INDEX

Abney Park Cemetery, 190

‘Afternoon tea,’ sparrows at, 9

Albino daws, 64, 66

Anemones, decorative use of, by moorhens, 96

Arnold, Matthew, ‘Lines written in Kensington Gardens,’ 161

Badger-hunt, a modern, 259

Badgers at Wimbledon, 258

— a colony of, in Caen Wood, 327

Barn Elms Park, 253

Barnes Common, 253, 254

Battersea Park, moorhen’s æsthetic nest in, 96

— — starlings congregating in, 139

— — making of, 240

— — bird life assisted in, 242

— — a spirited cat in, 291

Beverley Brook, 253, 255

Birds’-nesting, 175, 183, 230

Birds of London, changes among the, 5

— — — recent additions to, 89, 94

— — — passerine, 104

— — — their disregard of noise, 188

— — — encouragement of, 242, 275

Bishop’s Park, Fulham, 251

— — bird life in, past and present, 252

Blackbirds in London, white, 64, 123

— proportional numbers of, 122

Booth, Mr. Charles, as to ‘roughs,’ 279

Bostell Woods and Heath, 226

— — bird life in, 227, 230

Bread-eating by the crow, 45

— by the gull, 148

Breeding places, need of, in central parks, 163, 179

Brockwell Park, 235

Buckhurst Hill, white owl at, 166

Caen Wood, Nature’s balance in, 326

Camberwell Cemetery, 233

Carrion crow, as domestic pet, 48

— — as mouser, 49

— — as practical joker, 50

Carrion crows in London, 32

— — mock battle of, 33

— — daily flight of, 42

— — modification of feeding habits, 44

— — picking food from the river, 46

— — visits of, to the Zoological Gardens, 175

Cat, a, on a Battersea island, 291

Cathedrals, æsthetic value of daws to, 53, 264

Cats, need of their exclusion from bird preserves, 163, 221, 276, 284

— connection between sparrows and, 285

— deliberate ‘straying’ of, 299

— suggestion as to disposal of, 300

— present attempts at exclusion of, from parks, 301

— destruction of low-nesting birds by, 290

— their numbers in London, 294

— ownerless, 295

Cemeteries:

