238 BIRDS IN LONDON 



district it will again be found convenient 

 to disregard the line at some points, since, be- 

 sides excluding the two parks just named, I 

 propose to include Kew Gardens, Richmond 

 Park, and Wimbledon Common large spaces 

 which lie for the most part outside of the Post- 

 Office boundary. These spaces do nevertheless 

 form an integral part of London as it has been 

 denned for the purposes of this book : they 

 belong to the South-west district in the same 

 way that Hampstead Heath does to the North- 

 west, Hackney Marsh and Wanstead Old Park 

 to the East, Plumstead and Bostell to the South- 

 east. All these open spaces touch London, 

 although they are not entirely cut off from the 

 country. Again, for the same reason which 

 made me exclude Epping Forest, Ham Common, 

 &c., from the East district, I now exclude 

 Hampton Court Park and Bushey Park from the 

 South-west. It might be said that Eichmond 

 Park is not less rural than Bushey Park, or even 

 than Epping Forest ; that with regard to their 

 wild bird life all these big open spaces on the 

 borders of London are in the same category ; 

 but the line must be drawn somewhere, and 

 having made my rule I must keep to it. Doubt- 



