207
The Hague. Hotel de L'Europe.
1897.
July 25.
  Clear and cool with strong west wind.
  Walked about the city parks in the forenoon. No birds
seen except House sparrows (which are not numerous) and Swifts[.]
To Scheveningen by tram car in P.M. The woods through which
the road leads do not, as Baedeker says, contain "numerous
fine old oaks" but, on the contrary, are composed of elms,
horse chestnuts, plane trees and lindens with a few beeches,
none of the trees being of large size. Indeed the majority
judged by American standards of growth, can scarce exceed fif-
ty years of age. The whole forest was simply alive with peo-
ple and the ground beneath was everywhere hard and
bare. I saw no birds except House Sparrows which are numer-
ous. The beach at Scheveningen was also thronged with people. 
Just outside the breakers Gulls and Terns passed and repassed
at short intervals and I saw a pair of Oyster Catchers flying
along the shore uttering a wild cry which closely resembled
that of the Haematopus. On a lawn in front of one of the ho-
tels several Starlings were walking about probing the ground
with their sharp bills.
  We returned to the hotel at 6 P.M.