BIRDS IN A CITY 



WE frequently hear people say that if only 

 they lived in the country they would take 

 up the study of birds with great interest, but that 

 a city life prevented any nature study. To show 

 how untrue this is, I once made a census of wild 

 birds which were nesting in the New York 

 Zoological Park, which is situated within the 

 limits of New York City. Part of the Park is 

 wooded, while much space is given up to the col- 

 lections of birds and animals. Throughout the 

 year thousands of people crowd the walks and 

 penetrate to every portion of the grounds ; yet in 

 spite of this lack of seclusion no fewer than sixty- 

 one species build their nests here and successfully 

 rear their young. The list was made without 

 shooting a single bird and in each instance the 

 identification was absolute. This shows what a 

 little protection will accomplish, while many 

 places of equal area in the country which are har- 

 ried by boys and cats are tenanted by a bare 

 dozen species. 



Let us see what a walk in late June, or espe- 

 cially in July, will show of these bold invaders of 

 our very city. "Wild wood ducks frequently decoy 

 to the flocks of pinioned birds and sometimes mate 

 with some of them. One year a wild bird chose as 



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