surrounding country may be obtained. Better still, just -beyond Plumstead is the hill which the builder can never spoil, for here -are Bostell Woods and Heath, the last of London's open spaces in this -direction. - -The hill is cut through by a deep road; on one side are the woods, -composed of tall fir-trees on the broad level top of the hill, and oak, -mixed in places with birch and holly, on the slopes; on the other side -of the road is the Heath, rough with gorse, bramble, ling, and bracken, -and some pretty patches of birch wood. From this open part there are -noble views of the Kent and Essex marshes, the river with its steely -bright sinuous band dividing the counties. - -[Illustration: BOSTELL HEATH AND WOODS] - -Woods and heath together have an area of 132 acres; but owing to the -large horizon, the broken surface, and the wild and varied character of -the woodland scenery, the space seems practically unlimited: the sense -of freedom, which gives Hampstead Heath its principal charm and tonic -value, may be here experienced in even a greater degree than at that -favourite resort. To the dwellers in the north, west, and south-west of -London this wild spot is little known. From Paddington or Victoria you -can journey to the end of Surrey and to Hampshire more quickly and -with greater comfort than to Bostell Woods. To the very large and -increasing working population of Woolwich and Plumstead this space -is of incalculable value, and they delight in it. But this is a busy -people, and on most working days, especially in the late autumn, winter, -and early spring months, the visitor will often find himself out of -sight and sound of human beings; nor could the lover of nature and of -contemplation wish for a better place in which to roam about. Small -woodland birds are in great variety. Quietly moving about or seated -under the trees, you hear the delicate songs and various airy lisping -and tinkling sounds of tits of several species, of wren, tree-creeper, -goldcrest, nuthatch, lesser spotted woodpecker, robin, greenfinch and -chaffinch, and in winter the siskin and redpole. Listening to this -fairy-like musical prattle, or attending to your own thoughts, there is -but one thing, one sound, to break the illusion of remoteness from the -toiling crowded world of London--the report at intervals of a big -gun from the Arsenal, three miles away. Too far for the jarring and -shrieking sounds of machinery and the noisy toil of some sixteen to -eighteen thousand men perpetually engaged in the manufacture of arms to -reach the woods; but the dull, thunderous roar of the big gun travels -over wide leagues of country; and the hermit, startled out of his -meditations, is apt to wish with the poet that the old god of war -himself was dead, and rotting on his iron hills; or else that he would -make his hostile preparations with less noise. - -At the end of day, windless after wind, or with a clear sky after rain, -when the guns have ceased to boom, the woods are at their best. Then the -birds are most vocal, their voices purer, more spiritual, than at other -times. Then the level sun, that flatters all things, fills the dim -interior with a mystic light, a strange glory; and the oaks, green with -moss, are pillars of emerald, and the tall red-barked fir-trees are -pillars of fire. - -Some reader, remembering the exceeding foulness of London itself, and -the polluting cloud which it casts wide over the country, to this side -or that according as the wind blows, may imagine that no place in touch -with the East-end of the metropolis can be quite so fresh as I have -painted Bostell. But Nature's self-purifying power is very great. Those -who are well acquainted with outer London, within a radius of, say, ten -miles of Charing Cross, must know spots as fresh and unsullied as you -would find in the remote Quantocks; secluded bits of woodland where you -can spend hours out of sight and sound of human life, forgetting London -and the things that concern London, or by means of the mind's magic -changing them into something in harmony with your own mood and wholly -your own: - - Annihilating all that's made - To a green thought in a green shade. - -Bostell Woods is a favourite haunt of birds'-nesting boys and youths in -summer, and as it is quite impossible to keep an eye on their doings, -very few of the larger and rarer species are able to breed there; but in -the adjoining wooded grounds, belonging to Christ's Hospital, the jay, -magpie, white owl and brown owl still breed, and the nightingale is -common in summer. - - * * * * * - -Not far from Bostell we have the Plumstead and Woolwich Commons, together -an area of about 450 acres; but as these spaces are used solely as -recreation grounds, and are not attractive to birds, it is not necessary -to describe them. West and south-west of Greenwich, in that rural -portion of the South-east district through which our way now lies, the -first open space we come to is the Hilly Fields (45 acres) at Brockley; -a green hill with fine views from the summit, but not a habitation -of birds. A little farther on, with Nunhead Cemetery between, lies -Peckham Rye and Peckham Rye Park (113 acres). The Rye, or common, is a -wedge-shaped piece of ground used for recreation, and consequently not a -place where birds are found. From the narrow end of the ground a very -attractive prospect lies before the sight: the green wide space of the -Rye is seen to be bounded by a wood (the park), and beyond the wood are -green hills--Furze Hill, and One Tree, or Oak of Honor, Hill. The effect -of distance is produced by the trees and hills, and the scene is, for -this part of London, strikingly rural. The park at the broad extremity -of the Rye, I have said, has the appearance of a wood; and it is or was -a wood, or the well-preserved fragment of one, as perfect a transcript -of wild nature as could be found within four miles of Charing Cross. -This park was acquired for the public in 1891, and as the wildest -and best portion was enclosed with an iron fence to keep the public -out, some of us cherished the hope that the County Council meant to -preserve it in the exact condition in which they received it. There the -self-planted and never mutilated trees flourished in beautiful disorder, -their lower boughs mingling with the spreading luxuriant brambles; and -tree, bramble, and ivy were one with the wild grasses and woodland -blossoms among them. If, as tradition tells, King John hunted the wild -stag at Peckham, he could not have seen a fresher, lovelier bit of -nature than this. But, alas! the gardeners, who had all the rest of the -grounds to prettify and vulgarise and work their will on, could not keep -their hands off this precious spot; for some time past they have been -cutting away the wild growths, and digging and planting, until they have -well nigh spoiled it. - -There is no doubt that a vast majority of the inhabitants of London, -whose only glimpses of nature can be had in the public parks, prefer -that that nature should be as little spoiled as possible; that there -should be something of wildness in it, of Nature's own negligence. It is -infinitely more to them than that excessive smoothness and artificiality -of which we see so much. To exhibit flower-beds to those who crave for -nature is like placing a dish of Turkish Delight before a hungry man: -a bramble-bush, a bunch of nettles, would suit him better. And this -universal feeling and perpetual want of the Londoner should be more -considered by those who have charge of our open spaces. - -Small birds are abundant in Peckham Park, but there is no large species -except the now almost universal wood-pigeon. A few rooks, in 1895, and -again in 1896, tried to establish a rookery here, but have now gone -away. The resident songsters are the thrush, blackbird, robin, dunnock, -wren, tits, chaffinch, greenfinch, and starling. Among the blackbirds -there are, at the time of writing this chapter, two white individuals. - -Close to Peckham Rye and Park there are two large cemeteries--Nunhead on -one side and Camberwell Cemetery on the other. Both are on high ground; -the first (40 acres) is an extremely pretty spot, and has the finest -trees to be seen in any metropolitan burying-ground. From the highest -part of the ground an extensive and charming view may be had of the -comparatively rural district on the south side. Small birds, especially -in the winter months, are numerous in this cemetery, and it is pretty to -see the starlings in flocks, chaffinches, robins, and other small birds -sitting on the gravestones. - -Camberwell Cemetery is smaller and newer, and has but few trees, but -is on even higher ground, as it occupies a slope of the hill above the -park. If there is any metropolitan burying-ground where dead Londoners -find a post-mortem existence tolerable, it must, I imagine, be on this -spot; since by perching or sitting on their own tombstones they may -enjoy a wide view of South-east London--a pleasant prospect of mixed -town and country, of houses and trees, and tall church spires, and green -slopes of distant hills. - -It is to be hoped that when this horrible business of burying our dead -in London is brought to an end, Nunhead and Camberwell Cemeteries will -be made one large open space with Peckham Rye and Park. - -A mile from the Rye is Dulwich Park (72 acres); it is laid out more as a -garden than a park, and may be said to be one of the prettiest and least -interesting of the metropolitan open spaces. I mean 'prettiest' in the -sense in which gardeners and women use the word. It lies in the midst of -one of the most rural portions of South-east London, having on all sides -large private gardens, park-like grounds, and woods. The bird life in -this part is abundant, including in summer the blackcap, garden-warbler, -willow-wren, wood-wren, redstart, pied wagtail, tree pipit, and cuckoo. -The large birds commonly seen are the rook, carrion crow, daw, and -wood-pigeon. The park itself, being so much more artificial than the -adjacent grounds, has comparatively few birds. - - * * * * * - -A mile west of Dulwich Park, touching the line dividing the South-east -and South-west districts, is Brockwell Park (78 acres). Like Clissold -and Ravenscourt, this is one of the old private parks of London, with a -manor house in it, now used as a refreshment house. It is very open, -a beautiful green hill, from which there are extensive and some very -charming views. Knight's Hill, not yet built upon, is close by. The -elm-trees scattered all about the park are large and well grown, and -have a healthy look. On one part of the ground is a walled-round -delightful old garden--half orchard--the only garden containing -fruit-trees, roses, and old-fashioned herbs and flowers in any open -space in London. Another great attraction is--I fear we shall before -long have to say _was_--the rookery. Six years ago it was the most -populous rookery in or near London, and extended over the entire park, -there being few or no large trees without nests; but when the park was -opened to the public, in 1891, the birds went away, all excepting those -that occupied nests on the large trees at the main gate, which is within -a few yards of Herne Hill station. They were evidently so used to the -noise of the trains and traffic, and to the sight of people in the -thoroughfare on which they looked down, that the opening of the park -did not disturb them. Nevertheless this remnant of the old rookery -is becoming less populous each year. In the summer of 1896 I counted -thirty-five occupied nests; in 1897 there were only twenty nests. Just -now--February 1898--eight or ten pairs of birds are engaged in repairing -the old nests. - -[Illustration: THE ROOKERY, BROCKWELL PARK] - -It is very pleasant to find that here, at all events, very little (I -cannot say nothing) has so far been done to spoil the natural character -and charm of this park--one of the finest of London's open spaces. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -SOUTH-WEST LONDON - - Introductory remarks--Comparative large extent of public ground in - South-west London--Battersea Park--Character and popularity--Bird - life--Clapham Common: its present and past character--Wandsworth - Common--The yellowhammer--Tooting Common--Tooting Bec--Questionable - improvements--A passion for swans--Tooting Graveney--Streatham - Common--Bird life--Magpies--Rookery--Bishop's Park, - Fulham--A suggestion--Barn Elms Park--Barnes Common--A - burial-ground--Birds--Putney Heath, Lower Putney Common, and - Wimbledon Common--Description--Bird life--Rookeries--The - badger--Richmond Park--Its vast extent and character--Bird - life--Daws--Herons--The charm of large soaring birds--Kew - Gardens--List of birds--Unfavourable changes--The Queen's private - grounds. - - -In the foregoing chapters the arbitrary lines dividing the London postal -districts have not been always strictly kept to. Thus, the Green Park -and St. James's Park, which are in the South-west, were included in the -West district, simply because the central parks, with Holland Park, -form one group, or rather one chain of open spaces. In treating of the -South-west district it will again be found convenient to disregard the -line at some points, since, besides excluding the two parks just -named, I propose to include Kew Gardens, Richmond Park, and Wimbledon -Common--large spaces which lie for the most part outside of the -Post-Office boundary. These spaces do nevertheless form an integral part -of London as it has been defined for the purposes of this book: they -belong to the South-west district in the same way that Hampstead Heath -does to the North-west, Hackney Marsh and Wanstead Old Park to the East, -Plumstead and Bostell to the South-east. All these open spaces _touch_ -London, although they are not entirely cut off from the country. Again, -for the same reason which made me exclude Epping Forest, Ham Common, -&c., from the East district, I now exclude Hampton Court Park and Bushey -Park from the South-west. It might be said that Richmond Park is not -less rural than Bushey Park, or even than Epping Forest; that with -regard to their wild bird life all these big open spaces on the -borders of London are in the same category; but the line must be drawn -somewhere, and having made my rule I must keep to it. Doubtless before -many years the tide of buildings will have completely encircled and -flowed beyond the outermost open spaces described in this and the -preceding chapters. - -Within these limits we find that the South-west district, besides being -the least densely populated portion of London, is immeasurably better -off in open spaces than any other. There is, in fact, no comparison. The -following is a very rough statement of the amount of space open to the -public in each of the big districts, omitting the cemeteries, and all -gardens, squares, greens, recreation grounds, and all other open spaces -of less than ten acres in size. West London, _including_ Green Park and -St. James's Park, has about 1,500 acres. North London (North-west and -North districts), which has two very large spaces in Regent's Park and -Hampstead Heath, has about 1,300 acres. East London, excluding Epping -Forest, Wanstead Flats, and Ham Common, has less than 1,000 acres. -South-east London, 1,500 to 1,600 acres. South-west London has about -7,500 acres, or 2,200 acres more than all the other districts together. -This does not include Old Deer Park, which is not open to the public. -If we include Green, St. James's, Bushey, and Hampton Court Parks, the -South-west district would then have about 8,650 acres in large open -spaces. All the rest of London, with the whole vast space of Epping -Forest thrown in, would have 7,500, or 1,150 acres less than the -South-west district. - - * * * * * - -The large open spaces of South-west London, although more scattered -about than is the case in other metropolitan districts, do nevertheless -form more or less well-defined groups. Battersea Park is an exception: -it is the only open space in this district which has, so to speak, been -entirely remade, the digging and planting, which have been so vigorously -going on for several years past, having quite obliterated its original -character. Coming to speak of the open spaces in detail, I propose first -to describe this made park; to go next to the large commons south of -Battersea--Clapham, Wandsworth, Tooting, and Streatham; then, returning -to the river-side, to describe Bishop's Park, Fulham, and its near -neighbour, Barnes Common; and, finally, to go on to the large spaces at -Kew, Putney, Wimbledon, and Richmond. - - * * * * * - -Battersea Park (198 acres), formerly a marsh, has within the last few -years been transformed into the most popular open-air resort in the -metropolis. The attempt to please everybody usually ends in pleasing -nobody; at Battersea the dangerous experiment has been tried with -success; for no person would be so unreasonable as to look for that -peculiar charm of wildness, which still lingers in