BIRDS FOR LONDON 321 



water, and the walks were thronged with loudly 

 talking and laughing people, their numberless 

 feet tramping on the gravel paths producing a 

 sound like that of a steam roller. My com- 

 panion exclaimed impatiently that it was impos- 

 sible to hear a bird-note in so much noise. He 

 had scarcely spoken before a wren, quite fifty 

 yards away, somewhere on the island opposite 

 to us, burst out singing, and his bright lyric 

 rang forth loud and clear and perfect above all 

 that noise of the holiday crowd. 



It would be extremely difficult, perhaps 

 impossible, to introduce by artificial means any 

 of the summer visitants in the absence of soft- 

 billed birds to play the part of foster-parents. 

 The hedge-sparrow, the best bird for such a 

 task, is too rare ; should he increase again, the 

 case will be different. At the same time it may 

 be said that the better protection which alone 

 would cause the hedge-sparrow and robin to 

 increase would also attract the migrants to breed 

 in the parks. At present, the summer songsters 

 that come regularly to breed in various spots on 

 the borders of London are the following : whin- 

 chat, stonechat, redstart, nightingale, white- 

 throat, lesser-whitethroat, blackcap, garden 



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