PREFACE ii 



his challenge and the Great-tit whets his saw, or with 

 his brisk " vitz-ski, vitz-ski," calls to an acquaintance, 

 apparently of Polish nationality. The brook is trans- 

 formed into an inky drain, foul with the smell of 

 bleach-works, but Whitethroat and Sedge- Warbler still 

 nest amongst the briars and brambles which overhang it. 

 The quiet field-pond in the hollow becomes the rubbish- 

 tip of neighbouring back-yards, but, as long as it has 

 its fringe of willow and a few tufts of sedge and rushes, 

 the Reed Bunting still makes it his home. Upon the 

 first occasion when we listened to the note of the Quail, 

 its voice came from a patch of rye-grass not two miles 

 distant from Manchester City Hall. No farther from 

 the same centre, but in another direction, the Cuckoo 

 paid visits to surburban villadom and, sitting with open 

 window on quiet nights, one might even hear a distant 

 Corncrake. Migrants, such as the Willow Wren, 

 Spotted Flycatcher, and even a pair of Lesser White- 

 throats, returned each spring, undeterred by smoke- 

 darkened skies and an atmosphere which soon robbed 

 the young foliage of its freshness. In the suburbs 

 birds are in fact less subject to the attacks of their 

 natural enemies, such as hawks and weasels, than 

 is the case in the country, though it is doubtful whether 

 the advantage is not more than atoned for by the risk 

 which they run from the all-pervading cat. The artful 

 feline has been seen to stroll down the garden daily 

 to inspect the progress of a nestful of young black- 

 birds, postponing attack until they had reached a 

 reasonable size, while another brought the callow 

 fledglings from a thrushes' nest and deposited them 

 unharmed upon the drawing-room carpet. To the 

 fact that most city parks possess a sheet of ornamental 

 water we have owed more than once the delighted 

 recognition of a vanishing streak of azure-blue as a 