Bostell Heath and -Wimbledon Common, in a garden planted in a marsh close to the heart of -London. The ground has certainly been made the most of: the flat surface -has been thrown into mounds, dells, and other inequalities; there are -gardens and rockeries, large well-grown trees of many kinds, magnificent -shrubberies, and, best of all, a pretty winding lake, with an area -of about 16 acres, and large well-wooded islands on it. Besides the -attraction which the beautiful grounds, the variety of plants and of -ornamental water-fowl and other animals have for people generally, -crowds are drawn to this spot by the facilities afforded for recreations -of various kinds--boating, cycling, cricket, tennis, &c. This popularity -of Battersea is interesting to us incidentally when considering its wild -bird life, for it might be supposed that the number of people and the -incessant noise would drive away the shyer species, and that the birds -would be few. This is not the case: the wild bird life is actually far -more abundant and varied than in any other inner London park. Mere -numbers and noise of people appear to have little effect on birds so -long as they are protected. - -Battersea Park has a good position to attract birds passing through or -wandering about London, as these are apt to follow the river; and it -also has the advantage of being near the central parks, which, as we -have seen, serve as a kind of highway by which birds come into London -from the west side. In the park itself the lake and wooded islands, and -extensive shrubberies with dense masses of evergreen, tempt them to -build. But it must also be said, in justice, that the superintendent -of this park fully appreciates the value of the birds, and takes every -pains to encourage and protect them. A few years ago, when he came to -Battersea, there were about a dozen blackbirds; now as many as forty -have been counted feeding in the early morning on one lawn; and in -spring and summer, at about four o'clock every morning, there is such a -concert of thrushes and blackbirds, with many other bright voices, as -would be hard to match in any purely rural district. It is interesting -to know that the wren, which is dying out in other London parks, has -steadily increased at Battersea, and is now quite common. Robins and -hedge-sparrows are also more numerous than in our other open spaces. A -number of migrants are attracted to this spot every summer; of these the -pied wagtail, lesser whitethroat, reed-warbler, and cuckoo bred last -season. The larger birds are the wood-pigeon, moorhen, dabchick, and to -these the carrion crow may now be added as a breeding species. - - * * * * * - -Clapham Common (220 acres) is the nearest to central London of that -large, loose group of commons distinctive of the South-west district, -its distance from Battersea being a little over a mile, and from Charing -Cross about three miles and a half. Like Hackney Downs, it is a grassy -space, but flatter, and having the appearance of a piece of ground not -yet built upon it may be described as the least interesting open space -in the metropolis. To the smoke and dust breathing, close-crowded -inhabitants of Bethnal Green, which is not green nor of any other -colour found in nature, this expanse of grass, if they had it within -reach, would be an unspeakable boon, and seem to their weary eyes like -a field in paradise. But Clapham is not over-crowded; it is a place of -gardens full of fluttering leaves, and the exceeding monotony of its -open space, set round with conspicuous houses, must cause those who live -near it to sigh at the thought of its old vanished aspect when the small -boy Thomas Babington Macaulay roamed over its broken surface, among its -delightful poplar groves and furze and bramble bushes, or hid himself in -its grass-grown gravel-pits, the world forgetting, by his nurse forgot. -These grateful inequalities and roughnesses have been smoothed over, -and the ancient vegetation swept away like dead autumn leaves from -the velvet lawns and gravel walks of a trim suburban villa. When this -change was effected I do not know: probably a good while back. To the -Claphamites of the past the furze must have seemed an unregenerate bush, -and the bramble something worse, since its recurved thorns would remind -them of an exceedingly objectionable person's finger-nails. As for the -yellowhammer, that too gaily apparelled idle singer, who painted his -eggs with so strange a paint, it must indeed have been a relief to get -rid of him. - -At present Clapham Common is no place for birds. - - * * * * * - -Wandsworth Common (183 acres) is a very long strip of ground, -unfortunately very narrow, with long monotonous rows of red brick -houses, hideous in their uniformity, at its sides. Here there is no -attempt at disguise, no illusion of distance, no effect of openness -left: the cheap speculative builder has been permitted to spoil it all. -A railway line which cuts very nearly through the whole length of the -common still further detracts from its value as a breathing-space. The -broadest part of the ground at its western extremity has a good deal of -furze growing on it, and here the common joins an extensive piece of -ground, park-like in character, on which stands an extremely picturesque -old red brick house. When this green space is built upon Wandsworth will -lose the little that remains of its ancient beauty and freshness. - -Among the small birds still to be found here is the yellowhammer, and -it strikes one as very curious to hear his song in such a place. Why -does he stay? Is he tempted by the little bit of bread and no cheese -which satisfies his modest wants--the small fragments dropped by the -numberless children that play among the bushes after school hours? The -yellowhammer does not colonise with us; he goes and returns not, and -this is now the last spot in the metropolis within four miles and a half -of Charing Cross where he may still be found. He was cradled on the -common, and does not know that there are places on the earth where the -furze-bushes are unblackened by smoke, where at intervals of a few -minutes the earth is not shaken by trains that rush thundering and -shrieking, as if demented, into or out of Clapham Junction. - -I fear the yellowhammer will not long remain in such a pandemonium. The -people of Wandsworth are hardly deserving of such a bird. - - * * * * * - -Tooting Common is the general name for two commons--Tooting Bec and -Tooting Graveney, 144 and 66 acres respectively. A public road divides -them, but they form really one area. Tooting Bec has a fair amount of -gorse and bramble bushes scattered about, and a good many old trees, -mostly oak. The number of old trees gives this space something of a -park-like appearance, but it is not exhilarating; on the contrary, -its effect on the mind is rather depressing, on account of the perfect -flatness of the ground and the sadly decayed and smoke-blackened -condition of the trees. An 'improvement' of the late Metropolitan Board -of Works was the planting of a very long and very straight avenue of -fast-growing black poplars, and this belt of weed-like ungraceful trees, -out of keeping with everything, has made Tooting Bec positively ugly. - -Another improvement has been introduced by the County Council; this is -the usual small pond and the usual couple of big swans. The rage for -putting these huge birds in numberless small ponds and miniature lakes -can only proceed from a singular want of imagination on the part of the -park gardeners and park decorators employed by the Council; or we might -suppose that the Council have purchased a big job lot of swans, which -they are anxious to distribute about London. These dreary little ponds -might easily be made exceedingly interesting, if planted round with -willows and rushes and stocked with a few of the smaller pretty -ornamental water-fowl in place of their present big unsuitable -occupants. - -Tooting Graveney has a fresher, wilder aspect, and is a pleasanter place -than its sister common. Its surroundings, too, are far more rural, as -it has for neighbours Streatham Park and the wide green spaces of Furze -Down and Totterdown Fields. Tooting Graveney itself is in the condition -of the old Clapham Common as Macaulay knew it in his boyhood. Its surface -is rough with grass-grown mounds, old gravel-pits, and excavations, and -it is grown over with bushes of furze, bramble, and brier, and with -scattered birch-trees and old dwarf hawthorns, looking very pretty. Wild -birds are numerous, although probably few are able to rear any young -on the common. The missel-thrush, now very rare in London, breeds in -private grounds close by. - - * * * * * - -Streatham Common (66 acres) is the least as well as the outermost of the -group of large commons; it is but half the size of Clapham Common. But -though so much smaller than the others, it is the most interesting, -owing to the hilly nature of the ground and to the fine prospect to be -had of the country beyond. It forms a rather long strip, and from the -highest part at the upper end the vision ranges over the beautifully -wooded and hilly Surrey country to and beyond Epsom. This upper end of -the common is extremely pretty, overgrown with furze and bramble bushes, -and pleasantly shaded with trees at one side. Birds when breeding -cannot be protected on the common; the wild bird life is nevertheless -abundant and varied, on account of the large private grounds adjoining. -It is pleasant to sit here on a spring or summer day and watch the jays -that come to the trees overhead; like other London jays and the London -fieldfares, they are strangely tame compared with these birds in the -country. Out in the sunshine the skylark mounts up singing; and here, -too, may be heard the nightingale. He does not merely make a short stay -on his arrival in spring, as at some other spots in the suburbs, but -remains to breed. Yet here we are only six and a half miles from Charing -Cross. It is still more surprising to find the magpie at Streatham, -in the wooded grounds which join the common. Rooks are numerous at -Streatham, and their rookery close to Streatham Common station is a -singularly interesting one. It is on an avenue of tall elms which -formerly stood on open grass-land. A few years ago this land was built -over, rows of houses being erected on each side of and parallel with the -avenue, which now stands in the back gardens or yards, with the back -windows of the houses looking on it. But in spite of all these changes, -and the large human population gathered round them, the birds have -stuck to their rookery; and last summer (1897) there were about thirty -inhabited nests. - -[Illustration: NIGHTINGALE ON ITS NEST] - - * * * * * - -From Streatham we go back to the river, to a point about a mile and -a half west of Wandsworth Common, to Fulham Palace grounds on the -Middlesex side, and the open spaces at Barnes on the Surrey side. - -Bishop's Park, Fulham, of which about 12 acres are free to the public, -is one of London's rare beauty-spots. A considerable portion of the -palace grounds is within the moat, and the moat, the noble old trees, -and wide green spaces, form an appropriate setting to the ancient -stately Bishop's Palace. The lamentable mistake has been made of placing -this open space in the control of the Fulham Vestry; and, as might -have been expected, they have been improving it in accordance with the -æsthetic ideas of the ordinary suburban tradesman, by cutting down the -old trees, planting rows of evergreens to hide the beautiful inner -grounds from view, and by erecting cast-iron painted fountains, shelters, -and other architectural freaks of a similar character. That the -inhabitants of Fulham can see unmoved this vulgarisation of so noble -and beautiful a remnant of the past--the spot in London which recalls -the moated Bishop's Palace at Wells--is really astonishing. - -To the bird-lover as well as to the student of history this is a place -of memories, for here in the time of Henry VIII. spoonbills and herons -built their nests on the old trees in the bishop's grounds. At the -present time there are some sweet songsters--thrush, blackbird, robin, -dunnock, wren, chaffinch, and a few summer visitants. Here, too, we find -the wood-pigeon, but not the 'ecclesiastical daw' or other distinguished -species, and, strange to say, no moat-hen in the large old moat. How -much more interesting this water would be, with its grass-grown banks -and ancient shade-giving trees, if it had a few feathered inhabitants! -Simply by lowering the banks at a few points and planting some reeds -and rushes, it would quickly attract those two very common and always -interesting London species, the moorhen and the little grebe. The -sedge-warbler, too, would perhaps come in time. - -I have been informed that London Bishops care for none of these things. - -Looking across the river from Fulham Palace grounds, an extensive -well-wooded space is seen on the south bank; this is Barn Elms Park, now -occupied by the Ranelagh Sporting Club. It is one of the best private -parks in London, with fine old elm-trees and a lake, and would be a -paradise of wild birds but for the shooting which goes on there and -scares them away. - -Close to Barn Elms is Barnes Common (100 acres), a pleasant open heath, -not all flat, grown with heather, and dotted with furze and bramble -bushes and a few trees. One of its attractions is Beverley Brook, which -rises near Malden, about eight miles away, and flows by Coombe Woods, -Wimbledon, through Richmond Park, and, finally, by Barnes Common to the -Thames: the brook and a very pretty green meadow separate the common -from Barn Elms Park. - -The London and South-Western Railway Company have been allowed to -appropriate a portion of this open space; but that indeed seems a very -small matter when we find that the parishes of Barnes and Putney have -established two cemeteries on the common, using a good many of its -scanty 100 acres for the purpose. What would be said if the Government -were to allow two cemeteries for the accommodation of the parishes -of Kensington and Paddington to be made in the middle of Kensington -Gardens? I fail to see that it is less an outrage to have turned a -portion of Barnes Common into hideous walled round Golgothas, with -mortuary chapels, the ground studded with grave-stones and filled with -putrefying corpses. It is devoutly to be hoped that before very long the -people of London will make the discovery that it rests with themselves -whether their house shall be put in order or not; and when that time -comes that these horrible forests of grave-stones and monuments to -the dead will be brushed away, and that such bodies as the Barnes -Conservators and the Fulham Vestry will for ever be deprived of the -powers they so lamentably misuse. - -It would be difficult for any bird, big or little, to rear its young on -a space so unprotected as this common; many birds, however, come to -it, attracted by its open heath-like character. Here the skylark and -yellowhammer may be heard, as well as the common resident songsters -found in other open spaces. The carrion crow is a constant visitor, and -very tame, knowing that he is safe. Beverley Brook has no aquatic birds -in it, but it would be easy to make a small rushy sanctuary in the -marshy borders, protected from mischievous persons, for the moorhen, -sedge-warbler, and other species. I have seen a small boy with an -earthworm at the end of a piece of thread pull out thirty to forty -minnows in as many minutes. Little grebes and kingfishers would not -want for food in such a place. - - * * * * * - -South and west of Barnes Common, London, as we progress, becomes -increasingly rural, with large private park-like grounds, until we -arrive at the open spaces of Putney Heath, Lower Putney Common, and -Wimbledon Common, which together form an area of 1,412 acres, or nearly -three times as large as Hampstead Heath. It seems only appropriate that -the most rural portion of the most rural district in London should -have so large an open space, and that in character this space should -be wilder and more refreshing to the spirit than any other in the -metropolis. It has the further advantage (from the point of view of the -residents) of not being too easy of access to the mass of the people. -This makes it 'select,' a semi-private recreation ground for the -residents, and a 'Happy Hampstead' to a limited number of cockneys of a -superior kind. Here the fascinating game of golf, excluded from other -public spaces, may be practised; and the golfer, arrayed like the poppies -of the cornfield and visible at a vast distance, strolls leisurely about -as his manner is, or stands motionless to watch the far flight of his -small ball, which will kill no one and hit no one, since strangers -moving about on the grounds are actually fewer than would be seen on -the links at Hayling, or even Minehead. - -It is a solitary place, and its solitariness is its principal charm. A -wide