Kensal Green, 172

Abney Park, 190

established on Barnes Common, 254

their future use, 171, 186, 234

Chaffinch, the, as songster, 12

— its winter resorts, 144

— its return to London, 158

— from the bird-fancier’s point of view, 197-200

— care of nest of, at Clissold Park, 280

Changes in bird population, 5, 267, 273

Changes in habits of birds, 93

‘Chapel,’ a sparrows’, 114, 288

Checks, natural, to sparrow increase, 325

— needed, on pigeon increase, 313

Churchyard Bottom Wood, 184

City, wood-pigeons nesting in the, 91

Clapham Common, 243

Clissold Park, crows formerly in, 45

— — hasty visit of daws to, 57

— — wood-pigeons in, 91

— — description of, 189

— — regard for bird life in, 190, 280

— — bird experiments in, 309

Corncrake, its occasional presence at Hampstead, 178

County Council, their aim in bird protection, 17

— — their management of Hampstead Heath, 182

— — their improvements in Hackney Marsh, 202-208

— — at Peckham Rye Park, 231

— — their swans, 247

— — suggested care of birds by, 282

— — suggested action of, as to stray cats, 302

Courser, cream-coloured, shot at Hackney, 209

Crows, species of, in London, 20, 29

Dabchick, see Grebe

Darkness of London winter, birds affected by, 106

Decoys, action of tame birds as, 312, 314

Dogs, number of, as compared to cats, 294

— number destroyed under the muzzling order, 300

Ducks of the Serpentine, 34

— annual shooting of, 36

— in Holland Park, domestic difficulties of, 40

— terror of, on sight of crow, 41

Dulwich Park, bird life in, 234

East-enders, their regard for the chaffinch, 197

East London, paucity of breathing spaces in, 192

Eggs, ducks’, stolen from Kensington Gardens, 40

— proposed substitution of, 306, 317, 318, 323

Egg-stealing by jackdaw, 61

Enfield, the ‘Raven Tree’ at, 25

Exotic shrubs, 17, 164, 185, 215

Fence against cats, need of, 301

Fieldfares in London, 131, 178

Finsbury Park, 187

Flycatcher, spotted, at Ravenscourt Park, 170

— — in Kew Gardens, 267

Fowls, attack of, on marauding jackdaw, 61

Fuel-gatherers, 86

Fulham, former presence of spoonbills and herons at, 2, 252

— Bishop’s Park at, 251

Geese, wild, flying over London, 132

Gray’s Inn Gardens, rookery in, 70

— — — destruction of kite’s nest in, 121

— — — suggestion as to rooks in, 305

Grebe, the little, as a London bird, 97

— — — his nest, 99

— — — defends his nest against swans, 100

— — — in St. James’s Park, 102

— — — seasonal movements of, 137

— — — at Kew, 267

— — — as possible foster parents to crested grebe, 317

Greenwich Park, former rookery in, 77

— — indiscriminate tree-lopping in, 224

— — bird life in, 225

Gulls, black-headed, in London, 145

— — feeding on sprats, 148

Hackney Downs, 194

— Marsh, 201

— — cream-coloured courser shot at, 209

Hampstead, last of the magpies at, 22

— nesting place of crow at, 43

— Heath, 176

— — birds of, 178

Haws, wood-pigeons feeding on, 135

Hedge-sparrows, rarity of, in Kensington Gardens, 159

Herons, former nesting of, at Fulham, 2, 252

— increase of, at Richmond, 263

Heronry at Wanstead, 212

Hibbert, the late Mr. Shirley, on robins in London, 124

— — — — — on London birds, 152

Highbury Fields, 191

Highgate Cemetery, manifest destiny of, 186

— Woods, characteristics of, 183

Holland Park, difficulties of ducks in, 39

— — as bird sanctuary, 157

Hyde Park, bird-feeders in, 15

— — destruction of ravens in, 25

— — decrease of birds in, 275

Island refuges, need of, as sanctuaries, 164, 275

— — in Battersea Park, 242

Jackdaw, a tame, 58

— his egg-stealing avenged, 61

— his parting visit, 63

— at Clissold Park, 310

— wild daws attracted by, 311

Jackdaws, their rarity in London, 52

— as cathedral birds, 53, 264

— colony of, at Kensington, 55

— their relations with rooks, 56, 138

— short visit of, to Clissold Park, 57

— white, 63

— abundance of, at Richmond, 262

Jay, its absence from the inner parks, 23

— at Streatham, 250

— at Wimbledon, 257

— at Richmond, 263

— at Kew, 267

‘Jenny,’ the Tower raven, 29

Kempshall, Mr., loaf-stealing crow observed by, 45

Kennington Park, 219

— — bird life in, 221

Kensington Gardens, raven in, 27

— — daws in, 55, 274

— — former rookery in, 77-82

— — a stranger’s first view of, 78

— — destruction of trees in, 79-85

— — Matthew Arnold on, 161

— — owls in, 165, 274

Kestrels at Hackney Marsh, 206

Kew Gardens, 265

— — bird life in, 267

Kilburn, open spaces in, 172

Kimber, Sergeant, his experiments in Clissold Park, 309

Kingfisher in Battersea Park, 293

— suggestion for encouragement of, 322

Kite, its former office as scavenger, 2

— destruction of last nest of, 121

Lambeth Palace, skylarks in grounds of, 144

— — white owl at, 166

Lea River, swans on the, 205

— — former fishing in the, 206

Leg of Mutton Pond, moorhens on the, 180

Lethal chamber suggested for cats, 300

‘London,’ ambiguity of the term, 2

London, toleration of, by birds, 275

— absorption of country by, 286

London districts:

