The Birds 
of London. 
( 69 ) 
THE BIRD WORLD. 
distinguish him), is sometimes seen, not 
being quite so rare here as is supposed. 
The Spotted Flycatcher is quite a 
common bird here in the summer. You 
may see many specimens from Bostal to 
Belvedere on the high roads, this being 
at times a feeding-ground for many. 
Most people have seen a grasshopper, 
but how many have seen a Grasshopper 
Warbler within walking distance of 
their London home? Yet this bird is 
no stranger here sometimes. You can 
hear him in the undergrowth, his 
peculiarity being the imitation of the 
insect of the fields. This bird, like 
many other birds of passage, is very 
shy, and, unless one is careful, is very 
easily frightened away. 
The Golden-crowned Wren. 
“ The Wren is, perhaps, well known to 
everybody; the Golden-crowned Wren 
is not, though you may see it sometimes 
among the tall fir trees as Bostal. Its 
appearance is erratic, for sometimes it 
leaves us for months together. It 
nests here, but being such a tiny bird it 
is difficult to discover. The Dartford 
Warbler, an extremely rare bird here, 
is another species fast becoming extinct, 
and, like the Savi’s Warbler, will, I am 
afraid, be no more, unless steps are 
taken to severely protect it. Examples 
occur sometimes, and I have known them 
to nest quite near; but their eggs are 
sought after so relentlessly by the 
“ professional egger ” that I wonder they 
survive at all. Having only a weak 
song they probably escape observation, 
but they stay the year round with us, 
and are truly British birds. 
An Interesting Group. 
“ The Song Thrush, Robin, Hedge 
Sparrow, Blackbird we are all familiar 
with, but the Golden Oriole,' Hoopoe, 
Crossbill, and Grosbeak have occurred 
here, though, excepting the Crossbill, 
they are as rare as the others are com¬ 
mon. As for the Grosbeak, many 
specimens of this bird have I seen in 
the stillness of the pine woods of Bostal 
Heath, but not lately. The Kingfisher? 
Yes, you may see him darting up one of 
the many large brooks outside our 
boundary ; but usually a man with a 
gun wants him for a glass case in his 
parlour, and so frequently an old 
muzzle-loader lays him low, which is 
one of the principal reasons why King¬ 
fishers are getting so rare. It is time 
that this beautiful “ flash of blue ” was 
better protected. I do not kQow which 
bird is persecuted the most, the Jay or 
the Kingfisher, but to see one of these 
birds flash up stream, and to watch him 
fish is worth a walk of miles; but we are 
going too far into the country now. The 
Jay has increased in numbers here. In 
the winter time you may count a dozen, 
under favourable circumstances, in as 
many minutes.” 
A Feathered Eviction. 
Right in the heart of one of the old- 
world Cheshire villages on the outskirts 
of Warrington grows a clump of high 
pine trees, the tops of which have for 
years been the nesting places of a small 
colony of Wood Pigeons. During the 
last few weeks a couple of new arrivals 
have taken place in this village com¬ 
munity in the persons of a pair of Tawny 
Owls—Syrnium aluco—much to the 
disgust and protest of the occupiers. 
When the Owls took possession of the old 
nests to rear their brood the Pigeons took 
their departure elsewhere. In their newly- 
chosen breeding place the Owls will be 
safe from the gamekeeper, the marauding 
gunner, and the juvenile egg-snatcher. 
They certainly look particularly con¬ 
tented and satisfied with the safety of 
their new home, roosting under the old 
nests. One day the Pigeons made a 
final attempt to evict the strangers, and 
the contest between the rivals continued 
all day. That the battle was fierce 
could be noted by the very unusual 
diurnal hooting of the Owls. Their loud 
and clear hoo-hoo-hoo was frequent 
during the day, but loudest and most 
prolonged about half-past four in the 
afternoon. The next day the Pigeons 
had disappeared. 