open heath, with some pretty patches of birch wood, stretches of -brown heather, dotted in places with furze-bushes like little black -islands; but on that part which is called Putney Heath furze and bramble -and brier grow thick and luxuriant. One may look far in some directions -and see no houses nor other sign of human occupancy to spoil the effect -of seclusion and wildness. Over all is the vast void sky and the -rapturous music of the skylark. - -At Wimbledon one has the idea of being at a considerable elevation; the -highest point is really only 300 feet above the sea level, but it is set -in a deep depression, and from some points the sight may range as far as -the hills about Guildford and Godalming. There are persons of sensitive -olfactories who affirm that when the wind blows from the south coast -they can smell the sea-salt in it. - -[Illustration: WIMBLEDON COMMON] - -But Wimbledon is not all open heath and common; it has also an extensive -wood, delightfully wild, the only large birch wood near the metropolis. -The missel-thrush, nuthatch, and tree-creeper breed here, and the jay -is common and tame; I have seen as many as six together. In this wood a -finer concert of nightingales may be heard in summer than at any other -place near London. In winter fieldfares and pewits are often seen. -Carrion crows from Coombe Woods and other breeding-places in the -neighbourhood are constantly seen on the common in pairs and small -parties, and are strangely familiar. Rooks, too, are extremely abundant. -Richmond Park is their roosting-place in winter, and there are numerous -rookeries, large and small, in the neighbourhood--at Sheen Gate, at -various points along the Kingston road, at Norbiton and Kingston, on -the estate of the late Madame Lyne Stevens, at Coombe Woods, and at -Wimbledon itself, in some large elms growing at the side of the High -Street on Sir Henry Peek's property. Concerning this rookery there is -an interesting fact to relate. About six years ago the experiment of -shooting the young rooks was tried, with the very best intentions, the -rookery being greatly prized. But these rooks were not accustomed to be -thinned down (for their own good) every summer, and they forsook the -trees. Everything was then done to entice them back; artificial nests -were constantly kept on the tree-tops, and in winter food in abundance -was placed for the birds; but though they came readily enough to regale -on bread and scraps they refused to settle until last spring (1897), -when they returned in a body and rebuilt the rookery. - -This book is mainly about birds, but I cannot help mentioning the fact -that in the wood at Wimbledon that rare and interesting mammal, the -badger, found at only one other spot on the borders of London, is -permitted to spend his hermit life in peace. - - Here, in solitude and shade, - Shambling, shuffling plantigrade, - Be thy courses undismayed. - -It may seem almost absurd in writing of a London wild animal to quote -from Bret Harte's ode to the great grizzly in the Western wilderness! -Nevertheless Wimbledon may be proud to possess even the poor little -quaint timid badger--cousin, a million times removed, to the mighty -bear, the truculent coward, as the poet says, with tiger claws on baby -feet, who has a giant's strength and is satisfied to prey on wasps' -nests. - -Recently, on one of the largest estates in England, in a part of the -country where the badger is now all but extinct, it was reported at the -big house that a pair of these animals had established themselves in the -forest, which, it may be mentioned, is very large--about eighteen miles -round. A grand campaign was at once organised, and a large number of men -and boys, armed with guns, spades, hatchets, pitchforks, and bludgeons, -and followed by many dogs, went out to the attack. Arrived at the den, -at the roots of a giant beech-tree, they set to work to dig the animals -out. It was a huge task, but there were many to help, and in the end the -badgers were found, old and young together, and killed. - -Let us imagine that when this business was proceeding with tremendous -excitement and noise of shouting men and barking dogs, some person -buried at that spot in old Palæolithic times had been raised up to view -the spectacle; that it had been explained to him that these hunters were -his own remote descendants; that one of them was a mighty nobleman, a -kind of chief or king, whose possessions extended on every side as far -as the eye could see; that the others were his followers who served and -obeyed him; and that they were all engaged in hunting and killing the -last badger, the most terrible wild beast left in the land! I think that -the old hunter, who, with his rude stone-headed spear had fought with -and overcome even mightier beasts than the grizzly bear, would have -emitted a strange and perhaps terrifying sound, a burst of primitive -laughter very shrill and prolonged, resembling the neigh of a wild -horse, or perhaps deep, from a deep chest, like the baying of a -bloodhound. - - * * * * * - -Richmond Park (2,470 acres) both in its vast extent and character -is unlike any other metropolitan open space. The noblest of the -breathing-spaces on our borders, it is also the most accessible, and -more or less well known to tens of thousands of persons; but it is -probably intimately known only to a few. Speaking for myself, I can say -that after having visited it occasionally for years, sometimes to spend -a whole day in it, sometimes to get lost in it, both in fine and foggy -weather, I do not know it so well as other large open spaces which have -not been visited more often. Any person well acquainted with the country -would probably find it easy at a moment's notice to name half a dozen -parks which have pleased him better than this one, on account of a -certain monotony in the scenery of Richmond, but in size it would -surpass most or all of them. So large is it that half a dozen such -London parks as Clissold, Waterlow, and Ravenscourt might easily be -hidden in one corner of it, where it would not be easy to find them. -There are roads running in various directions, and on most days many -persons may be seen on them, driving, riding, cycling, and walking; yet -they all may be got away from, and long hours spent out of sight and -hearing of human beings, in the most perfect solitude. This is the -greatest attraction of Richmond Park, and its best virtue. Strange to -say, this very quietude and solitariness produce a disturbing effect -on many Londoners. Alas for those who have so long existed apart from -Nature as to have become wholly estranged, who are troubled in mind at -her silence and austerity! To others this green desert is London's best -possession, a sacred place where those who have lost their strength may -find it again, and those who are distempered may recover their health. - -The largeness and quietness of Richmond, its old oak woods, water, and -wide open spaces, and its proximity to the river, have given it not only -an abundant but a nobler wild bird life than is found at any other point -so near to the centre of the metropolis. Here all the best songsters, -including the nightingale, may be heard. Wild duck and teal and a -few other water birds, rear their young in the ponds. Our two most -beautiful woodland birds, the green woodpecker and the jay, are common. -Rooks are numerous, especially in winter, when they congregate to roost. -Here, too, you may hear the carrion crow's 'voice of care.' Jackdaws -are certainly more plentiful than anywhere within one hundred miles of -London. One day I counted fifty in a flock, and saw them settle on the -trees; then going a little distance on I saw another flock numbering -about forty, and beyond this lot from another wood sounded the clamour -of a third flock. Even then I had probably not seen _all_ the Richmond -daws; perhaps not more than half the entire number, for I was assured by -a keeper that there were 'millions.' He was a very tall white-haired old -man with aquiline features and dark fierce eyes, and therefore must have -known what he was talking about. - -Best of all are the herons that breed in the park, and appear to be -increasing. One fine evening in February last I counted twenty together -at Sidmouth Wood. A multitude of rooks and daws had settled on the -tree-tops where the herons were; but after a few minutes they rose up -with a great noise, and were followed by the herons, who mounted high -above the black cawing crowd, looking very large and majestic against -the pale clear sky. It was the finest spectacle in wild bird life I had -ever seen so close to London. - -It is a great thing for Richmond to have the heron, which is no longer -common; and now that the kite, buzzard, and raven have been lost, it is -the only large soaring inland species which, once seen, appears as -an indispensable part of the landscape. Take it away, and the large -comparatively wild nature loses half its charm. - -In a former chapter I have endeavoured to show how great the æsthetic -value of the daw is to our cathedrals. The old dead builders of these -great temples owe perhaps as much to this bird as to the softening and -harmonising effects of time and weather. Again, every one must feel that -the effect of sublimity produced on us by our boldest cliffs is greatly -enhanced by the sea-fowl, soaring along the precipitous face of the -rocks, and peopling their ledges, tier above tier of birds, the highest, -seen from below, appearing as mere white specks. A similar effect is -produced by large soaring birds on any inland landscape; the horizon is -widened and the sky lifted to an immeasurable height. Some such idea as -this, of the indescribable charm of the large soaring bird, of its value -to the artistic eye in producing the effect of distance and vastness in -nature, was probably in our late lost artist-poet's mind when he painted -the following exquisite word-picture:-- - - High up and light are the clouds; and though the swallows flit - So high above the sunlit earth, they are well a part of it; - And so though high over them are the wings of the wandering hern, - In measureless depths above him doth the fair sky quiver and burn. - -Speaking for myself, without the 'wandering hern,' or buzzard, or other -large soaring species, the sky does not impress me with its height and -vastness; and without the sea-fowl the most tremendous sea-fronting -cliff is a wall which may be any height; and the noblest cathedral -without any jackdaws soaring and gamboling about its towers is apt to -seem little more than a great barn, or a Dissenting chapel on a gigantic -scale. - - * * * * * - -Kew Gardens, with the adjoining spaces of Old Deer Park and the Queen's -Private Grounds, comprising an area of about 600 acres, with a river -frontage of over two miles, is in even closer touch with London than its -near neighbour, Richmond Park. From the heart of the city two principal -thoroughfares run west, and, uniting on the farther side of Hammersmith, -extend with few breaks in the walls of brick and glass on either side to -Kew Bridge. The distance from the Mansion House to the bridge is about -ten miles, and the few remaining gaps in the westernmost portion of this -long busy way are now rapidly being filled up. What was formerly the -village of Kew is now an integral part of London the Monotonous, in -appearance just like other suburbs--Wormwood Scrubs, Kilburn, Muswell -Hill, Green Lanes, Dulwich, and Norwood. - -Kew Gardens (251 acres) is, or until very recently was, one of the three -or four spots on the borders of the metropolis most favoured by the -birds. They were attracted to it by its large size, the woodland -character of most of the ground, and its unrivalled position on the -river in the immediate vicinity of several other extensive open spaces. -The breeding place of most of the birds was in the Queen's Private -Grounds, a wedge of land between the Gardens and Old Deer Park, a -wilderness and perfect sanctuary for all wild creatures. In this green -wooded spot and the adjoining gardens the following species have -bred annually: missel-thrush, throstle, blackbird, redstart, robin, -nightingale, whitethroat, lesser whitethroat, blackcap, garden-warbler, -chiffchaff, willow-wren, wood-wren, sedge-warbler, dunnock, wren, great, -coal, blue, and long-tailed tits, nuthatch, tree-creeper, pied wagtail, -tree-pipit, spotted flycatcher, swallow, house-martin, greenfinch, -common sparrow, chaffinch, starling, jay, crow, swift, green and lesser -woodpecker, wryneck, cuckoo, pheasant, partridge, wood-pigeon, moorhen, -dabchick--in all forty-three species. Besides these there is good reason -to believe that the following six species have been breeders in the -Queen's grounds during recent years: goldcrest, marsh tit, goldfinch, -hawfinch, bullfinch, and magpie. - -This list will prove useful to London naturalists in the near future, as -many changes in the bird life of Kew may shortly be looked for. With the -opening of the Queen's grounds the partridge and pheasant will cease to -breed there; the crow is not now allowed to build in the gardens; the -nightingales have decreased to a very few birds during the last three or -four seasons; and last summer (1897) the wood-wren failed to put in -an appearance. To say that there will be other and greater changes is -unhappily only too safe a prophecy to make. For several years past -tree-felling has been vigorously prosecuted in the gardens to give them -a more open park-like appearance; new gravelled roads have been laid -down in all directions, and the policy generally has been that of the -landscape-gardener which makes for prettiness, with the result that the -aspect and character of this spot have been quite altered, and it is -fast becoming as unsuitable a breeding place for the summer warblers and -other shy woodland species as any royal west-end park. - -Up till two months ago, it was some consolation to those who grieved at -the changes in progress in Kew Gardens to think that the Queen's private -grounds adjoining were safe from the despoiler. This area is separated -from the gardens by nothing but a wire fence; one could walk the entire -breadth of the grounds with that untrimmed, exquisitely beautiful -wooded wilderness always in sight; many acres of noble trees--oak, ash, -elm, beech, hornbeam, and Spanish chestnut; a shady paradise, the old -trunks draped with ivy, or grey and emerald green with moss; masses of -bramble and brier, furze and holly, growing untouched beneath; the open -green spaces a sea of blue in spring with the enchanting blue of the -wild hyacinth. There was not anywhere on the borders of London--that -weary circuit of fifty miles--so fresh and perfect a transcript of wild -woodland nature as this, with the sole exception of Lord Mansfield's -private grounds at Hampstead. - -Unhappily just before the announcement was made early in 1898 that the -Queen had graciously decided to admit the public to this lovely ground, -a gang of labourers was sent in to grub up the undergrowth, to lop off -lower branches, and cut down many scores of the noblest old trees, with -the object apparently of bringing the place more into harmony with the -adjoining trim gardens. It is earnestly to be hoped that nothing further -will be done to ruin the most perfect beauty-spot that remains to -London. - -Here our survey ends. