THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON 
height winging their way over London, too high to be 
identified. ‘The Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) is also a 
dweller on many of our ornamental waters, and numbers 
live in a semi-wild state on the Thames and elsewhere. 
A pair last year (1908) hatched a brood on the Paddington 
Canal near Willesden. Eton College enjoys the privilege 
of keeping Swans on the Thames, which mostly belongs to 
the Crown. The bird is of great historical interest to 
Londoners, and it enters largely into the Royal and 
civic life of the Metropolis. 
Finally, mention may be made here of the many 
exotic species of Wild-fowl that live in more or less freedom 
upon or near the various ornamental sheets of water in 
the Metropolis. ‘They are very interesting, and many of 
them are very beautiful birds; but their life-history is 
quite beyond the scope of the wild bird-life of London. 
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