294 BIEDS IN LONDON 



couple of months, but even these were finally 

 conquered and eaten. I for one am very glad 

 at the result, for it really seemed too ridiculous 

 that our great national park should be turned 

 into a rabbit warren as well as a duck-breeding 

 establishment. 



The extraordinary rapidity with which the 

 rabbits were destroyed will serve to give some 

 idea of the numbers and destructiveness of the 

 cats that nightly make the open spaces of 

 London their hunting grounds. How many 

 cats are there in London ? Not a word that I 

 am aware of has been written on the subject, and 

 as there is no tax on them there is no possibility 

 of finding out the exact truth. Nevertheless, in 

 an indirect way we may be able to get a proxi- 

 mate idea of their numbers. 



The number of dogs in London is supposed 

 to be about two hundred thousand ; no doubt it 

 is really greater, since many dogs escape the 

 tax. Cats in London are very much more 

 numerous than dogs. Thus, in the streets I 

 know best, in the part of London where I live, 

 there are about eight cats to every dog ; in some 

 streets there are ten or twelve, in others not more 

 than six. If a census could be taken it would 



