134 BIRDS IN LONDON 



The London birds are no exception, although 

 their autumnal movements have hitherto at- 

 tracted little attention. These movements are 

 becoming more noticeable, owing to changes 

 going on in the character of the metropolitan 

 bird population. The sparrow, as we have seen, 

 does not leave home, but recently there has been 

 a great increase in the more vagrant species, the 

 starling and wood-pigeon especially. During the 

 last few years the wood-pigeon has been grow- 

 ing somewhat more domestic, and less inclined to 

 leave town than formerly, but from time to time 

 the old wandering instinct reasserts itself, and 

 it was observed that during the autumn of 1896 

 a majority of the birds left London. At Lincoln's 

 Inn Fields there were thirteen birds down to the 

 end of September, then all but one disappeared. 

 This solitary stayer-at-home had been sprung 

 upon and injured by a cat some time before 

 the day of departure. 



Last year, 1897, the autumnal exodus was 

 even greater. Thus, on October 25 I walked 

 the whole length of the three central parks, and 

 saw no pigeons except one pair of young birds 

 not long out of the nest, in Hyde Park, and one 

 parent bird feeding them. The other parent 



