3.20 Mr. S. S. Flower on the 



have been demolished, and the Wang Na has thus been 

 greatly reduced in area, but the inner walls, though 

 .threatened, still remain. Within them is a delightful old 

 garden, surrounding two buildings, once the Audience Hall 

 and private Wat (temple) of the old Second King, now the 

 Royal Siamese Museum. Here an old house, forming part 

 of the walls of this inner compound, has for a year been my 

 home : a place of almost idyllic quietude, separated from the 

 noise and troubles of the outside world by high though 

 crumbling walls and by great iron-studded gates of teak. 

 Here, in the heart of the great town, is a paradise for birds, 

 as no gun is allowed to be fired within the walls, there is 

 food in plenty, and cats are not encouraged. The following 

 species of birds have been noted as resorting to it : — 



1. CORVUS MACRORHYNCHUS Waglcr. 



The Black Crows are the most noticeable Bangkok birds, 

 and the Wang Na seems to be their headquarters. All day 

 long they are busy acting as scavengers in the city, in the 

 town without the walls, and among the shipping on the 

 river, but towards sunset they come flying home from all 

 directions and settle on the roofs in hundreds. One week- 

 the roof of one building is their favourite resort, and 

 as many Ci'ows as can find standing-room perch along 

 the ridge, while others fly round trying to find room ; next 

 week sometimes the fashion has changed, and another roof is 

 crowded while the old one is deserted. Till well after the 

 sun is set they keep up a tremendous clamour, as if each 

 bird was recounting its exploits of the past day, quite re- 

 gardless of the fact that every other bird is doing the same 

 and none listening. Then when it becomes dark they leave 

 the roofs and settle in some big trees where they pass the 

 night, and the noise gradually subsides. On moonlight 

 nights they continue talking much later than on dark 

 nights, and any unusual noise wakes them, when they fly 

 out, making a sudden rushing sound with their wings that 

 has been mistaken more than once for the sound of one of 

 the old buildings falling down (an event that sometimes 



