92 BIRDS IN LONDON 



disturbed, invariably fly to a terrace of houses 

 close by and perch on the chimney-pots, a newly 

 acquired habit. In Leicester Square I have 

 seen as many as a dozen to twenty birds at a 

 time, leisurely moving about on the asphalted 

 walks in search of crumbs of bread. It is not 

 unusual to see one bird perched in a pretty 

 attitude on the head of Shakespeare's statue 

 in the middle of the square, the most com- 

 manding position. I never admired that marble 

 until I saw it thus occupied by the pretty dove- 

 coloured quest, with white collar, iridescent neck, 

 and orange bill ; since then I have thought 

 highly of it, and am grateful to Baron Albert 

 Grant for his gift to London, and recall with 

 pleasure that on the occasion of its unveiling I 

 heard its praise, as a work of art, recited in 

 rhyme by Browning's 



Hop-o-my-thumb, there, 



Banjo-Byron on his strum-strum, there. 



I heartily wish that the birds would make use 

 in the same way of many other statues with 

 which our public places are furnished, if not 

 adorned. 



So numerous are the wood-pigeons at the 