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -PROTECTION OF BIRDS IN THE PARKS - - Object of this book--Summary of facts contained in previous - chapters--An incidental result of changes in progress--Some degree - of protection in all the open spaces, efficient protection in - none--Mischievous visitors to the parks--Bird fanciers and - stealers--The destructive rough--The barbarians are few--Two - incidents at Clissold Park--Love of birds a common feeling of the - people. - - -The most serious portion of my work still remains to do. In the -introductory chapter I said that this was a book with a purpose, and, -as the reader knows from much that has gone before, the purpose is to -point out how the wild bird life we possess may be preserved, and how -it may be improved by the addition of other suitable species which would -greatly increase the attractiveness of the parks. - -Before going into this part of my subject it would be useful to briefly -summarise the main facts disclosed in the foregoing chapters. - -1. Many species formerly resident throughout the year in London have -quite died out; thus, in the present century the following large species -have been lost: raven, magpie, peregrine falcon, and kestrel. In very -recent years the following small resident species have disappeared from -inner London, but are still found in a few localities on the outskirts: -missel-thrush, nuthatch, tree-creeper, oxeye, and lesser spotted -woodpecker. - -2. Some resident species are reduced to small remnants and are confined -to one or to a very few spots; in this category we must place the rook, -the jackdaw, and the owl. - -3. Several other resident species, formerly common, have greatly -decreased in numbers, and in some of the open spaces appear to be dying -out. Among these are the thrush, blackbird, robin, wren, hedge-sparrow, -greenfinch, chaffinch, goldfinch, bullfinch, linnet, and lark. Two of -these species, thrush and blackbird, are now increasing in several of -the open spaces under the County Council, and here and there two or -three of the other species named are also increasing. - -[Illustration: CHAFFINCH] - -4. The decrease has been in most, but not all, of the old residents. So -far the carrion crow does not appear to have suffered. Two small birds, -sparrow and starling, have undoubtedly greatly increased. - -5. At the same time that some of the old residents have been decreasing -or dying out, a few other species have come in from the outside, and -have greatly increased--namely, the ringdove, moorhen, and dabchick. - -6. During the season when birds migrate, or shift their quarters, many -birds of various species drift into or pass through London: of these -some that are summer visitors bred regularly in London up to within a -few years ago. Of all these visitors it may be said that they have been -decreasing for several years past, and some of them no longer attempt -to breed in the inner London parks. At the same time, in a few favoured -localities these visitors do not show any falling off, and in one or two -of the open spaces they may be actually increasing. - -To sum up. For many years there have been constant changes going on -in the bird population, many species decreasing, a very few remaining -stationary, and a few new colonists appearing; but, generally speaking, -the losses greatly exceed the gains. - -One incidental result of all these changes, and of the variety of -conditions existing and the different degrees of protection given, is -that some of the open spaces are now distinguished by the possession of -species which are found in no other spot in the metropolis, or which -have elsewhere become exceedingly rare. Thus, Kensington Gardens alone, -of all the interior parks, possesses the owl and the jackdaw; St. -James's Park is distinguished by its large number of wood-pigeons and -its winter colonies of black-headed gulls; Battersea Park by its wrens -and variety of small delicate songsters, both resident and migratory, -and its vast congregation of starlings in late summer and early autumn; -Wandsworth Common by its yellowhammers; Gray's Inn Gardens and Brockwell -Park by their rookeries; Streatham by its nightingales, magpies, and -jays; Ravenscourt Park by its missel-thrushes; Finsbury Park by its -large numbers of thrushes and blackbirds. In Kew Gardens the tree-pipit, -pied wagtail, and wryneck are more common than elsewhere; Richmond -Park has its heronry and a vast multitude of daws; Wanstead has the -turtle-dove and hawfinch, and with its land and water birds of all -sizes, from the goldcrest to the heron, mallard, and rook, may claim to -possess in its narrow limits a more abundant and varied wild bird life -than any other metropolitan open space. - -The conclusion I have come to, after a careful study of the subject, is -that wild birds of all the species remaining to us, and many besides, -are very well able to thrive in London; that many species have been -and are being lost solely on account of the indifference of the park -authorities in the matter; that the comparative abundance and variety -of wild bird life in the different open spaces depends on the degree of -protection and encouragement the birds receive. And by encouragement I -mean the providing them with islands, shrubberies, and such cover as -they require when breeding. Thus, we see that in so vast a space as Hyde -Park, where there is practically no protection given and nothing done to -encourage wild birds, the songsters are few and are decreasing; while in -some comparatively small open spaces constantly thronged with visitors -the bird life is abundant and varied, and increasing. It should not -be, but certainly is, the case that it depends on the person who is in -charge of the open space whether anything shall be done to encourage the -birds; if he takes no interest in the matter those who are under him -will not concern themselves to save the birds. We have seen that veiled -bird-catching is permitted in some of the parks; park constables and -park labourers have also been allowed to take nests of thrushes and -other songsters containing young birds, for their own pleasure or to -dispose of to others. - -We have seen that the differences between park and park, with regard -to the abundance of bird life, are very great; but despite these -differences, which depend on the amount of encouragement and protection -given, consequently to a great extent on the personal feeling in the -matter of the superintendent, it must be said that sufficient protection -has not yet been given in any public space in London. All the open -spaces are alike infested by cats, the deadliest enemy of the birds -which are of most value--the resident species that sing most of the -year, and that nest in low bushes or close to the ground. And so long as -cats are allowed to range about the parks these species cannot be said -to be properly protected. This last point being of great importance will -be treated separately and fully in the next chapter; the rest of this -chapter will be occupied in discussing an enemy to the birds less -difficult to deal with--the mischievous individuals of our own species -who kill and capture birds and take their eggs and young. - -The damage done by the ordinary boy, who throws stones and cannot -resist the temptation to take a nest when he has the chance, is hardly -appreciable in the parks where there is any real desire on the part of -the superintendents and keepers to protect the birds. On some of the -large open spaces on the outskirts of London, such as Hampstead Heath -and the commons in the South-west district, the keepers are too few to -protect the nesting birds, and the eggs are very nearly all taken. A -much more serious injury is inflicted by the bird fancier from the -slums, who visits the parks with the object of stealing the birds, -adults and young, and by the worst kind of blackguard or rough, who -kills and smashes when he gets the chance solely for the pleasure of -destroying something which others value, or, to quote Bacon's phrase, -'because he can do no other.' - -As to the bird fancier who is a bird stealer, I have said enough in a -former chapter to show that he can very easily be got rid of where there -is any real desire to protect the birds. - -It remains to say something concerning the rough who delights in -destruction. That a man should find pleasure in stoning a valuable park -bird to death or in trampling down a flower-bed may seem an astonishing -thing, when we see that the objects destroyed are solely intended for -the people's pleasure, that they are paid for by the people, and are, in -a sense, the people's property. It may even seem inexplicable, since the -rough is a human being and must therefore have the social instinct. But -there is really no mystery in it; by inflicting injury on the community -he is after all only following other instincts common to man, which are -quite as strong and sometimes stronger than the social. He is prompted -by the hunting instinct, which is universal and doubtless in him is to -some extent perverted; also the love of adventure, since by doing wrong -he runs a certain risk, and wins a little glory of a low kind from his -associates and others who are of like mind with him; and finally, he -is actuated by the love of power, which in its degraded form finds a -measure of gratification in hurting others, or in depriving them of a -pleasure. - -But after all said, these injurious persons are in an exceedingly small, -an almost infinitesimal, minority, and the damage they do is little and -annually becomes less; so little is it where any vigilance is exercised, -that it would not have been worth while to write even these few -paragraphs but for the opportunity it gives me of returning to a subject -dwelt upon in the opening chapter; for this destructiveness on the -part of a few but serves the more fully to illustrate the contrary -spirit--the keen and kindly interest in the wild bird life of our open -spaces which is almost universal among the people. In the volume dealing -with East London, in his enormous work on the 'Life and Labour of the -People,' Mr. Charles Booth has the following significant passage: 'The -hordes of barbarians of whom we have heard, who, issuing from their -slums, will one day overwhelm modern civilisation, do not exist. -There are barbarians, but they are a handful, a small and decreasing -percentage, a disgrace but not a danger.' A more absolute confirmation -of the truth of these words than the general behaviour of the people who -visit the parks, even in the poorest and most congested districts, could -not be found. As a rule, when a small park is first opened in some -densely populated district, where no public open space previously -existed, the people rush in and act as if demented; they are like -children released from long confinement who go wild with the first -taste of liberty: they shout, climb trees, break off branches, pluck -the flowers; but all this is purely the result of a kind of mental -intoxication. They are not 'barbarians' or 'yahoos,' as they are -sometimes described by onlookers at the first opening of a new park; -they are nothing more than excited young people; the excitement passes, -and after a short time the damage ceases, and the place becomes so -orderly, and so seldom is any damage done, that the park could almost -be left to take care of itself. - -I am here tempted to relate two incidents which have occurred at -different times in one small open space--Clissold Park. Some tame rooks -were kept with the object of establishing a rookery (of which more in -a later chapter), and one day last year some young miscreants, who -subsequently made their escape, stoned three of the birds to death. The -second incident relates to a chaffinch and its nest. The nest was built -on a stunted half-dead thorn-bush, very low down and much exposed to -sight. Just at the time when the nest was being built some forty or -fifty labourers were called in and set to work to form a pond at this -very spot, and it was determined to leave a few yards of ground with the -thorn-bush standing on it as an island in the middle of the excavation. -When the digging began the first eggs had been laid in the nest, but in -spite of the crowd of men at work every day and all day long round the -bush, and the incessant noises of loud talking and of shovelling clay -into carts and shouting of carters to their horses, the birds did not -forsake their task; the eggs were all laid, sat on, the young duly -hatched and successfully reared amidst the tumult; and during all this -time the men engaged on the work were so jealous of the birds' safety -that they would not allow any of the numberless visitors to the park to -come near the bush to look closely at the nest. So long as the young -were in the nest the workmen were the chaffinch's bodyguard. - -[Illustration: NEST OF CHAFFINCH] - -Judging from personal knowledge of the people of London, I should -say that these workmen showed in their action the feeling which the -people have generally about the wild birds in the parks, and that the -rook-slayers mentioned above were rare exceptions, the small percentage -of ruffians which we always have to count with, just as we have to -count with lunatics and criminals. Doubtless some readers will disagree -with this conclusion. I know it is a common idea--one hears it often -enough--that love of birds is by no means a general feeling; that it -is, on the contrary, somewhat rare, and consequently that those who -experience it have some reason to be proud of their superiority. To my -mind all this is a pretty delusion; no one flatters himself that he is -in any special way a lover of sunshine and green flowery meadows and -running waters and shady trees; and I can only repeat here what I have -said before, that the delight in a wild bird is as common to all men as -the feeling that the sunshine is sweet and pleasant to behold. - -One word more may be added here. We--that is to say, our representatives -on the County Council--annually spend some thousands of pounds on -gardening, in laying out beds of brilliant tulips, geraniums, and other -gay flowers, but, with the exception of the cost of the little food -given to the birds in frosty weather in some of the parks, not one -pound, not one penny, has been spent directly on the birds; and yet -there is no doubt that the birds are more to most people than the -flowers; that a gorgeous bed of tulips that has cost a lot of money -is regarded by a majority of visitors with a very tepid feeling of -admiration compared with that which they experience at the sight or -sound, whether musical or not, of any wild bird. - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -THE CAT QUESTION - - The cat's unchangeable character--A check on the sparrows--Number - of sparrows in London--What becomes of the annual increase--No - natural check on the park sparrows--Cats in the parks--Story - of a cat at Battersea Park--Rabbits destroyed by cats in Hyde - Park--Number of cats in London--Ownerless cats--Their miserable - condition--How cats are made ownerless--How this evil may be - remedied--How to keep cats out of the parks. - - -As it will be necessary to show that, sooner or later, the cat question -will have to be dealt with in a manner not pleasant for the cats, it may -be well to say at once that I have no prejudice against this creature; -on the contrary, of all the lower animals that live with or near us -I admire him the most, because of his incorruptibility, his strict -adherence to the principle 'to thine own self be true.' He lives with -but not exactly in subjection to us. The coarser but more plastic dog we -can and we do in a sense unmake and remake. Not so with the cat, who -keeps to the terms of his ancient charter, in spite of all temptations -to allow of a few of the original lines being rubbed out and some new -ones written in their place. Old Æsop's celebrated apologue is as true -of to-day as of his own distant time; and thousands of years ago the -worshippers of Pasht who had tender hearts must have been scandalised at -their deity's way with a mouse. It would not, perhaps, be quite in order -to conclude this exordium without a reference to the poet's familiar -description of the cat as a 'harmless necessary' animal. The Elizabethan -was doubtless only thinking of rats and mice; in the London of to-day -the cat has another important use in keeping down the sparrows. But -for this check sparrows would quickly become an intolerable nuisance, -fluttering in crowds against our window-panes, crying incessantly for -crumbs, and distressing us with the spectacle of their semi-starved -condition. - -Much has already been said of the sparrow in this work, but the lives of -cat and sparrow are so interlaced in London that in speaking of one it -becomes necessary to say something of the other. Let us try to get -a little nearer to the subject of the connection between these two -creatures. When we consider the extreme abundance of the sparrow in -all favourable situations and his general diffusion over the entire -metropolis; that he inhabits thousands of miles of streets, often many -scores of birds to the mile; and that besides all the birds that breed -in houses others nest in trees and bushes in every garden, square, park, -and other open space, we cannot suppose that there are less than a -million of these birds. One day in April, while walking rapidly the -length of one walk in a London park I counted 118 nests. There could not -have been fewer than 1,000 nests in the whole park. The entire sparrow -population of London may be as much as two or three millions, or even -more. Putting it as low as one million, the increase of half a million -pairs, breeding say four times a year, and rearing at least twelve young -(they often rear double that number), we have an annual increase of six -millions. Most of this increase goes to the cats; for the cat is the -sparrow's sole enemy, but a really dangerous one only when the bird is -just out of the nest; for the young bird very soon becomes strong of -wing and alert in mind, and is thereafter comparatively safe from the -slayer of his kind. The first instinct of the young urban sparrow, once -he has been coaxed by his parents or impelled by something in him to -use his wings, is to fly feebly, or rather to flutter downwards to the -earth; and there, under a bush in a back garden, or behind a pillar, -or in an angle of the wall, or in the area, the cat is waiting. The -inexperienced birdling, surprised and probably frightened at a new and -strange sensation, trying to balance himself and to come down