152 BIRDS IN LONDON 



Before going the round of the parks, to note 

 in detail their present condition and possibilities, 

 chiefly with reference to their wild bird life, it 

 would be well to take a rapid survey of the 

 metropolitan open spaces generally. To enable 

 the reader the more closely to follow me in the 

 survey, I have introduced a map of the County 

 of London on a small scale, in which the whole 

 of the thickly built-over portion appears un- 

 coloured ; the surrounding country coloured 

 green ; the open spaces, including cemeteries, 

 deep green ; the small spaces squares, graves, 

 churchyards, gardens, recreation grounds, &c., 

 as dark dots ; the suburban districts, not densely 

 populated, where houses have gardens and 

 grounds, pale green. 



Now the white space is not really birdless, 

 being everywhere inhabited by sparrows, and in 

 parts by numerous and populous colonies of 

 semi-wild pigeons, while a few birds of other 

 species make their homes in London gardens. 

 Shirley Hibbert, writing of London birds in 

 1865, says : ' London is, indeed, far richer in 

 birds than it deserves to be.' He also says : ' A 

 few birds, however, appear to be specially 

 adapted not merely for London as viewed from 



