INTRODUCTION 



streets of timber houses, of which almost the last surviving 

 relic stands in Holborn to-day ; Woodcocks used formerly 

 to be shot near Piccadilly ; and the usual bird fauna of the 

 fields must once have occupied situations which are now 

 nothing but houses. Even the historical study of the 

 ornithology of London is a most fascinating one, deserv- 

 ing a volume to itself. In modern days the casual bird 

 visitors to the Metropolis are many and interesting ; 

 that is to say, the examples that are observed or obtained. 

 That old veteran ornithologist the late Herr Gatke used 

 to say that he would gladly exchange all his wonderful 

 collection of rare birds, obtained during a lifetime spent 

 on the tiny island of Heligoland (many times smaller 

 than London), for those that had passed over it unrecorded 

 and unobserved. The same might be said of London. 

 We are constantly getting evidence of the birds that 

 pass over the vast city, which indicates amazing possi- 

 bilities if our bird pilgrims could only be recognised. 

 The harvest is great, but unfortunately the labourers are 

 few. We want more intelligent observers of the Bird-life 

 of London, and the present little book has been written 

 largely with the purpose of winning recruits and stimu- 

 lating work in this direction. London already can claim 

 not a few remarkable records, which will be found in the 

 analytical table appended to this chapter. Some of 

 these occurrences are simply astonishing. There was, 

 for instance, the Puffin that flew through a window in 

 Brook Street curiously enough, the residence then 

 occupied by the late Lord Lilford, President of the Orni- 

 thologists' Union, and a great lover of birds. The Fork- 

 tailed Petrel and the Stormy Petrel have been captured in 

 the London streets, attracted by the lights and pools of 

 water ; the Guillemot has come up the Thames to 

 London ; the Alpine Swift has been shot at Finchley ; 

 the Osprey has visited Richmond Park. Commoner 

 species are repeatedly turning up in the least likely 



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