softly, -touches the ground and is struck by sudden death. I have seen successive -broods from one nest come forth, and bird by bird at odd times flutter -down in this way, seeking a safer spot to rest upon than the sloping -roof and narrow ledges and cornices on the walls, and finally touch the -earth only to be instantly destroyed. But here one interesting question -arises. How, if the facts are as stated, it may be asked, does it happen -that the young sparrow so frequently makes this fatal mistake, in spite -of his inherited knowledge? I believe the explanation is that the -sparrow is essentially a tree bird, notwithstanding his acquired habit -of sitting contentedly on buildings in towns. A percher by nature, he is -yet able to rub along for most of the time without a perch; but we see -that even in districts where trees are few and far between the sparrows' -meeting-place or 'chapel' is invariably a tree. The young sparrow has -not yet acquired this convenient habit of the adults; he is a tree -sparrow, incapable of sitting quietly, like the young swallow or martin, -on a roof or ledge to be fed there by the parent birds. His perching -feet must lay hold of something; and when he cannot, so to speak, anchor -himself he is ill at ease, even on the wide surface of a flat roof, and -fidgets and hops this way and that, possibly experiencing a sensation as -of falling or of being thrown off his stand. It is to escape from this -unsuitable flat surface that he flutters or flies off and comes down. -This happens when no tree stands conveniently near; when there is a tree -beneath or close by the young sparrow makes for it instinctively, as a -duckling to water; and if he succeeds in reaching it he shows at once -that he has found relief, and is content to remain where he is. It is -most interesting to watch a brood of young sparrows just out of the -nest settling down on the topmost twigs of a tree, which they have been -lucky enough to reach, and remaining there for hours at a stretch, -dozing secure in the sun and wind, even when the wind is strong enough -to rock the tree, and only opening their eyes and rousing themselves at -intervals on the appearance of one of the parent birds with food in its -bill. - -[Illustration: PARK SPARROWS] - -In a large majority of cases the London sparrow has no tree growing -conveniently near to the breeding hole, and the consequence is that an -incredible number of broods are lost. The parent birds, when a whole -brood has thus been snapped up, after a day or two of excitement -cheerfully set to work relining the old nest with a few straws, -feathers, and hairs. From March to August, some to October, they are -occupied with this business, and I do not think that more than two -young birds survive out of every dozen of all the sparrows that breed -in houses; for with the park birds the case is different. As it is, the -birds that escape their subtle enemy are more than enough to make good -the annual losses from all other causes. In the streets, back-yards, and -gardens an ailing sparrow is, like the inexperienced young bird, quickly -snapped up. In the parks at all seasons, but particularly in winter, -ailing sparrows are not very rare; occasionally a dead one is seen. - - The duck and the drake - Are there at his wake, - -but the cat comes not in the daylight hours to bury him. When the young -park sparrows flutter down from their high nests there is no enemy lying -in wait: they get their proper exercise, and in short flights over the -turf learn the use of their wings; in the evening they go back to their -hollow tree or inaccessible nest. When they are asleep in their safe -cradles the cats come on the scene to hunt in the shrubberies, to -capture the thrush, blackbird, robin, dunnock, and wren, and in fact -any bird that nests in low bushes or on the ground. The noisy clang -of the closing park gates is a sound well known to the cats in the -neighbourhood; no sooner is it heard than they begin to issue from areas -and other places where they have been waiting, and in some spots as many -as half a dozen to a dozen may be counted in as many minutes crossing -the road and entering the park at one spot. They can go in anywhere, -but cats that are neighbours and personally known to one another often -have the habit of going in at one place. All night long they are at -their merry games; you may sometimes see them scampering over the turf -playing with one another like wild rabbits, and in the breeding season -they sup on many an incubating bird caught on its eggs, and on many a -nest full of fledglings. In the early morning they are back at their -houses, if they are not of the homeless ones, innocently washing their -faces in the breakfast room, waiting for the customary caress and saucer -of cream. But these luxuries do not alter the animal's nature: his -'fearful symmetry' was for all time, the sinews of his heart cannot be -twisted in any other way, and his brain is as it came from the furnace. - -The following incident will serve to show the spirit that is in a London -cat. Some time ago it was discovered that a very big and a very black -one had established himself on an island in the lake at Battersea Park. -'Then he must have crossed over in a boat, as cats don't swim,' cried -the superintendent. On going to the place it was found that the cat -had killed and partly devoured one tufted duck and two sheldrakes. To -dispose of him a company of eighteen workmen and a good hunting dog were -sent over to the island. The cat, driven from his hiding-place in the -bushes, quickly ascended the tallest tree in his territory. A youth who -was a good climber went up after him, and the other men, armed with -stout sticks, gathered round the tree to receive the animal on his -coming down. The cat quickly made up his mind how to act: down he -swiftly came from branch to branch, and in less than two seconds was -frantically tearing about among the legs of his adversaries, and -bursting through the cordon was quickly in the water swimming for life. -Immediately there was a rush for the boats, but before the men could get -on to the water the cat had reached the shore and vanished in the thick -shrubbery. The men were then disposed in line like beaters and advanced, -but in the end the creature escaped from the park and was lost. This -animal deserves honourable mention on account of the splendid courage -and resource he displayed; but the injury he had caused and the -desperate and successful fight for life he made against such tremendous -odds show that cats ought not to be allowed in the parks. The loss of -the pair of sheldrakes is felt to be a serious one, and I agree that -when unpinioned the bird is very beautiful, and when it shows itself -flying over the ornamental waters of a park, I can admire it almost as -much as when seeing it on the coasts of Somerset or Northumberland. But -a blackcap, a nightingale, a kingfisher destroyed by cats in any park -would be as great or even a greater loss to London; and I may add that a -few days before writing this chapter, in the summer of 1897, the three -wild birds I have just named were to be seen at the very spot where the -sheldrakes were killed. - -So far as I know, the park cats can only be credited with one good deed. -Two or three years ago a number of rabbits were introduced into Hyde -Park, and quickly began to increase and multiply, as rabbits will. For -a time the cats respected them, being unaccustomed to see such animals, -and possibly thinking that they would be dangerous to tackle. But -they soon found out that these strangers were the natural prey of a -carnivore, and, beginning with the little ones, then going on to those -that were grown up, eventually devoured them all. Two big old buck -rabbits survived the others for a couple of months, but even these were -finally conquered and eaten. I for one am very glad at the result, for -it really seemed too ridiculous that our great national park should be -turned into a rabbit warren as well as a duck-breeding establishment. - -The extraordinary rapidity with which the rabbits were destroyed will -serve to give some idea of the numbers and destructiveness of the cats -that nightly make the open spaces of London their hunting grounds. How -many cats are there in London? Not a word that I am aware of has been -written on the subject, and as there is no tax on them there is no -possibility of finding out the exact truth. Nevertheless, in an indirect -way we may be able to get a proximate idea of their numbers. - -The number of dogs in London is supposed to be about two hundred -thousand; no doubt it is really greater, since many dogs escape the -tax. Cats in London are very much more numerous than dogs. Thus, in -the streets I know best, in the part of London where I live, there are -about eight cats to every dog; in some streets there are ten or twelve, -in others not more than six. If a census could be taken it would -probably show that the entire cat population does not fall short of -three-quarters of a million; but I may be wide of the mark in this -estimate, and should prefer at present to say that there are certainly -not less than half a million cats in London. Even this may seem an -astonishing number, since it is not usual for any house to have more -than one, and in a good many houses not one is kept. On the other hand -there is a vast population of ownerless cats. These cannot well be -called homeless since they all attach themselves to some house, which -they make their home, and to which they return as regularly as any wild -beast to its den or lair. Judging solely from my own observation, I -do not think that there can be less than from eighty thousand to one -hundred thousand of these ownerless cats in the metropolis. Let me take -the case of the house I live in. No cat is kept, yet from year's end to -year's end there are seldom less than three cats to make use of it, or -to make it their home. At all hours of the day they are to be seen in -the area, or on the doorsteps, or somewhere near; and at odd times they -go into the basement rooms--they get in at the windows, or at any door -that happens to be left open, and if not discovered spend the night in -the house. There are scores of houses in my immediate neighbourhood -which have no smell of valerian about them and are favoured in the same -way. - -It is not possible at all times of the year to distinguish these -ownerless or stray cats from those that have owners; but there are -seasons of scarcity for the outdoor animals during which they differ in -appearance from the others; and at such times, with some practice, one -may get an idea of the number of strays in his own neighbourhood. It is -in the winter, during long and severe frosts, that the ownerless ones -suffer most, and on a bright day in a walk of a quarter of a mile you -will sometimes see as many as a dozen of these poor wretches sunning -themselves on one side of the street. On coming close to one of these -cats he invariably looks at you with wide-open startled eyes, and so -long as you stand quietly regarding him he will keep this look. The -moment you speak kindly to him the alarm vanishes from his eyes, he -knows you for a friend, and is as ready as any starving human beggar -to tell you his miserable story. He mews piteously; but sometimes when -his mouth opens no sound issues from it--he is too feeble even to mew. -His fur has a harsher appearance than in other cats, the hairs stand -up like the puffed-out feathers of an owl, and hide his body's -excessive leanness; but when you lift him up you are astonished at his -lightness--he is like a wisp of straw in your hand. The marvel is that -when he has got to this pass he can still keep alive from day to day; -for in the bleak streets there is no food for him, and the people of the -houses he hangs about have hardened their hearts against him on account -of his thieving, or because if they give him an occasional scrap of food -he will never go away, and their only wish is to see the last of him. -Many of these stray cats get most of their food in dust-bins, into which -they slink whenever the door is left open for a few minutes. They find a -few scraps to keep them alive, and at rare intervals capture a mouse. -Sometimes they jump out when ashes are shot into their hiding-place; but -the cat who has got hardened merely shuts his eyes against the stinging -cloud, crouching in his corner, and is satisfied to remain for days -shut up in his dreary cell, finding it more tolerable than the wintry -streets and inhospitable areas. It is related of La Fontaine, the -fabulist, that he was passionately fond of strawberries, on account of -the effect which this fruit had in annually restoring him to comparative -health and some pleasure in life; and that during the winter and spring -his only wish was that the strawberry season when it came round again -would find him still living, since if it delayed its coming he would -lose all hope. In like manner these ownerless cats, if they have any -thought about their condition, must long for the change in the year that -will once more call forth the black-beetles in areas and basements, and -bring the young sparrows fluttering down from their inaccessible nests. - -How does it happen that there are so many of these strays in London? -For cats do not leave their homes of their own accord, except in rare -instances when they have been enticed or encouraged to take up their -quarters in some other neighbourhood. As a rule the animal prefers its -own home with poverty to abundance in a strange place. I believe that a -vast majority of these poor ones come from the houses or rooms inhabited -by the poor. Most persons are extremely reluctant to put kittens that -are not wanted to death. In the houses of the well-to-do the servants -are ordered to kill them; but the poor have no person to delegate the -dirty work to; and they have, moreover, a kindlier feeling for their -pet animals, owing to the fact that they live more with them in their -confined homes than is the case with the prosperous. The consequence is -that in very many cases not one of a litter is killed; they are mostly -given away to friends, and their friends' children are delighted to have -them as pets. The kitten amuses a child immensely with its playful ways, -and is loved for its pretty blue eyes full of fun and mischief and -wonder at everything. But when it grows up the charm vanishes, and it is -found that the cat is in the way; he is often on the common staircase -where there are perhaps other cats, and eventually he becomes a -nuisance. The poor are also often moving, and are not well able to take -their pet from place to place. It is decided to get rid of the cat, but -they do not kill it, nor would they like to see it killed by another; -it must be 'strayed'--that is to say, placed in a sack, taken for some -miles away from home at night and released in a strange place. - -Now this very painful condition of things ought not to continue, and my -only reason for going into the subject is to suggest a remedy. This is -that the metropolitan police be instructed to remove all stray cats and -send them to a lethal chamber provided for the purpose. The ownerless -cats, we have seen, do not roam about the town, but have a home, or at -all events a house, to which they attach themselves, and which they -refuse to leave, however inhospitably or even cruelly they may be -treated. On making some inquiries at houses in my own neighbourhood on -the subject, I find that most people are anxious to get rid of the stray -cats they may happen to have about the place, but are at a loss to know -how to do it. In some instances they succeed in straying them again, but -the cats are no better off than before, and the starving population is -not diminished. But it would be a simple way out of the difficulty if -they could have them removed by reporting them to the nearest policeman. -We have seen, as a result of the muzzling order imposed by the County -Council, that upwards of forty thousand unclaimed dogs have been -destroyed in the course of a year (1896), and the presumption is that -these dogs were little valued and not properly cared for by their -owners. The harvest of stray cats would probably not be less than sixty -or seventy thousand for the first year. - -To return to the parks. The question is how to exclude the hunting cats -that frequent them at night. I have conversed with perhaps a hundred -superintendents, inspectors, and keepers on the subject, and invariably -they say that it is impossible to exclude the cats, or that they do not -see how it is to be done. And yet in many parks they are always trying -to do it; they hunt them at night with dogs, they shoot them with rook -rifles, and they poison them: but all these measures produce no effect, -and are, moreover, employed with secrecy and with fear lest the -paragraph writer and public should find out, and an outcry be made. -It is plain that the cats can only be kept out by means of a suitable -fence, or