THE BIRD -LIFE
OF LONDON
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
A COUNTRY-SIDE CHRONICLE. By
S. L. BENSUSAN. With Illustrations by CARTON
MOORE-PARK. Demy 8vo, 75. 6d. net.
THE COUNTRY DAY BY DAY. By
E. KAY ROBINSON. Illustrated. Crown 8vo, 6s.
THE DAINTY NATURE SERIES
Each Volume Illustrated, price 55. net.
CAMERA AND COUNTRYSIDE. By
A. R. DUGMORE.
AMONG THE WATER-FOWL. By H. K.
JOB.
NATURE BIOGRAPHIES. The Lives of
Some Everyday Butterflies, Moths, Grasshoppers, and
Flies. By CLARENCE MOORES WEED.
HOW TO ATTRACT THE BIRDS, AND
OTHER TALK ABOUT BIRD NEIGHBOURS.
By NELTJE BLANCHAN.
THE NATURE STUDY IDEA. By L. H.
BAILEY.
THE BROOK BOOK. By M. R. MILLER.
<=*=>
LONDON: WILLIAM HEINEMANN
21 BEDFORD STREET, W.C.
i. Reed Bunting. 2. Bullfinch. 3. Greenfinch. 4. Chaffinch. 5. Goldfinch.
6. Lesser Redpole. 7. Linnet.
THE BIRD-LIFE OF
LONDON
BY
CHARLES DIXON
WITH ILLUSTRATIONS IN
COLOUR AND BLACK AND WHITE
LONDON
WILLIAM HEINEMANN
1909
*•»«•- * * * » .
4lV .V :l/:-..:
* * * »5 **S ••••"!* ' *> ** *
Copyright, London, 1909, ^_y William Heinemann
PREFACE
THE present volume is the result of many years' observa-
tion of the Bird-Life of London. For the past eight
years a more or less continuous residence in the Metro-
polis has enabled me not only to arrange the many notes
already in my possession (some of these date back to 1880),
but to devote a considerable time to the special study of
its avifauna.
The species dealt with include all that are found resi-
dent within the fifteen-mile radius ; all that visit that
area either as summer or winter migrants ; and, finally,
the casual wanderers that occur at irregular intervals.
A brief history has been given of each species fairly
claiming a place in the list of London birds, together
with a description of the adult and young plumage,
which will enable the student readily to identify
them.
My book has been written to encourage the observa-
tion of the Bird-Life of London, and I hope it may prove
of some assistance to the pursuit of Nature-study in the
elementary schools of the Metropolis. Most suburban
residents take an intelligent interest in the birds of their
particular neighbourhood, and these, I trust, may find
something of use to them in the following pages.
My radius of fifteen miles may seem a somewhat wide
one ; but in these days, when space is annihilated, I
may be forgiven the extension, although it includes
v
749907
PREFACE
in each direction, very fairly, the limits of the Great
Metropolis.
The series of singularly life-like pictures which adorns
the following pages has been drawn by my old friend
Mr. John Duncan, of Newcastle, I am indebted .tQ
the proprietors of the Newcastle Weekly Chronicle for
permission to use them here, and to them I desire to
tender my best thanks for the favour.
CHARLES DIXON
LONDON, 1909
VI
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
THE PEREGRINE FALCON (Falco peregnnus) 12
THE HOBBY (Falco subbuteo) 14
THE KESTREL (Falco tinnunculus) 16
THE SPARROW-HAWK (Accipiter nisus) 19
THE BARN OWL (Sfrix flammed} 21
THE TAWNY OWL (Syrnium aluco) 23
THE LONG-EARED OWL (Asio otus) 25
THE BLACKBIRD (Merula vulgarii) 27
THE RING-OUZEL (Merula torquata) 30
THE FIELDFARE (Turdus pilaris) 32
THE REDWING (Turdus iliactis) 34
THE SONG THRUSH (Turdus musicui) 36
THE MISSEL-THRUSH (Turdus viscivorus) 39
THE ROBIN (Eritbacus rubeculd) 42
THE NIGHTINGALE (Daulias lusc'mid) 45
THE REDSTART (Ruficltta phaenicurus) 49
THE WHEATEAR (Saxicola oenanthe) 51
THE WHINCHAT (Pratincola rubetra) 53
THE STONECHAT (Pratincola rubuold) 56
THE HEDGE ACCENTOR (Accentor modularis) 58
THE GRASSHOPPER WARBLER (Locustella ntevia) 61
THE REED WARBLER (Acrocephalus arundinaceus) 64
THE SEDGE WARBLER (Acrocephalus phragmitis) 6y
THE WHITETHROAT (Sylvia cinerea) 70
THE LESSER WHITETHROAT (Sylvia currucd) 73
THE GARDEN WARBLER (Sylvia hortensis) 75
THE BLACKCAP (Sylvia atiicapilld) 78
THE DARTFORD WARBLER (Sylvia provincialis) 81
THE WOOD WARBLER (Phylloscopus sibllatrlx) 84
