56 WILD LIFE AT HOME. 



conscious, she will hop uneasily about the bush or 

 hedge wherein it is situated and, of a sudden, rush 

 right on to it. We tested the value of our artificial 

 tree -trunk as an effective hiding-place upon a 

 member of this species last spring. We first of all 

 stuck the camera up in front of the nest, and 

 covering it with a grass - green focussing - cloth ; 

 waited at a distance ready to release the shutter 

 by means of the pneumatic tube ; but in vain, she 

 would not come near. Then we fixed up our 

 newly-constructed tree-trunk, with the photographer 

 and his camera inside, and, to our great satisfaction, 

 she returned in less than two minutes. Curiously 

 enough, whilst all was perfectly still and silent, she 

 kept on moving her head about, but directly my 

 brother made a low, intentional cough, she kept 

 her little head perfectly still and listened, and he 

 exposed his plate. 



I have recently seen it stated that the birds of 

 London and its suburbs have decreased because of 

 the cats and increased population. Whilst recog- 

 nising the folly of hating a dumb animal merely 

 because it carries into operation an inherited liking 

 for one particular kind of food, I must frankly 

 confess that I do not love cats, and it will be well 

 to bear this avowal in mind whilst reading the 

 following account of my experiences. This year I 

 have known of the following species of birds having 

 nests and eggs within five hundred yards of a 

 Greater London farmhouse, boasting an army ot 