net, or screen of wire. Rabbit wire netting is hardly -suitable, as it is unsightly and is not an efficient protection. The -most effectual form would be a plain wire fence in squares, the cross -wires tied to the uprights with wire thread, the top of the fence made -to curve outwards to prevent the animals from climbing over it. This -screen could be placed inside of the park railings at a distance of -about three or four feet from them. A fence or screen of this pattern -has a handsome appearance, but it is expensive, the cost being about -fourpence to fivepence the square foot. Probably some other cheaper and -equally effective wire protection could be designed. I have consulted -some of the large dealers in wire netting and fencing of all kinds, and -they tell me that a fence to keep out cats from parks has yet to be -invented. Very likely; at the same time there are probably very many -ingenious persons in England who would quickly invent what is wanted -if it was made worth their while. It simply comes to this: if the -park authorities really wish to keep out the cats they can do so at a -moderate cost, and it is not likely that even their worst critics would -venture to blame them for spending a few hundreds for such an object. - -We must look to the County Council to take the lead in this matter. It -is my conviction--there is much even now going on in some of the parks -to show how well founded it is--that once the chief destroyer of our -valuable birds is excluded, a great and rapid improvement in the -character of our bird population will ensue. The number of the species -we value most would be relatively larger. The change for the better -would come about without any direct encouragement and protection being -given; at the same time it would be an immense help if those who are in -charge of open spaces could be brought to see that wild bird life is -very much more to the people of London than all the pleasant and pretty -things in the way of bands of music, exotic flowers, and brick and stone -and metal ornaments, which they are providing at a very considerable -cost. - -[Illustration: STARLING AT HOME] - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - -BIRDS FOR LONDON - - Restoration of the rook--The Gray's Inn rookery--Suggestions--On - attracting rooks--Temple Gardens rookery--Attempt to establish a - rookery at Clissold Park--A new colony of daws--Hawks--Domestic - pigeons--An abuse--Stock-dove and turtle-dove--Ornamental water-fowl, - pinioned and unpinioned--Suggestions--Wild water-fowl in the - parks--Small birds for London--Missel-thrush--Nuthatch--Wren--Loudness - a merit--Summer visitants to London--Kingfisher--Hard-billed - birds--A use for the park sparrows--Natural checks--A sanctuary - described. - - -My purpose in this chapter is to make a few suggestions as to the -species which may be introduced or restored with a fair prospect of -success, and which would form a valuable addition to the metropolitan -wild bird life. The species to be mentioned here have very nearly all -been resident, some of them very common, in former years; most of them -survive on the borders of London, and some still linger in diminished -numbers in a few of the interior open spaces. - -Most persons would probably agree that of all the large birds that were -once common in London, the rook would be most welcome. In the chapter on -this bird I said that irretrievable disaster had overtaken the London -rookeries, that the birds had gone, or were going, never to return; -nevertheless, I believe that it would be possible, although certainly -not easy, to reintroduce them. We have not wholly lost the rook yet; -he is to be found in many places on our borders; and the continued -existence of the ancient colony at Gray's Inn is a proof that rooks can -live in London, and would doubtless be able to thrive in some of the -parks where there are large trees, and from which the birds would not -have to travel so far in search of food for their young. With regard to -the Gray's Inn rooks, which are greatly valued by the Benchers and by -very many others, I will venture to make a suggestion or two, which, if -acted on, may produce good results. Probably no bird from outside is -ever attracted to this colony, confined to so small an open space in the -very heart of London, and it is possible that through too much in-and-in -breeding for many generations, the birds have suffered a considerable -loss of vigour. It would be a very easy matter to infuse fresh blood -into it by substituting eggs from some country rookery for those in the -nests. This experiment would cost nothing; and it would also be worth -while to provide the birds with suitable provender, such as meal-worms, -at the season when the young are growing and require more food than the -parents are probably able to give them. - -No doubt some readers of this book will say at once that the -reintroduction of the rook into London is impossible, since even in the -rural districts, where all the conditions are favourable, it is found -extremely difficult to induce the birds to settle where they are wanted. -A year or two ago my friend Mr. Cunninghame Graham, writing from his -place in the north, told me that he had long desired to have rooks in -his trees, and that he had written to an eminent ornithologist, with -whom he was not personally acquainted, asking for advice in the matter. -The naturalist replied at some length, pointing out the fallacies of -Socialism as a political creed, but saying nothing about the rooks. -Probably he had nothing practical to write on the subject, but he might -at least have informed his correspondent that Mr. Hawker, the famous -parson of Morwenstow, had got his rooks by praying for them. He prayed -every day for three years, and his importunity was then rewarded by the -birds coming and settling on the very trees where they were wanted. - -We have an account of the curious origin of the Temple Gardens rookery, -one of the best known and most populous of the old London rookeries. In -the 'Zoologist,' vol. xxxvi. p. 196, Mr. Harting relates that it was -founded in Queen Anne's time by Sir Richard Northey, a famous lawyer at -that period, who brought the first birds from his estate at Epsom. A -bough was cut from a tree with a nest containing two young birds, and -conveyed in an open waggon to the Temple, and fixed in a tree in the -gardens. The old birds followed their young and fed them, and old -and young remained and bred in the same place. The following year a -magpie built in the gardens; her eggs were taken, and those of a rook -substituted; these in due course were hatched and the young when reared -became an addition to the colony. - -Professor Newton has said of this pleasant story that he would gladly -believe it if he could, and it has been discredited by the discovery -that a rookery existed at the Temple prior to Queen Anne's time. -Aubrey's statement, which has been quoted in disproof of the Northey -legend, is that the rooks built their nests there in the spring after -the plague, 1665. My inference is that the rookery was an old one, which -the birds abandoned during the plague, and afterwards reoccupied. We may -then suppose that later on the birds went away again for good; and that -Northey, knowing that a rookery had formerly existed at the Temple, -and inspired by a lawyer's very natural admiration for the grave, -black-coated, contentious bird, succeeded in restoring it in the manner -described. In any case, it is not probable that such a story would have -been told of the Temple rookery if the plan attributed to Northey had -not been successfully employed somewhere and somewhen. It is well worth -trying again. I should like very much to see the experiment made by Lord -Ilchester, who has long desired to see the rooks back in Holland Park; -he would not have to bring the young birds in their nests in open -waggons all the way from Melbury or Abbotsbury, as there are several -rookeries where young birds in the nests could be had within five or -six miles of Holland House. - -Another more promising plan is to get the young birds and rear them in -the park where they are wanted. This plan has already been recently -tried, not by any person of means, but by a humble park sergeant at -Clissold Park. Sergeant Kimber is an interesting man, and deserves to be -highly thought of by all bird-lovers in London; he has during most of -his life been a gamekeeper, but knows a great deal more about birds -and loves them better than most men who have that vocation. With the -permission of the County Council, he obtained about a dozen young rooks -from the country, some from Yorkshire and others from Wales; the birds -were placed in an enclosure with a good-sized tree growing in it with -branches drooping to the ground, so that they were able to ascend and -descend at pleasure. Unfortunately their wing feathers were cut, which -prevented them from learning to fly for about a year; even after two -years the survivors are still unable to fly as well as wild birds. Six -birds remained up to the spring of 1897; one only of these appeared -to be a male. This bird paired and a nest was built, but after its -completion the pair flew away together one morning to some open ground -on the outskirts of North London where they were accustomed to feed, and -never returned. Doubtless they had been shot by the sportsmen who still -infest the waste lands and marshes on that side of the metropolis. -Sergeant Kimber now thinks that it was a mistake to clip his rooks' -wings, and hopes to succeed better next time. - -This experiment with tame rooks has incidentally resulted in a gain to -the bird life of North London. In the aviary at Clissold Park a tame -female daw was kept; there she formed a very close friendship with a -parrot, who had the original way of manifesting, or perhaps I should say -dissembling, his love by pulling out her feathers. No doubt she was very -much enamoured of the green bird with his foreign ways and commanding -voice, as she was always at his side and never in the least resented his -ungentle treatment. The poor bird's breast was at last quite denuded -of its covering, and the whole plumage was in such a thin and ragged -condition that it was thought best to separate the friends, even at the -risk of breaking their hearts; accordingly the daw was taken away and -placed with the tame rooks. The rooks treated her very well, and in -their society she probably soon forgot her foreigner. And by-and-by a -wild daw was attracted to the tree and joined the company: this was a -male bird in fine plumage, and Sergeant Kimber conceived the idea that -it would be a good stroke to catch it and clip its wing-tips to prevent -it from going away. The wild daw was very cunning; by day he would -remain most of the time with the rooks and his ragged friend, but at -night he invariably retired to roost in some tall trees in another part -of the park. In spite of his cunning he was eventually caught and placed -on the rooks' tree with just the tips of his wings clipped. From that -time the two daws were inseparable, and their romantic attachment -promised to end in a lasting and happy union; but after a few weeks -a second wild daw, this time a female, was attracted to the tree and -joined the little community. This was a fine glossy bird, and no sooner -had she come than the male daw began to make up to her, coolly throwing -over his first love. By this time he had recovered his power of flight, -and after pairing with the new-comer the two went away to spend the -honeymoon and look for a suitable residence in the country. The ragged -daw lived on with the rooks for a few weeks longer, then she too -disappeared, being now able to fly. Three or four weeks later, to -everybody's astonishment, they all came back together accompanied by a -fourth bird, a male, with which the ragged one had paired. Somewhere -roaming about outside of London they had all met, and the ragged female -had probably persuaded them to forget past unpleasantnesses and return -to the park; at all events they all seemed very friendly and happy. -During the summer of 1897 both pairs bred, one in the upper part of the -tall spire of St. Mary's Church, Stoke Newington, which stands close to -the main entrance to the park; the other in a building close by. - -We see from this that wandering and apparently homeless daws often visit -London, and are quickly attracted by any tame unconfined bird of their -own species; and that where daws are wanted, an excellent plan is to use -a tame bird as a decoy. - -It is exceedingly improbable that any of the raptorial species which -formerly inhabited London--peregrine falcon, kestrel, and kite--will -ever return, but we could have these birds by rearing them by hand from -the nest, and allowing them to be unconfined. If well and regularly fed -they would remain where they were reared, or if they went away for a -season they would most probably return. It would be a great pleasure to -see them soaring above or about our buildings, and they would also be -useful in keeping down the domestic pigeons, which are now much too -numerous and are fast becoming a nuisance in some of the parks, where -they devour the food originally intended for the wood-pigeons. The -domestic pigeons have a pretty appearance at St. Paul's Cathedral, -Westminster Palace, and other large public buildings; in the grassy -parks they are out of place and do not look well; furthermore, when -we find most, if not all, of these park-haunting birds come from big -private houses in the neighbourhood, where they are bred for the table, -it is surprising that the park authorities should continue to feed them -at the public expense. Let us hope that this abuse will soon be put an -end to; also that it will be recognised by the authorities that it is a -mistake to keep dovecots in the public parks. - -The stock-dove could easily be introduced into London by placing its -eggs, which can be obtained at a trifling cost, under both the domestic -pigeon and wood-pigeon. It may be that the wood-pigeon would also prove -a suitable foster-parent to the turtle-dove. This species is a strict -migrant, but if bred in the parks it would no doubt come back annually -from its journeys abroad. In any case the experiment is well worth -trying. - - * * * * * - -Before going on to the small birds which may be introduced or encouraged -to settle, something need be said about the ornamental water-fowl of the -parks, which might be made more than they are to us, and put to a new -use. There is no doubt that just as one daw attracts other daws so do -these water-birds attract any of their wild relations which may be -passing at night. Mallards, widgeon, and teal, supposed to be wild -birds, have been known to appear in some of the parks to pair with -the park birds and remain to breed; in a few instances some of these -strangers have actually been captured by the keepers and pinioned to -prevent them from leaving. This was a great mistake; for assuming that -the birds really were wild, it is probable that after going away for the -winter they would have returned, and might even have brought some of -their wild fellows. I believe that our ornamental water-fowl ought never -to be pinioned except in the cases of a few rare exotic species. When -a bird is pinioned its chief beauty and greatest charm are lost; it is -then little more than a domestic bird, or a bird in a cage. Sheldrakes, -both common and ruddy, are infinitely more beautiful when flying than -when resting on the water; and all wild ducks are seen at their best -when, before alighting, they sweep along close to the surface, with -wings motionless and depressed, showing the bright beauty-spot. There -are, in fact, many unpinioned fowls on the park waters, and some of -these birds not only fly about their own ponds, but they occasionally -visit the waters of other parks, especially by night, and are well able -to find their way back to their own ponds. In some cases they make -prolonged visits to other parks. In one London park for the last three -years a number of tufted ducks (from eight to a dozen) have made their -appearance on the ornamental water each spring, and have remained until -the autumn, then disappeared; it is not known where they spend the -winter. In the same park a pair of pinioned ruddy sheldrakes were -kept. In April 1897 they were joined by a third bird, a drake, in very -beautiful plumage. After being two or three days in their company, he -attacked the pinioned drake with great fury and drove him off, and took -possession of the duck. The ornamental water of another park has been -visited at odd times by several Egyptian geese, sometimes appearing -regularly every morning and departing in the evening, at other times -making long stays; and I have heard of many other instances of the kind. - -[Illustration: MOORHEN AND CHICKS] - -There are many and good reasons for believing that water-fowl hatched -and reared in the parks would, if they went away for a period