EXPULSION OF THE BOOKS 77 



they would l)e glad to come down on to your 

 shoulders, too.''* 



This happened when the now vanished rooks 

 had their populous rookery in Kensington Gar- 

 dens, 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 



