Park Animals for London 



which nests in trees, since a tree-nest can easily 

 be pulled or poked down or fired into. 



The introduction of the chough, which with its 

 ebony plumage and vermilion legs and bill rivals 

 the magpie and jay in beauty, would be most 

 desirable. It is known that this bird can be 

 allowed liberty about a country house, but it is 

 unfortunately scarce and expensive. This is a 

 great pity ; the bird is beautiful in flight as well 

 as in colour, being altogether a sort of refined 

 edition of the jackdaw, and as it is a cliff-fre- 

 quenter, would probably readily accept buildings 

 as a substitute for its native rocks. 



But until wealthy ornithologists begin to show 

 the same interest in watching the beauty and 

 interesting habits of rare birds that they do in 

 the acquisition of their skins and eggs, I fear we 

 shall have to wait for choughs in London. 



The reason why I think that the London 

 sparrow, as well as the pigeon, needs the re- 

 straining influence of such enemies as I have 

 suggested is, that he is an irreclaimable hooligan, 

 and is on this account a worse enemy to all small 

 birds weaker than himself than are the actually 

 predaceous species. 



But it is not only in the case of birds that the 



London parks might advantageously increase their 



animal population. 



Every one who has been in India must have 



273 s 



