WILD BIRDS IN LONDON. 
Their Number and Variety is 
\\CA) fk ETHER in consequence 
\ vV / °^ t ^ ie e ff ec tive working 
V^V of the Wild Birds' Charter 
^ ^ or of other unknown 
causes, there can be no doubt in the 
minds of observant lovers of our 
feathered friends that of late years 
there has been a great and gratifying 
increase in their numbers in and 
around London, especially so, of course, 
in the vicinity of the beautiful open 
spaces which do such beneficent work 
silently in this province of houses. 
But even in long, unlovely streets, far 
removed from the rich greenery of the 
parks, the shabby parallelograms, by 
courtesy styled gardens, are becoming 
more and more frequently visited by 
such pretty shy songsters as Linnets, 
Blackbirds, Thrushes, and Finches, 
who, though all too often falling 
victims to the predatory Cat, find 
abundant food in these cramped 
enclosures. Naturally some suburbs 
are more favored than others in this 
respect, notably Dulwich, which, 
though fast losing its beautiful 
character under the ruthless grip of 
the builder, still retains some delight- 
ful nooks where one may occasionally 
hear the Nightingale's lovely song in 
its season. 
But the most noticable additions to 
the bird population of London have 
been among the Starlings. Their 
quaint gabble and peculiar minor 
Increasing Instead of Diminishing. 
whistle may now be heard in the most 
unexpected localities. Even the 
towering mansions which have re- 
placed so many of the slums of West- 
minster find favor in their eyes, for 
among the thick clustering chimneys 
which crown these great buildings 
their slovenly nests may be found in 
large numbers. In some districts they 
are so numerous that the irrepressible 
Sparrow, true London gamin that he 
is, finds himself in considerable danger 
of being crowded out. This is perhaps 
most evident on the sequestered lawns 
of some of the inns of the court, Gray's 
Inn Square, for instance, where hun- 
dreds of Starlings at a time may now 
be observed busily trotting about the 
greensward searching for food. Several 
long streets come to mind where not a 
house is without its pair or more of 
Starlings, who continue faithful to 
their chosen roofs, and whose descend- 
ants settle near as they grow up, well 
content with their surroundings. 
House Martins, too, in spite of 
repeated efforts on the part of irritated 
landlords to drive them away by 
destroying their nests on account of 
the disfigurement to the front of the 
dwelling, persist in returning year 
after year and rebuilding their ingen- 
ious little mud cells under the eaves of 
the most modern suburban villas 
or terrace houses. 
— Pall Mall Gazette. 
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