JEAST LONDON 213 



recent years they appear to have increased, the 

 nests in 1896 numbering fifty or fifty-one, and in 

 1897 forty-nine. 



In conclusion, I wish to suggest that it 

 would be well to make Wanstead Park as far as 

 possible a sanctuary for all wild creatures. A 

 perfect sanctuary it could not very well be made 

 — there are certain creatures which must be 

 kept down by killing. The lake, for instance, is 

 infested by pike — our crocodile, and Nature's 

 chief executioner in these realms. I doubt 

 if the wild duck, teal, little grebe, and moorhen 

 succeed in rearing many young in this most 

 dangerous water. Again, too many jays in this 

 limited space would probably make it very un- 

 comfortable for the other birds. Finally, the 

 place swarms with rats, and as there are no 

 owls, stoats, and weasels to keep them down, 

 man must kill or try to kill them, badly helped 

 by that most miserable of all his servants, the 

 ferret. 



But allowing that a perfect sanctuary is not 

 possible, it would be better to do away with the 

 autumn and winter shooting. It is as great a 

 delight to see wild duck, snipe, ring-doves in 

 numbers, and stray waders and water-fowl as 



