286 BIRDS AND MAN 



as it died a few hours later, in spite of having 

 a London hishop's family to nurse it and minister 

 to its wants. After this little bird-tragedy, Mrs. 

 Creighton remembered that a few weeks earlier 

 in the season, on two or three occasions, she had 

 surprised a cuckoo paying mysterious visits to 

 the Palace. 



To return to our commonest resident species : 

 On the afternoon of September 7 a curious 

 performance, with sparrows and starlings for 

 actors, was witnessed over a large portion of 

 West London. I chanced to see from a top 

 window that a considerable number of sparrows 

 had placed themselves on the highest points 

 on the roof of a neighbouring church and on the 

 tallest chimney-pots of the adjoining houses. 

 They were all excitedly watching the sky, at 

 intervals flying up to a height of thirty or forty 

 yards above the housetops to pursue some passing 

 insect ; this caught, the sparrow would returtt 

 to its stand to kill and devour it. By and by a 

 party of half-a-dozen starlings came to the church 

 roof to join in the fun. The insects they were 

 preying on, seen through a powerful field-glass, 

 looked Uke 'crane-flies, and on the following days 



