NOTES ON LONDON BIRDS 
'3 
flying south. About the middle of February a missel-thrush 
could be heard singing in Hyde Park near the Bayswater Road. 
During the last week of this month a strong south-westerly 
wind brought a good many gulls into town ; those which visited 
the Serpentine appeared all to be black-headed gulls; but I also 
saw the lesser black-backed and common species on the Thames, 
off Temple Gardens. 
When March arrives London winter is nearly at an end, and 
things generally brighten up a bit. Mr. A. L. Stevenson, in his 
article in last month’s issue of Nature Notes, pities us 
Londoners very much in winter. At no time of year is London 
as nice as the country, but if I may be allowed to say so, I 
prefer winter to any other season in the metropolis. In the 
first place we are comparatively warm here ; and then we know 
that even the country is apt to look gloomy at this season, so 
that we do not pine for the fields as incessantly as in spring or 
summer. It is true we have no “ trees to be felled and faggots 
to be tied," nor have we any “ sawing and splitting of logs in 
the woodshed ” ; but we do not confine ourselves, as Mr. Steven- 
son supposes, to “ theatre-going and concert-hearing,” “ mere 
passive enjoyments." For instance, we sometimes dance, and 
many of 11s ride bicycles ; moreover, we can skate even when 
the temperature is far above 32 0 Fahr., and when there is no 
sign of ice in Mr. Stevenson’s country garden ; added to which 
we have our Zoological Gardens and Natural History Museum, 
and our Botanic Gardens in Regent’s Park and at Kew ; so we 
manage to get through the short days pretty well. When 
March has come we know that the summer birds will soon 
commence to arrive. On the 25th (Lady Day) I heard the 
chiff-chaff within a few yards of the spot where I have heard 
it in previous years. On April 2 a dabchick made its appear- 
ance on the Serpentine and was diving close to the bridge. 
This was a very interesting day for me, for I later on discovered 
a crow sitting on a nest in a most remarkable and exposed 
situation, which I need not reveal for reasons obvious to those 
who happened to read my “ Notes on London Birds for 1895,” 
published in this Journal. A few days later I found another 
crow’s nest, on which the old bird was sitting, so it is to be 
hoped that this persecuted species may remain with us some 
years longer. 
A wood-pigeon built a nest in a hawThorn in Lincoln’s Inn 
Fields, and commenced sitting on April 8. The nest was in a very 
exposed position, with people passing close under it all day long, 
but the bird continued to sit for about a fortnight, and then 
deserted the nest. 
On April 9 I went out for a ride before breakfast on my 
bicycle and heard a wryneck while crossing Barnes Common, 
over which larks were singing gloriously. While returning 
across Hyde Park, after my day’s work was over, on the evening 
of the 14th, I saw four or five wheatears, the first I had observed 
