2 BIBDS IN LONDON 



for the beautiful that has vanished and returneth 

 not ; consequently, it would be hard in treating 

 of London bird life not to go back to times 

 which now seem very ancient, when the kite 

 was common — the city's soaring scavenger, 

 protected by law, just as the infinitely less 

 attractive turkey-buzzard is now protected in 

 some towns of the western world. 'Again, 

 thanks to Mr. Harting's researches into old 

 records, we have the account of beautiful white 

 spoonbills, associated with herons, building their 

 nests on the tree-tops in the Bishop of London's 

 grounds at Fulham. 



To leave this fascinating theme. It struck 

 me at first that the book vaguely contemplated 

 might be made useful to lovers and students of 

 bird life in London ; and I was also encouraged 

 by the thought that the considerable amount of 

 printed material which exists relating to the 

 subject would make the task of writing it com- 

 paratively easy. 



But I no sooner looked attentively into the 

 subject than I saw how difficult it really was, 

 and how unsatisfactory, and I might almost add 

 useless, the work would prove. 



To begin with, what is London ? It is a 