East, 192

North and North-west, 172

South, 216

South-east, 218

South-west, 237

West, 156

London fields, 194

Longevity of birds, 110, 324

Macaulay, T. B., recollections of Clapham Common, 244

Magpie, rarity of, in London, 20

— fate of last pair at Hampstead, 22

Mallard, imperfect domestication of, 38

— nesting in trees, 39

Mansfield, Lord, birds in his grounds, 178, 181

Marsh lands by the Thames, 210

Melford, Mr. Mark, daws rescued by, 59

— Mrs., her tame jackdaw, 59-63

Middlesex, remains of primæval forest of, 184

Migration, as seen in London, 129-133

Minet, Mr. William, Myatt’s Fields given by, 219

Missel-thrush at Kew, 267

— possible reintroduction of, 318

Moat, the, at Bishop’s Park, Fulham, 251

Moat-hen, early name for moorhen, 94

Moorhens, the, in London, 94

— decorative tastes of, 96

— their dislike of dabchicks, 100

— their autumnal movements, 138

— on Hampstead Heath, 180

— half-grown, as parent’s assistants, 181

Moule, Mr. E. C. H., on the birds of Hampstead, 179

Mouser, the crow as, 49

Movements of London birds, diurnal, 38, 42, 145

— — — — seasonal, 129 et supra

Myatt’s Fields, 219

Nests in parks, &c., taking of, 276

Newton, Professor, as to the Temple Gardens rookery, 307

Night in Kensington Gardens, 38

Nightingale in Bostell Woods, 230

— at Streatham, 250

— increasing rarity of, 268

Northey, Sir R., rooks brought to Temple Gardens by, 307

Nunhead Cemetery, 233

Nuthatch, possible introduction of the, 318

Offerings to mistress by tame rook, 74

Open spaces of London, 151, 171, 192, &c.

