LONDON'S LITTLE BIRDS 121 



nestful of young at such a distance from their 

 feeding-ground, and when summer comes once 

 more will be tempted to settle somewhere 

 nearer to the park. The Albert Memorial, for 

 instance, gorgeous with gold and bright colour, 

 might attract them ; certainly there was room 

 for them, since it had in the summer of 1896 

 but one pair of starlings for tenants. It was 

 consequently something of a surprise when, on 

 March 23 last spring, early in the morning, the 

 birds reappeared at the same place, and spent 

 over an hour in fluttering about and exploring 

 the old breeding- hole, perching on the slates and 

 chimney-pots, and clinging to the brick wall, 

 fluttering their wings, screaming and whistling 

 as if almost beside themselves with joy to be at 

 home once more. 



Brave and faithful starlings ! we hardly de- 

 serve to have you back, since London has not been 

 too kind to her feathered children. Quite lately 

 she has driven out her rooks, who were faithful 

 too ; and long ago she got rid of her ravens ; 

 and to her soaring kites she meted out still worse 

 treatment, pulling down their last nest in 1777 

 from the trees in Gray's Inn Gardens, and cutting 

 open the young birds to find out, in the interests 



