lOO 



Has this added security anything to do with their 

 plenteous numbers? The trees, at the end of April, 

 were almost bare of leaves, so that both birds and 

 tiests could be plainly seen from the rushing train. 



As far as we observed, the presence of such num- 

 bers of Crows and Magpies was having the effect on 

 smaller bird-life that one would expect ; for we saw no 

 signs at all of the smaller birds. 



Our first stop was at Genoa, where we confined 

 ourselves to the town, and we can only say that this 

 city, in common with nearly every Continental city, is 

 free from the enormous swarms of Sparrows which 

 occur in our English towns. Owing probably to the 

 smaller size and purer air of these cities, birds, which 

 with us are only found well out in the country, pene- 

 trate into the gardens and parks. Thus Chaffinches 

 are nearl}^ as common in the parks, gardens, and 

 squares of the Continental cities as Sparrows are in 

 ours. Ver}^ handsome they look, and so tame in their 

 bold dashes on any crumbs scattered for their benefit. 

 Italy, as all the world knows, is singularly destitute 

 of small birds — little birds spitted and cooked on 

 "polenta" have apparently too strong an attraction 

 for the Italian taste to be resisted. 



We reached Rome to find there had been weeks 

 of wet and cold weather, with vegetation very back- 

 ward, indeed more so than in England. However we 

 brought fine weather with us and it was sunny and 

 bright during all our stay. Doubtless the birds also 

 were backward with their migrations, at any rate the 

 tale of species met with is soon told. Firstl}^ we saw 

 two or three Sparrows in Rome, but in such beautiful 

 plumage, a strong testimon}^ to the cleanliness of the 



