WILD BIRDS IN LONDON. 



Their Number and Variety is Increasing Instead of Diminishing. 



HETHER in consequence 



of the effective working 



of the Wild Birds' Charter 



of other unknown 



or 



causes, there can be no doubt in the 

 minds of observant lovers of our 

 feathered friends that of late years 

 there has been a great and gratifying 

 increase in their numbers in and 

 around London, especially so, of course, 

 in the vicinity of the beautiful open 

 spaces which do such beneficent work 

 silently in this province of houses. 

 But even in long, unlovely streets, far 

 removed from the rich greenery of the 

 parks, the shabby parallelograms, by 

 courtesy styled gardens, are becoming 

 more and more frequently visited by 

 such pretty shy songsters as Linnets, 

 Blackbirds, Thrushes, and Finches, 

 who, though all too often falling 

 victims to the predatory Cat, find 

 abundant food in these cramped 

 enclosures. Naturally some suburbs 

 are more favored than others in this 

 respect, notably Dulwich, which, 

 though fast losing its beautiful 

 character under the ruthless grip of 

 the builder, still retains some delight- 

 ful nooks where one may occasionally 

 hear the Nightingale's lovely song in 

 its season. 



But the most noticable additions to 

 the bird population of London have 

 been among the Starlings. Their 

 quaint gabble and peculiar minor 



whistle may now be heard in the most 

 unexpected localities. Even the 

 towering mansions which have re- 

 placed so many of the slums of West- 

 minster find favor in their eyes, for 

 among the thick clustering chimneys 

 which crown these great buildings 

 their slovenly nests may be found in 

 large numbers. In some districts they 

 are so numerous that the irrepressible 

 Sparrow, true London gamin that he 

 is, finds himself in considerable danger 

 of being crowded out. This is perhaps 

 most evident on the sequestered lawns 

 of some of the inns of the court, Gray's 

 Inn Square, for instance, where hun- 

 dreds of Starlings at a time may now 

 be observed busily trotting about the 

 greensward searching for food. Several 

 long streets come to mind where not a 

 house is without its pair or more of 

 Starlings, who continue faithful to 

 their chosen roofs, and whose descend- 

 ants settle near as they grow up, well 

 content with their surroundings. 

 House Martins, too, in spite of 

 repeated efforts on the part of irritated 

 landlords to drive them away by 

 destroying their nests on account of 

 the disfigurement to the front of the 

 dwelling, persist in returning year 

 after year and rebuilding their ingen- 

 ious little mud cells under the eaves of 

 the most modern suburban villas 

 or terrace houses. 



— Pall Mall Gazette, 



92 