in autumn -and winter, return in spring to breed. A fair trial might be made by -giving the eggs of wild birds--widgeon, teal, gadwell, shoveller, and -other suitable British species, to the park ducks when breeding. In -this way a London race of each or of a few of these species might be -established; like our black-headed gulls, moorhens, and dabchicks, they -would be wild birds, although not shy, and they would certainly be -more beautiful and vigorous and give us more pleasure than their -pinioned relations. Coots hatched and reared by the moorhens would give -us another wild bird well suited to thrive in the park lakes; and I -will venture to add that we might even get the great crested grebe, by -placing its eggs in the dabchicks' nests. The breeding habits of these -two species are identical; they differ very considerably in size, but -there is not so great a disparity between little grebe and great grebe -as there is between the cuckoo and its foster-parent. - - * * * * * - -Of small birds, or songsters, it will not be necessary to mention more -than a few of the species which might be introduced with advantage, -since little can be done so long as the bird-killing cats are free of -the parks, and little will need to be done once the cats are excluded. -Such species as the robin and hedge-sparrow require protection when -breeding; they are now dying out for want of it, and will undoubtedly -increase again whenever the park authorities think proper to give it. - -The quickest and most effective plan to add to the number of our species -is to procure the eggs of suitable wild birds, to be hatched in the -nests of the park birds. Thus, the missel-thrush might easily be got -back by placing its eggs in the nests of blackbirds and thrushes. The -large size and handsome plumage of the missel-thrush, or storm-cock, his -dashing motions and loud winter song, would make him one of our most -attractive birds; and that he is well able to thrive in London we have -already seen. - -Another bird which no one is ever tired of seeing and hearing, and would -be a great acquisition, is the nuthatch; this species, although not -uncommon on the wooded borders of London and in some of the outlying -parks, would no doubt have to be introduced by man. The nuthatch is -a difficult bird to manage, on account of its violent temper and -impatience of confinement; but it is possible that the starling, which, -like the nuthatch, breeds in hollow trees, and feeds its young on much -the same kind of food, might make a suitable foster-parent. At all -events, the experiment is worth trying. It should be easy to procure its -eggs, as the bird is very common in many well-timbered parks and open -oak woods within a short distance of London. There are, I imagine, few -small birds more fitted to give pleasure to Londoners than the nuthatch, -on account of his quaint figure and pretty plumage, his sprightliness -and amusing squirrel-like movements on a trunk or branch of a tree. -Though not strictly a songster, his various clear penetrative call-notes -are very delightful to hear; and he is most loquacious in late winter -and early spring, when bird-voices are few. Furthermore, of wild birds -that may be taught to come to us for food he is one of the quickest to -learn, and will follow his feeder, or come at call, and deftly catch the -nuts and crusts and fragments of any kind that are thrown to him. - -Two other small birds with loud bright voices--both London species, but -now very nearly vanished, as we have seen--are the oxeye and wren. I -think the best plan with regard to these two--and the same plan might -be tried with the nuthatch in the event of the starling's failure as a -foster-parent--would be to catch the young birds shortly after leaving -the nest, and release them as soon as possible in the parks. All these -three have the habit of roosting in families, old and young together, in -a hole or other sheltered place; and if taken at night and released the -following day where they were wanted, they would probably soon adapt -themselves to their new surroundings. - -The wren, indeed, appears to have more adaptiveness than most birds, -being universal in the British Islands, and able to survive the cold and -scarcity of the long northern winters, even in the most bleak and barren -situations. That he is well able to thrive in London we know, in spite -of the fact that he has now all but vanished from most of our open -spaces; for we have seen that in one park, within two miles of Charing -Cross, where he is more encouraged and better protected than elsewhere, -he is actually increasing in number. He is a delightful little bird, a -very general favourite, and is a winter singer with a bright, beautiful, -lyrical song, wonderfully loud for so tiny a creature. I was never more -impressed with the loudness of its song than on one Sunday afternoon -in the spring of 1897 in Battersea Park. I was walking with the park -superintendent round the lake, listening for some new summer voice, but -for some time no bird sound reached us. Fifty or sixty boats full of -noisy rowers were on the water, and the walks were thronged with loudly -talking and laughing people, their numberless feet tramping on the -gravel paths producing a sound like that of a steam roller. My companion -exclaimed impatiently that it was impossible to hear a bird-note in so -much noise. He had scarcely spoken before a wren, quite fifty yards -away, somewhere on the island opposite to us, burst out singing, and his -bright lyric rang forth loud and clear and perfect above all that noise -of the holiday crowd. - -It would be extremely difficult, perhaps impossible, to introduce -by artificial means any of the summer visitants in the absence of -soft-billed birds to play the part of foster-parents. The hedge-sparrow, -the best bird for such a task, is too rare; should he increase again, -the case will be different. At the same time it may be said that the -better protection which alone would cause the hedge-sparrow and robin -to increase would also attract the migrants to breed in the parks. At -present, the summer songsters that come regularly to breed in various -spots on the borders of London are the following: whinchat, stonechat, -redstart, nightingale, whitethroat, lesser-whitethroat, blackcap, -garden warbler, chiffchaff, willow-wren, wood-wren, sedge-warbler, -reed-warbler, pied wagtail, and tree-pipit. All these species, excepting -the wood-wren, visit the open spaces of inner London on migration in -spring. The chats, redstart, and tree-pipit are much rarer than the -others; but of the fourteen species named, at least eight can be seen or -heard by any person who cares to spend two or three days in the parks, -to watch and listen to the birds, after the middle of April. This list -is limited to the species which I have no doubt would breed in the parks -if encouraged; the three species of swallows, the wheatear, yellow -wagtail, and other summer visitants are also seen in April in London, -but these are simply passing through. - -The kingfisher, singly and in pairs, has been a rather frequent visitor -to the parks during the last two years, and in some instances has made -a long stay: there is no doubt that the abundance of minnows in the -ornamental waters and the shelter of the wooded islands are a great -attraction. No instance of its attempting to breed has yet occurred, -but this may be due to the want of a suitable place to nest in. It is -possible that the noise of the Saturday and Sunday boating people in the -larger lakes, and the persecution of the sparrows, who hate him for his -brilliant dress, may drive him away; still, it would be a good plan to -construct an artificial bank or rockery, with breeding holes, on one of -the islands at a suitable place like Battersea. - -The hard-billed birds would no doubt be the easiest to introduce, owing -to the large number of sparrows that nest in the park trees, from which -the eggs could be taken and those of other species substituted; and if -by acting as foster-parents to other finches the sparrows would only be -breeding crows to pick their own eyes out, as the proverb says, so much -the better. Chaffinches and greenfinches have been successfully reared -by sparrows; and to these two other equally desirable species might be -added: yellowhammer, corn-bunting, reed-bunting, bullfinch, goldfinch, -and linnet. These are charming birds and good songsters; even the -corn-bunting, although generally belittled by its biographers, is, -compared with the sparrow, an accomplished musician. They are furthermore -all exceedingly hardy, and probably as well able to thrive in London -as the sparrow itself, although not so prolific and pushing as that -sometimes troublesome bird. It is, indeed, on account of their -hardiness that they, or those of them that have the best voices, are so -much sought after; for they will live and be lively, and sing, for a -period of ten or a dozen years, even in the miserable prison of a little -cage in which they are kept by those who love them. - -The excessive numbers of sparrows in the parks, where, as we have seen, -there is no natural check on their increase, is a question difficult to -deal with, and no remedy that is not somewhat unpleasant to think of has -yet been tried or suggested. In some of the parks the nests are pulled -down by the hundred; but where this plan is followed it is said to be of -little avail, owing to the energy and persistence of the birds in making -fresh nests. In other parks the birds are, or have been, netted at night -in the bushes, where they roost in crowds. Poisoning the sparrows has -also probably been tried; at all events, in one park I have found the -sparrows looking sick and languishing, and many dead birds lying about, -as if an epidemic had broken out among them; but as no signs of disease -could be detected in the birds outside the park, it could not very well -have been an epidemic. - -Now since all these methods, which, like the little spasmodic attempts -to kill the cats in some of the parks, are practised in secrecy and fear -lest the public should hear of them, have so far proved ineffectual, -would it not be best to take a lesson from Nature, and restore some of -the natural checks which we have taken away? Let us in the first place -make use of the park sparrows in establishing colonies of as many new or -greatly diminished species as possible; and when we have done this, let -us further introduce, in moderate numbers, such species as prey on small -birds and their eggs and young--peregrine falcon, kestrel, sparrow-hawk, -owl, crow, daw, magpie, and jay. - -However successful we may be in adding to the number of our songsters, -the sparrow will always be more numerous than all the other species -together, and on account of his abundance he will be more preyed upon; -furthermore, his big, conspicuous, slovenly nests will be more subject -to attack than the nests of other species. It has been shown that -millions of sparrows are yearly destroyed by cats in London; yet so -quickly are they snapped up by their subtle enemy that we really see -nothing or very little indeed of the process. The young birds flutter -out of their nests and drop lightly down, only to vanish like snowflakes -that fall on the water. Here we see that even in London, with but two -species to act upon, Nature, left a little to herself, has succeeded in -establishing something like that balance of forces and harmony which -exists everywhere in her own dominion. Would it not be better to leave -it to Nature in the parks, too, to do her own killing in her own swift -and secret manner? In streets and houses cats are of the greatest -service, doing for us, and unseen by us, that which we could not -effectually do for ourselves: in the parks their presence is injurious; -there we rather want Nature's feathered executioners, who are among her -most beautiful and interesting creatures. - -How effective and salutary her methods are, how beautiful in their -results, may be seen in such places as have been made sanctuaries for -all wild animals, innocent and rapacious. Even on the borders of London -we have such places, and perhaps it would be hard anywhere in the rural -districts to find a more perfect sanctuary in a small space than that of -Caen Wood, at Hampstead. Although at the side of the swarming Heath, it -is really wild, since for long years it has been free from the landscape -gardener with his pretty little conventions, and the gamekeeper and -henwife with their persecutions and playing at Providence among the -creatures. If it were possible for a man to climb to the top of one -of its noble old trees--a tall cedar, beech, or elm, with a girth -of sixteen to eighteen feet--he would look down and out upon London: -leagues upon leagues of houses, stretching away to the southern horizon, -with tall chimneys, towers, and spires innumerable appearing above the -brooding cloud of smoke. But the wood itself seems not to have been -touched by its sulphurous breath; within its green shade all is fresh -as in any leafy retreat a hundred miles from town. And here the wild -creatures find a refuge. Badgers--not one pair nor two, but a big -colony--have their huge subterraneous peaceful village in the centre of -the wood. The lodge-keeper's wife told me that one evening, seeing her -dog, as she imagined, trotting from her across the lawn, she called to -him and, angered at his disregard of her voice, ran after him for some -distance among the trees, and only when she was about to lay her hands -on him discovered that she was chasing a big badger. The badgers have -for neighbours stoats and weasels, carrion crows, jays, and owls. Even -in the daytime you will find the wood-owl dozing in the deep twilight of -a holly-bush growing in the shade of a huge oak or elm. High up on the -trees at least half a dozen pairs of carrion crows have their nests; and -occasionally all the birds gather at one spot and fill the entire wood -with their tremendous excited cries. A dozen of these birds, when they -let themselves go, will create a greater uproar than a hundred cawing -rooks. - -Here, too, the rabbit keeps his place in spite of so many enemies; and -to those named must be added the domestic cat. I myself have seen puss -returning to the house carrying a half-grown young rabbit to her kittens. - -The moorhen and wood-pigeon also flourish, and in a still greater degree -the missel-thrush, throstle, and blackbird. In this wood I have counted -forty-three breeding species; and not only is the variety great, but -many of our best songsters, residents and migrants, are so numerous that -at certain times in spring, when birds are most vocal, you may hear at -this spot as fine a concert of sweet voices as in any wood in England. - -Sanctuaries like that of Caen Wood the Metropolitan parks can never be. -Only in a few of the most favourably situated open spaces on the borders -of London could we have anything approaching to the richness and harmony -seen in this perfect transcript of wild nature. But it should be our -aim to have all the parks, even to the most central, as nearly like -sanctuaries as such small isolated urban spaces, inhabited by so limited -a number of species, may be made. - -[Illustration: DABCHICK'S FLOATING NEST: ST. JAMES'S PARK] - - - - -BIBLIOGRAPHY - - - JENNINGS (JAMES): _Ornithologia; or, the Birds_; a poem in two parts, - with an introduction to their Natural History and copious notes. - Second edition, 8vo. London, 1829. - - TORRE (H. J.): 'A List of Birds found in Middlesex.' _The Naturalist_ - (Neville Wood's), vol. iii. p. 420. 8vo. London, 1838. - - HIBBERD (SHIRLEY): 'London Birds.' _Intellectual Observer_, vol. vii. - pp. 167-175. 8vo. London, 1865. - - POWER (F. D.): 'A List of Birds noticed in London during 1863-4.' - _Zoologist_, vol. xxiii. p. 9,727. London, 1865. - - HARTING (J. E.): _The Birds of Middlesex._ 8vo. London, 1866. - - ADAMS (A. LEITH): 'Birds of London.' _Field_, January 16 and 23. - London, 1875. - - HAMILTON (EDWARD): 'The Rooks and Rookeries of London, Past and - Present.' _Zoologist_, 3rd series, vol. ii. pp. 193-199. London, - 1878. - - NEWTON (ALFRED): 'Rooks and Rookeries of London.' _Zoologist_, vol. - ii. pp. 441-444. London, 1878. - - HAMILTON (EDWARD): 'The Birds of London, Past and Present, Residents - and Casuals.' _Zoologist_, vol. iii. pp. 273-291. London, 1879. - - PIGOTT (J. DIGBY): _London Birds and London Insects._ 8vo. London, - 1884. - - HARTING (J. E.): 'Bird Life in Kensington Gardens.' _Field_, January - 14, 1888. - - HARTING (J. E.): 'The Birds of Hampstead Hill,' in J. L. Lobley's - _Hampstead Hill_. 4to. London, 1889. - - HAMILTON (EDWARD): 'The Wild Birds of London.' _Murray's Magazine._ - London, May 1889. - - MILLER (CHRISTY): _Birds of Essex._ 8vo. London, 1890. - - TRISTRAM-VALENTINE (J. T.): _London Birds and Beasts._ With a Preface - by F. E. Beddard. 