Sufferings of Birds 



that it was "only a momentary pang/' 

 The STARLINGS circling nightly around Nel- 

 son's Column, the THRUSHES singing daily 

 in Belgrave Square, the MALLARD passing 

 over St. George's Hospital every evening, 

 were all familiar sights. The War had not, 

 however, been long begun before many sheets 

 of water were drained : notably the lake in 

 St. James's Park, where, not long after, arose 

 a group of Government buildings appropri- 

 ately known as " Lake Dwellings." With 

 the prolongation of the War came the erec- 

 tion of other Government and Y.M.C.A. 

 buildings in all available spaces, including 

 many of the London parks and squares, thus 

 banishing former denizens, and also migra- 

 tory visitors, which used to lend so much 

 interest and beauty to them (Westminster 

 Gazette, g.iv.iS). 



74 



