266 BIRDS IN LONDON 



comprising an area of about 600 acres, with a 

 river frontage of over two miles, is in even 

 closer toucli with London than its near neigh- 

 bour, Eichmond Park. From the heart of the 

 city two principal thoroughfares run west, and, 

 uniting on the farther side of Hammersmith, 

 extend with few breaks in the walls of brick 

 and glass on either side to Kew Bridge. The 

 distance from the Mansion House to the bridge 

 is about ten miles, and the few remaining gaps 

 in the westernmost portion of this long busy 

 way are now rapidly being filled up. What 

 was formerly the village of Kew is now an 

 integral part of London the Monotonous, in 

 appearance just like other suburbs — Wormwood 

 Scrubs, Kilburn, Muswell Hill, Green Lanes, 

 Dulwich, and Norwood. 



Kew Gardens (251 acres) is, or until very 

 recently was, one of the three or four spots on 

 the borders of the metropolis most favoured by 

 the birds. They were attracted to it by its 

 large size, the woodland character of most of 

 the ground, and its unrivalled position on the 

 river in the immediate vicinity of several other 

 extensive open spaces. The breeding place of 

 most of the birds was in the Queen's Private 



