NOTES ON LONDON BIRDS 
89 
attracted by the song, which is very rarely heard in London. I 
got fairly close to the bird before it flew away. This is only the 
third occasion upon which I have met with this species in town ; 
the previous occasions being on April i, 1889, in New Square, 
Lincoln’s Inn, and on June 5, 1895, close to where the bird above 
mentioned was heard. (See Nature Notes, 1891, p. 124, and 
1896, p. 33.) 
On May 5 I saw my first London swallow in Pimlico, and 
when walking home that evening through Kensington Gardens 
a cuckoo flew over my head and alighted on a tree close to the 
Long Water, and at once began to utter its well-known cry. It 
soon left this tree and flew off towards Lancaster Gate. Though 
I have at various times seen the cuckoo in London, I had never 
before experienced the good fortune of hearing its call, though 
others have occasionally done so. 
A lesser whitethroat was singing in Kensington Gardens close 
to the bridge over the Serpentine on May 15, and on the following 
day the spotted flycatcher appeared. On May 19 a greater 
whitethroat was in full song in the dell at the end of the Serpen- 
tine, and on the 21st I again heard the lesser whitethroat 
singing. 
A dead crow was floating in the Serpentine on May 22 ; I 
believe it had been shot. No doubt these very interesting birds 
are apt to do a great deal of damage to eggs and young birds, 
but it is a great shame to shoot them ; it is no excuse to say that 
they destroy the duck eggs and carry off ducklings, for the 
ducks apparently increase so much faster than the authorities 
deem desirable, that considerable numbers of them are shot 
every winter. 
An escaped canary was feeding on the ground near the Speke 
Monument in Kensington Gardens on June 5, and seemed to 
enjoy its freedom. 
On June 9 I was surprised at finding a pied wagtail by the 
Serpentine Bridge feeding two quite young birds. For some 
time past I had seen pied wagtails near the bridge, and expect 
they must have nested close by, though they must have been 
exposed to great risk in doing so. 
On June 13 there commenced a terrific downpour of rain 
which lasted without cessation for over sixty hours. I had 
intended to bicycle to Bath, starting at midnight, but the ride 
was wisely postponed. When the rain stopped a good many 
swifts appeared over the Serpentine. I observed this species 
in London again on July 4 and 26. 
As usual, in August several willow wrens were to be seen 
and heard; they were noticed in Hyde Park on the nth, 21st 
and 29th. 
Probably very few spotted flycatchers bred in Hyde Park 
or Kensington Gardens last summer, in fact I only saw two 
young birds; this was on August ii, near Hyde Park Corner. 
They were being fed by their parents. The Field of August 29, 
