WATER AND WOODLAND 
99 
woodland in the more remote parts of the grounds, where quiet 
reigns, rarely disturbed except by the scurry of the squirrel or the 
chattering of the jay ; and shady recesses which are 
Where Quiet coo i on su p- r i es t summer day. Considering how 
precious Kew’s sense of remoteness is, how increasingly 
difficult it becomes to maintain it, it is surprising that even local 
selfishness can ask for the removal of the wall that separates the 
gardens from the Kew Road, and threaten thus to let in the cease- 
less noise of traffic and the sight of trams, omnibuses, and all the 
unlovely attributes of a busy suburban thoroughfare. 
The grounds in which the Queen’s Cottage stands form one of 
the most beautiful spots near London. Except for an annual mow- 
ing of certain parts for hay, they remain undisturbed. The 
Queen’s 
trees grow thickly together, and beneath them is a tangled, 
Grounds a l mos t impenetrable growth of bramble. In more open 
spots the ground is carpeted in May with lovely masses 
of bluebell, which from time out of memory have filled these woods 
with beauty every spring. In front of the Cottage great masses of 
rhododendron make a gorgeous display in June. 
When the Pleasure Grounds of Kew Gardens were given over 
to public enjoyment by Queen Victoria in 1845, about 37 acres sur- 
rounding this Cottage were reserved. They remained the private 
property of the Crown until 1897, when, in commemoration of her 
Diamond Jubilee, her Majesty gave them also to the public, at the 
same time expressing a desire that they might remain in their 
wild condition. At present the public are restricted to a grass walk 
which runs through the centre of the grounds within a few yards of 
the Cottage. From this walk several vistas and avenues penetrate 
the still depths of the woods. 
In addition to their beauty and charm as a piece of Nature un- 
disturbed, these woods are valuable as a sanctuary for wild birds. 
Of these, Mr. W. H. Hudson, a leading authority, has 
enumerated about eighty species as inhabiting Kew, the 
majority of which make their home here. It is a pleasant fact that 
an unusually large proportion of them are singing birds. Mr. Hudson 
has observed that “ even in a perfectly rural district it would not 
be easy to find so great a variety in the same space ; and it is, indeed, 
this variety and abundance of bird-music which to the lover of Nature 
give to Kew Gardens their principal charm.” 
Bird-Life. 