— — comparative area of, in the several districts, 239

Owl, white, at Lambeth, 166

Owls, brown and white, in London, 4

— — — — in Kensington Gardens, 165, 274

— — — — at Hampstead, 178

— — — — at Bostell Woods, 230

Oxeye, disappearance of, from London, 158

— possible reintroduction of, 319

Parks, central, of London, 156

Partridge, the, at Kew, 267

Peacock feathers, use of, by moorhens, 96

Peckham Rye and Park, 230

— — bird life in, 232, 233

Pewit, the, at Wimbledon, 257

Pheasant, the, at Kew, 267

Phillips, Mr. M. B., his tame crow, 49

Pigeon, domestic, increase of, in London, 53

— — need of check on, 313

— homing, shot on Hampstead Marsh, 208

Pike, destruction of water-fowl by, 213

Pinioning, 315

Plumstead, 225

Ponds, provision for bird life on, 180, 196

— small, swans on, 247

Putney Heath, 255

Queen’s Park, Kilburn, 172

— private grounds at Kew, 267

— — — — — proposed opening of, 269

Rabbits in Hyde Park, destruction of, by cats, 293

Ranelagh Sporting Club, 252

Raptorial birds, their possible reintroduction, 312, 325

Raven, bracelet stolen by, 26

Ravens, their former presence in London, 25

— fate of the last pair, 25

— duel in Regent’s Park, 27

— savagery towards their young, 127

Ravenscourt Park, 168

Regent’s Park, 173

Richmond Park, 261

Ring, theft and restoration of, by rook, 75

Ringdove, see Wood-pigeon

Robins, growing scarceness of, 124, 159

— their intolerant spirit, 126, 127

— annual scattering of, 140

Roding, the river, 211

Rook, tame, curious customs of, 73-77

Rookery in Gray’s Inn Gardens, 70

— in Kensington Gardens, fate of, 77-84

Rookeries, 178, 212, 235, 250, 258

Rooks, daws joining a company of, 56, 138

— approaching disappearance of, 70

— their characteristics, 72

— their winter roosting places, 138

— at Richmond, 257

— proposed reintroduction of, to London, 305, 309

Rook shooting, herons scared by, 214

— — not approved of by rooks, 258

‘Rough,’ the, his hunting instincts, 278

St. James’s Park, little grebes nesting at, 98

— — — as a winter bird resort, 147

Sanctuary for birds at Caen Wood, 326

Sanctuaries for birds, need of, 163, 179, 213

Scavengers, birds as, 2, 8, 24, 44, 46

Serpentine, suicide of raven in, 27

— need of an island refuge in, 164

‘Shindies,’ sparrows’, 113

Shooting of ducks in Hyde Park, 37

Shrubs for parks, native preferable to exotic, 17, 164, 185, 215

Singing matches of chaffinches, 198

Skylark, 144, 205, 209, 257

Soaring birds, appreciation of height helped by, 53, 264

Soho Square, wood-pigeons nesting in, 91

Southwark Park, 219

— — bird life in, 220

Sparrow, a tame, 108

— a love-sick, 112

Sparrows, companionship of, 7

— their predominance, 105

— intelligence, 107

— domestic irregularities, 111

— ‘shindies,’ 113

— vesper song, 115

— pugnacity of those at the Tower, 141

— cats as check on increase of, 285, 325

— naturally tree birds, 287

— utilisation of, as foster-parents, 323

— present attempts to check their number, 324

Species of birds lost to London, 197, 271

— — — decrease of, 272

— — — proposed restoration of, 304

Spoonbills, their former presence at Fulham, 2, 252

‘Sport,’ fascination of, 199

Stables, Dr. Gordon, on domestic relations of sparrows, 111

Stanley, Bishop, on moorhens, 95

Starlings as London birds, 116

— labour of, in feeding their young, 117, 120

— variety of their notes, 119

— autumnal gatherings of, 139

Stock-dove in London, 103

— possibility of its reintroduction, 31

‘Straying’ of cats, 299

Streatham Common, 248

— — bird life on, 250

Suburbs, abundance of birds in the, 155

Suggestion as to white daws, 66

— as to water-fowl at Hampstead, 181

— — — — at Victoria Park, 196

— as to pond at Kennington, 221

— as to moat at Fulham, 252

— as to care of bird life by County Council, 282

— as to Gray’s Inn rooks, 305

— as to disposal of stray cats, 300

— as to reintroduction of birds to London, 304

— as to encouragement of kingfishers, 322

Summer visitants, their usual route, 157

— — at Hampstead, 178

— — at Battersea Park, 243

— songsters in the suburbs, 321

Suspiciousness of sparrows, 107

Swallows as London visitors, 130

Swans and dabchicks, battle between, 100

— their unsuitableness on small ponds, 186, 247

— of the river Lea, 205

Tame birds as decoys, 312, 314

Temple Gardens, origin of rookery in, 307

Thames, the, as hunting ground for crows, 46

Thrushes, growing scarceness of, 160

Tits, growing rarity of, 159

Tooting Bec, 246

— Graveney, 248

Tower of London, ravens at the, 27

— — — fieldfares on tree at, 132

— — — fate of robin at, 141

Trap-shooting, sale of jackdaws for, 59

Trees, ducks nesting in, 39

— destruction of, in Kensington Gardens, 79-84

— old, due care of, 161

— their growth stunted by smoke, 196

— lopping of, at Greenwich, 224

— rooks driven away by mutilation of, 71, 77, 81

Tristram-Valentine, the late Mr., on the starling in London, 126

— on gulls in London, 145

Tuck, Mr. W. H., on the Kensington crows, 42

Turtle-dove, possible introduction of, 314

Vesper songs of birds, 115

Victoria Park, 194, 195

— — singing lessons to chaffinches in, 198

Visitants, occasional, 29, 97, 138, 143-145

Wandsworth Common, 245, 246

Wanstead Park, 210

— — bird life in, 212

Warblers in London, 143

— at Hampstead, 178

— in Bostell Woods, 228

Waterfowl, ornamental, relative value of, 34, 68

— rare, visits of, to the parks, 97, 145, 314, 316

Waterlow Park, bird population of, 185

— — swans at, 186

Westbourne Park, wood-pigeons at coal deposit at, 91

West London, open spaces on borders of, 171

Wheatears on Hampstead Heath, 130, 178

White jackdaws, 64

— ravens, 65

— blackbirds, 123

White House Fishery, 206, 209

— — resort of Hackney ‘sportsmen,’ 207

Whiteness, black species most subject to vary into, 64

Willughby on white ravens, 65

Wimbledon Common, bird life on, 257

— — badgers at, 258

Woodpecker, green, at Hampstead, 263

— — at Kew, 267

— lesser spotted, 178, 225, 267

— spotted, disappearance of, 178

Wood-pigeons, their increase in London, 6, 89

— recent arrival of, 90, 101

— changes in their habits, 93

— their autumnal exodus, 134

— a singular habit of, 135

Wren, gradual disappearance of, 159

— increase of, in Battersea Park, 243

— strength of vocal powers, 320

— goldcrest, at Kew, 267

Wryneck at Kew, 267, 274

Yarrell on magpies in Kensington Gardens, 22

Yellowhammer at Hampstead Heath, 177

— at Wandsworth Common, 246

— at Barnes Common, 254

Zoological Gardens, visits from crows to the, 176

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