8vo. London, 1895. - - 'The Birds of London.' _Edinburgh Review._ London, January 1898. - - - - -INDEX - - - Abney Park Cemetery, 190 - - 'Afternoon tea,' sparrows at, 9 - - Albino daws, 64, 66 - - Anemones, decorative use of, by moorhens, 96 - - Arnold, Matthew, 'Lines written in Kensington Gardens,' 161 - - - Badger-hunt, a modern, 259 - - Badgers at Wimbledon, 258 - - -- a colony of, in Caen Wood, 327 - - Barn Elms Park, 253 - - Barnes Common, 253, 254 - - Battersea Park, moorhen's æsthetic nest in, 96 - - -- -- starlings congregating in, 139 - - -- -- making of, 240 - - -- -- bird life assisted in, 242 - - -- -- a spirited cat in, 291 - - Beverley Brook, 253, 255 - - Birds'-nesting, 175, 183, 230 - - Birds of London, changes among the, 5 - - -- -- -- recent additions to, 89, 94 - - -- -- -- passerine, 104 - - -- -- -- their disregard of noise, 188 - - -- -- -- encouragement of, 242, 275 - - Bishop's Park, Fulham, 251 - - -- -- bird life in, past and present, 252 - - Blackbirds in London, white, 64, 123 - - -- proportional numbers of, 122 - - Booth, Mr. Charles, as to 'roughs,' 279 - - Bostell Woods and Heath, 226 - - -- -- bird life in, 227, 230 - - Bread-eating by the crow, 45 - - -- by the gull, 148 - - Breeding places, need of, in central parks, 163, 179 - - Brockwell Park, 235 - - Buckhurst Hill, white owl at, 166 - - - Caen Wood, Nature's balance in, 326 - - Camberwell Cemetery, 233 - - Carrion crow, as domestic pet, 48 - - -- -- as mouser, 49 - - -- -- as practical joker, 50 - - Carrion crows in London, 32 - - -- -- mock battle of, 33 - - -- -- daily flight of, 42 - - -- -- modification of feeding habits, 44 - - -- -- picking food from the river, 46 - - -- -- visits of, to the Zoological Gardens, 175 - - Cat, a, on a Battersea island, 291 - - Cathedrals, æsthetic value of daws to, 53, 264 - - Cats, need of their exclusion from bird preserves, 163, 221, 276, 284 - - -- connection between sparrows and, 285 - - -- deliberate 'straying' of, 299 - - -- suggestion as to disposal of, 300 - - -- present attempts at exclusion of, from parks, 301 - - -- destruction of low-nesting birds by, 290 - - -- their numbers in London, 294 - - -- ownerless, 295 - - Cemeteries: - Kensal Green, 172 - Abney Park, 190 - established on Barnes Common, 254 - their future use, 171, 186, 234 - - Chaffinch, the, as songster, 12 - - -- its winter resorts, 144 - - -- its return to London, 158 - - -- from the bird-fancier's point of view, 197-200 - - -- care of nest of, at Clissold Park, 280 - - Changes in bird population, 5, 267, 273 - - Changes in habits of birds, 93 - - 'Chapel,' a sparrows', 114, 288 - - Checks, natural, to sparrow increase, 325 - - -- needed, on pigeon increase, 313 - - Churchyard Bottom Wood, 184 - - City, wood-pigeons nesting in the, 91 - - Clapham Common, 243 - - Clissold Park, crows formerly in, 45 - - -- -- hasty visit of daws to, 57 - - -- -- wood-pigeons in, 91 - - -- -- description of, 189 - - -- -- regard for bird life in, 190, 280 - - -- -- bird experiments in, 309 - - Corncrake, its occasional presence at Hampstead, 178 - - County Council, their aim in bird protection, 17 - - -- -- their management of Hampstead Heath, 182 - - -- -- their improvements in Hackney Marsh, 202-208 - - -- -- at Peckham Rye Park, 231 - - -- -- their swans, 247 - - -- -- suggested care of birds by, 282 - - -- -- suggested action of, as to stray cats, 302 - - Courser, cream-coloured, shot at Hackney, 209 - - Crows, species of, in London, 20, 29 - - - Dabchick, _see_ Grebe - - Darkness of London winter, birds affected by, 106 - - Decoys, action of tame birds as, 312, 314 - - Dogs, number of, as compared to cats, 294 - - -- number destroyed under the muzzling order, 300 - - Ducks of the Serpentine, 34 - - -- annual shooting of, 36 - - -- in Holland Park, domestic difficulties of, 40 - - -- terror of, on sight of crow, 41 - - Dulwich Park, bird life in, 234 - - - East-enders, their regard for the chaffinch, 197 - - East London, paucity of breathing spaces in, 192 - - Eggs, ducks', stolen from Kensington Gardens, 40 - - -- proposed substitution of, 306, 317, 318, 323 - - Egg-stealing by jackdaw, 61 - - Enfield, the 'Raven Tree' at, 25 - - Exotic shrubs, 17, 164, 185, 215 - - - Fence against cats, need of, 301 - - Fieldfares in London, 131, 178 - - Finsbury Park, 187 - - Flycatcher, spotted, at Ravenscourt Park, 170 - - -- -- in Kew Gardens, 267 - - Fowls, attack of, on marauding jackdaw, 61 - - Fuel-gatherers, 86 - - Fulham, former presence of spoonbills and herons at, 2, 252 - - -- Bishop's Park at, 251 - - - Geese, wild, flying over London, 132 - - Gray's Inn Gardens, rookery in, 70 - - -- -- -- destruction of kite's nest in, 121 - - -- -- -- suggestion as to rooks in, 305 - - Grebe, the little, as a London bird, 97 - - -- -- -- his nest, 99 - - -- -- -- defends his nest against swans, 100 - - -- -- -- in St. James's Park, 102 - - -- -- -- seasonal movements of, 137 - - -- -- -- at Kew, 267 - - -- -- -- as possible foster parents to crested grebe, 317 - - Greenwich Park, former rookery in, 77 - - -- -- indiscriminate tree-lopping in, 224 - - -- -- bird life in, 225 - - Gulls, black-headed, in London, 145 - - -- -- feeding on sprats, 148 - - - Hackney Downs, 194 - - -- Marsh, 201 - - -- -- cream-coloured courser shot at, 209 - - Hampstead, last of the magpies at, 22 - - -- nesting place of crow at, 43 - - -- Heath, 176 - - -- -- birds of, 178 - - Haws, wood-pigeons feeding on, 135 - - Hedge-sparrows, rarity of, in Kensington Gardens, 159 - - Herons, former nesting of, at Fulham, 2, 252 - - -- increase of, at Richmond, 263 - - Heronry at Wanstead, 212 - - Hibbert, the late Mr. Shirley, on robins in London, 124 - - -- -- -- -- -- on London birds, 152 - - Highbury Fields, 191 - - Highgate Cemetery, manifest destiny of, 186 - - -- Woods, characteristics of, 183 - - Holland Park, difficulties of ducks in, 39 - - -- -- as bird sanctuary, 157 - - Hyde Park, bird-feeders in, 15 - - -- -- destruction of ravens in, 25 - - -- -- decrease of birds in, 275 - - - Island refuges, need of, as sanctuaries, 164, 275 - - -- -- in Battersea Park, 242 - - - Jackdaw, a tame, 58 - - -- his egg-stealing avenged, 61 - - -- his parting visit, 63 - - -- at Clissold Park, 310 - - -- wild daws attracted by, 311 - - Jackdaws, their rarity in London, 52 - - -- as cathedral birds, 53, 264 - - -- colony of, at Kensington, 55 - - -- their relations with rooks, 56, 138 - - -- short visit of, to Clissold Park, 57 - - -- white, 63 - - -- abundance of, at Richmond, 262 - - Jay, its absence from the inner parks, 23 - - -- at Streatham, 250 - - -- at Wimbledon, 257 - - -- at Richmond, 263 - - -- at Kew, 267 - - 'Jenny,' the Tower raven, 29 - - - Kempshall, Mr., loaf-stealing crow observed by, 45 - - Kennington Park, 219 - - -- -- bird life in, 221 - - Kensington Gardens, raven in, 27 - - -- -- daws in, 55, 274 - - -- -- former rookery in, 77-82 - - -- -- a stranger's first view of, 78 - - -- -- destruction of trees in, 79-85 - - -- -- Matthew Arnold on, 161 - - -- -- owls in, 165, 274 - - Kestrels at Hackney Marsh, 206 - - Kew Gardens, 265 - - -- -- bird life in, 267 - - Kilburn, open spaces in, 172 - - Kimber, Sergeant, his experiments in Clissold Park, 309 - - Kingfisher in Battersea Park, 293 - - -- suggestion for encouragement of, 322 - - Kite, its former office as scavenger, 2 - - -- destruction of last nest of, 121 - - - Lambeth Palace, skylarks in grounds of, 144 - - -- -- white owl at, 166 - - Lea River, swans on the, 205 - - -- -- former fishing in the, 206 - - Leg of Mutton Pond, moorhens on the, 180 - - Lethal chamber suggested for cats, 300 - - 'London,' ambiguity of the term, 2 - - London, toleration of, by birds, 275 - - -- absorption of country by, 286 - - London districts: - East, 192 - North and North-west, 172 - South, 216 - South-east, 218 - South-west, 237 - West, 156 - - London fields, 194 - - Longevity of birds, 110, 324 - - - Macaulay, T. B., recollections of Clapham Common, 244 - - Magpie, rarity of, in London, 20 - - -- fate of last pair at Hampstead, 22 - - Mallard, imperfect domestication of, 38 - - -- nesting in trees, 39 - - Mansfield, Lord, birds in his grounds, 178, 181 - - Marsh lands by the Thames, 210 - - Melford, Mr. Mark, daws rescued by, 59 - - -- Mrs., her tame jackdaw, 59-63 - - Middlesex, remains of primæval forest of, 184 - - Migration, as seen in London, 129-133 - - Minet, Mr. William, Myatt's Fields given by, 219 - - Missel-thrush at Kew, 267 - - -- possible reintroduction of, 318 - - Moat, the, at Bishop's Park, Fulham, 251 - - Moat-hen, early name for moorhen, 94 - - Moorhens, the, in London, 94 - - -- decorative tastes of, 96 - - -- their dislike of dabchicks, 100 - - -- their autumnal movements, 138 - - -- on Hampstead Heath, 180 - - -- half-grown, as parent's assistants, 181 - - Moule, Mr. E. C. H., on the birds of Hampstead, 179 - - Mouser, the crow as, 49 - - Movements of London birds, diurnal, 38, 42, 145 - - -- -- -- -- seasonal, 129 _et supra_ - - Myatt's Fields, 219 - - - Nests in parks, &c., taking of, 276 - - Newton, Professor, as to the Temple Gardens rookery, 307 - - Night in Kensington Gardens, 38 - - Nightingale in Bostell Woods, 230 - - -- at Streatham, 250 - - -- increasing rarity of, 268 - - Northey, Sir R., rooks brought to Temple Gardens by, 307 - - Nunhead Cemetery, 233 - - Nuthatch, possible introduction of the, 318 - - - Offerings to mistress by tame rook, 74 - - Open spaces of London, 151, 171, 192, &c. - - -- -- comparative area of, in the several districts, 239 - - Owl, white, at Lambeth, 166 - - Owls, brown and white, in London, 4 - - -- -- -- -- in Kensington Gardens, 165, 274 - - -- -- -- -- at Hampstead, 178 - - -- -- -- -- at Bostell Woods, 230 - - Oxeye, disappearance of, from London, 158 - - -- possible reintroduction of, 319 - - - Parks, central, of London, 156 - - Partridge, the, at Kew, 267 - - Peacock feathers, use of, by moorhens, 96 - - Peckham Rye and Park, 230 - - -- -- bird life in, 232, 233 - - Pewit, the, at Wimbledon, 257 - - Pheasant, the, at Kew, 267 - - Phillips, Mr. M. B., his tame crow, 49 - - Pigeon, domestic, increase of, in London, 53 - - -- -- need of check on, 313 - - -- homing, shot on Hampstead Marsh, 208 - - Pike, destruction of water-fowl by, 213 - - Pinioning, 315 - - Plumstead, 225 - - Ponds, provision for bird life on, 180, 196 - - -- small, swans on, 247 - - Putney Heath, 255 - - - Queen's Park, Kilburn, 172 - - -- private grounds at Kew, 267 - - -- -- -- -- -- proposed opening of, 269 - - - Rabbits in Hyde Park, destruction of, by cats, 293 - - Ranelagh Sporting Club, 252 - - Raptorial birds, their possible reintroduction, 312, 325 - - Raven, bracelet stolen by, 26 - - Ravens, their former presence in London, 25 - - -- fate of the last pair, 25 - - -- duel in Regent's Park, 27 - - -- savagery towards their young, 127 - - Ravenscourt Park, 168 - - Regent's Park, 173 - - Richmond Park, 261 - - Ring, theft and restoration of, by rook, 75 - - Ringdove, _see_ Wood-pigeon - - Robins, growing scarceness of, 124, 159 - - -- their intolerant spirit, 126, 127 - - -- annual scattering of, 140 - - Roding, the river, 211 - - Rook, tame, curious customs of, 73-77 - - Rookery in Gray's Inn Gardens, 70 - - -- in Kensington Gardens, fate of, 77-84 - - Rookeries, 178, 212, 235, 250, 258 - - Rooks, daws joining a company of, 56, 138 - - -- approaching disappearance of, 70 - - -- their characteristics, 72 - - -- their winter roosting places, 138 - - -- at Richmond, 257 - - -- proposed reintroduction of, to London, 305, 309 - - Rook shooting, herons scared by, 214 - - -- -- not approved of by rooks, 258 - - 'Rough,' the, his hunting instincts, 278 - - - St. James's Park, little grebes nesting at, 98 - - -- -- -- as a winter bird resort, 147 - - Sanctuary for birds at Caen Wood, 326 - - Sanctuaries for birds, need of, 163, 179, 213 - - Scavengers, birds as, 2, 8, 24, 44, 46 - - Serpentine, suicide of raven in, 27 - - -- need of an island refuge in, 164 - - 'Shindies,' sparrows', 113 - - Shooting of ducks in Hyde Park, 37 - - Shrubs for parks, native preferable to exotic, 17, 164, 185, 215 - - Singing matches of chaffinches, 198 - - Skylark, 144, 205, 209, 257 - - Soaring birds, appreciation of height helped by, 53, 264 - - Soho Square, wood-pigeons nesting in, 91 - - Southwark Park, 219 - - -- -- bird life in, 220 - - Sparrow, a tame, 108 - - -- a love-sick, 112 - - Sparrows, companionship of, 7 - - -- their predominance, 105 - - -- intelligence, 107 - - -- domestic irregularities, 111 - - -- 'shindies,' 113 - - -- vesper song, 115 - - -- pugnacity of those at the Tower, 141 - - -- cats as check on increase of, 285, 325 - - -- naturally tree birds, 287 - - -- utilisation of, as foster-parents, 323 - - -- present attempts to check their number, 324 - - Species of birds lost to London, 197, 271 - - -- -- -- decrease of, 272 - - -- -- -- proposed restoration of, 304 - - Spoonbills, their former presence at Fulham, 2, 252 - - 'Sport,' fascination of, 199 - - Stables, Dr. Gordon, on domestic relations of sparrows, 111 - - Stanley, Bishop, on moorhens, 95 - - Starlings as London birds, 116 - - -- labour of, in feeding their young, 117, 120 - - -- variety of their notes, 119 - - -- autumnal gatherings of, 139 - - Stock-dove in London, 103 - - -- possibility of its reintroduction, 31 - - 'Straying' of cats, 299 - - Streatham Common, 248 - - -- -- bird life on, 250 - - Suburbs, abundance of birds in the, 155 - - Suggestion as to white daws, 66 - - -- as to water-fowl at Hampstead, 181 - - -- -- -- -- at Victoria Park, 196 - - -- as to pond at Kennington, 221 - - -- as to moat at Fulham, 252 - - -- as to care of bird life by County Council, 282 - - -- as to Gray's Inn rooks, 305 - - -- as to disposal of stray cats, 300 - - -- as to reintroduction of birds to London, 304 - - -- as to encouragement of kingfishers, 322 - - Summer visitants, their usual route, 157 - - -- -- at Hampstead, 178 - - -- -- at Battersea Park, 243 - - -- songsters in the suburbs, 321 - - Suspiciousness of sparrows, 107 - - Swallows as London visitors, 130 - - Swans and dabchicks, battle between, 100 - - -- their unsuitableness on small ponds, 186, 247 - - -- of the river Lea, 205 - - - Tame birds as decoys, 312, 314 - - Temple Gardens, origin of rookery in, 307 - - Thames, the, as hunting ground for crows, 46 - - Thrushes, growing scarceness of, 160 - - Tits, growing rarity of, 159 - - Tooting Bec, 246 - - -- Graveney, 248 - - Tower of London, ravens at the, 27 - - -- -- -- fieldfares on tree at, 132 - - -- -- -- fate of robin at, 141 - - Trap-shooting, sale of jackdaws for, 59 - - Trees, ducks nesting in, 39 - - -- destruction of, in Kensington Gardens, 79-84 - - -- old, due care of, 161 - - -- their growth stunted by smoke, 196 - - -- lopping of, at Greenwich, 224 - - -- rooks driven away by mutilation of, 71, 77, 81 - - Tristram-Valentine, the late Mr., on the starling in London, 126 - - -- on gulls in London, 145 - - Tuck, Mr. W. H., on the Kensington crows, 42 - - Turtle-dove, possible introduction of, 314 - - - Vesper songs of birds, 115 - - Victoria Park, 194, 195 - - -- -- singing lessons to chaffinches in, 198 - - Visitants, occasional, 29, 97, 138, 143-145 - - - Wandsworth Common, 245, 246 - - Wanstead Park, 210 - - -- -- bird life in, 212 - - Warblers in London, 143 - - -- at Hampstead, 178 - - -- in Bostell Woods, 228 - - Waterfowl, ornamental, relative value of, 34, 68 - - -- rare, visits of, to the parks, 97, 145, 314, 316 - - Waterlow Park, bird population of, 185 - - -- -- swans at, 186 - - Westbourne Park, wood-pigeons at coal deposit at, 91 - - West London, open spaces on borders of, 171 - - Wheatears on Hampstead Heath, 130, 178 - - White jackdaws, 64 - - -- ravens, 65 - - -- blackbirds, 123 - - White House Fishery, 206, 209 - - -- -- resort of Hackney 'sportsmen,' 207 - - Whiteness, black species most subject to vary into, 64 - - Willughby on white ravens, 65 - - Wimbledon Common, bird life on, 257 - - -- -- badgers at, 258 - - Woodpecker, green, at Hampstead, 263 - - -- -- at Kew, 267 - - -- lesser spotted, 178, 225, 267 - - -- spotted, disappearance of, 178 - - Wood-pigeons, their increase in London, 6, 89 - - -- recent arrival of, 90, 101 - - -- changes in their habits, 93 - - -- their autumnal exodus, 134 - - -- a singular habit of, 135 - - Wren, gradual disappearance of, 159 - - -- increase of, in Battersea Park, 243 - - -- strength of vocal powers, 320 - - -- goldcrest, at Kew, 267 - - Wryneck at Kew, 267, 274 - - - Yarrell on magpies in Kensington Gardens, 22 - - Yellowhammer at Hampstead Heath, 177 - - -- at Wandsworth Common, 246 - - -- at Barnes Common, 254 - - - Zoological Gardens, visits from crows to the, 176 - - - - -PRINTED BY -SPOTTISWOODE AND CO., NEW-STREET SQUARE -LONDON - - - - - * * * * * - - - - -Transcriber's note: - -Some illustrations have been relocated to fall between paragraphs -rather than within and to match the text better. - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BIRDS IN LONDON*** - - -******* This file should be named 40334-8.txt or 40334-8.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/4/0/3/3/40334 - - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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