THE WILLOW WTARBLER (Phylloscopus trochilus] 87
VU
CONTENTS
PAGE
THE CHIFFCHAFF (Pbylloscopus rufus) 89
THE GOLDCREST (Regulus cristatus) 92
THE WREN (Troglodytes parvulw) 95
THE CREEPER (Certhia familiaris) 98
THE NUTHATCH (Sitta c<esia) 101
THE GREAT TITMOUSE (Parus major) 104
THE BLUE TITMOUSE Parus c<eruleui) 107
THE COAL TITMOUSE (Parus ater ; sub-sp. britannicus) no
THE MARSH TITMOUSE (Parus palustris) 112
THE LONG-TAILED TITMOUSE (Acredula rosea) 114
THE PIED WAGTAIL (Motacilla yarre/li) 117
THE WHITE WAGTAIL (Motacilla alba) 120
THE GREY WAGTAIL (Motacilla sulphur ea) 122
THE YELLOW WAGTAIL (Motacilla raii) 124
THE TREE PIPIT (Anthus arboreus) 127
THE MEADOW PIPIT (dnthus prat etuis) 130
THE SKYLARK (Alauda arvensh) 133
THE WOOD LARK (Alauda arborea) 136
THE COMMON BUNTING (Emberlza miliaria) 138
THE YELLOW BUNTING (Emberiza citrlnella) i^o
THE CIRL BUNTING (Emberiza cirlus) 143
THE REED BUNTING (Emberiza schcenic/us) 146
THE SNOW BUNTING (Emberiza nivalis) 149
THE CHAFFINCH (Fringilla celebs] 151
THE BRAMBLING (Fringilla montifringilla) 154
THE HOUSE SPARROW (Passer domes tic tu) 157
THE TREE SPARROW (Passer montanus) 160
THE HAWFINCH (Coccothraustes vulgaris) 162
THE GREENFINCH (Ligurinus chlorii) 165
THE GOLDFINCH (Carduelis elegans) 168
THE SISKIN (Cbrysomitris spinus) 171
THE LESSER REDPOLE (Lino fa rufescens) 173
THE LINNET (Linota cannabina) 176
THE TWITE (Linota Jlavirostris) 179
THE BULLFINCH (Pyrrhula vulgaris) 181
THE CROSSBILL (Loxia curvirostra) 183
viii
CONTENTS
PAGE
THE SPOTTED FLYCATCHER (Muscicapa grisold) 186
THE PIED FLYCATCHER (Muscicapa atricapilla) 189
THE RED BACKED SHRIKE (Lanius collurio) 191
THE WAXWING (Ampelts garrulus) 194
THE STARLING (Sturnus vulgaris) 196
THE RAVEN (Corvus cor ax) 199
THE CARRION CROW (Corvus corone) 202
THE HOODED Ccow (Corvus comix) 205
THE ROOK (Corvus frugilegus) • 207
THE JACKDAW (Corvus moneduld) 210
THE MAGPIE (Pica caudatd) 213
THE JAY (Garrulus glandarius) 216
THE SWALLOW (Hirundo rustica) 219
THD HOUSE MARTIN (Chelidon urbicd) 222
THE SAND MARTIN (Cotyle riparia) 225
THE SWIFT (Cypselus apus) 228
THE GREEN WOODPECKER (Gecinus viridis) 231
THE GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER (Picus major} 234
THE LESSER SPOTTED WOODPECKER (Picus minor) 237
THE WRYNECK (lynx torquilia) 240
THE CUCKOO (Cuculus canorus) 243
THE KINGFISHER (Alcedo ispida) 246
THE NIGHTJAR (Caprimulgus europteus) 249
THE RING DOVE (Columba palumbus) 252
THE STOCK DOVE (Columba tenas) 255
THE TURTLE DOVE (Turtur auritui) 258
THE PHEASANT (Phasianus cohhicus) 261
THE PARTRIDGE (Perdix cine red) 264
THE GOLDEN PLOVER (Cbaradrius pluvialis) 267
THE LAPWING (Vancllus cristatus) 269
THE RINGED PLOVER (JEgialitis hiaticula) 272
THE COMMON SANDPIPER (Totanus hypoJeucus) 275
THE CURLEW (Numenius arquata) 278
THE COMMON WHIMBREL ( Numenius phceopus) 281
THE WOODCOCK (Scolopax rusticuld) 284
THE COMMON SNIPE (Gallinago scolopacina) 287
b ix
CONTENTS
PAGE
THE JACK SNIPE (Limnocryptes gallinula) 290
THE BLACK-HEADED GULL (Larus rldibundus) 293
OTHER GULLS AND TERNS (Larin<*>) (Sternina-} 297
THE CORN CRAKE (C 'rex pr a ten sis) 299
THE WATER HEN (Gallinula chloropus) 3°2
THE COOT (Fulica air a)
THE HERON (Ardea clnerea)
THE GREAT- CRESTED GREBE (Podiceps cri status) 311
THE LITTLE GREBE (Podiceps minor} 3H
THE MALLARD (Anas boschas)
THE COMMON TEAL (Nettion crecca)
THE WIGEON (Mareca penelope) 322
THE POCHARD (Nyrocafenna) 324
THE TUFTED DUCK (Fuligula cristata) 32^
LOCAL LIST 329
INDEX 33i
FACING
PAGE
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
COLOUR
Reed Bunting, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Lesser
Redpole, Linnet, Bullfinch Frontispiece
Sparrow-Hawk, Barn Owl 20
Blackbird, Song Thrush, Robin, Nightingale, Redstart 42
Hedge Accentor, Whitethroat, Dartford Warbler, Gold-
crest, Willow Wren, Common Wren, Common
Nuthatch 92
Blue Titmouse, Longtailed Titmouse, Grey Wagtail,
Tree Pipit, Skylark 120
Starling, Jackdaw, Magpie, Common Jay, Barn Swallow 196
Green Woodpecker, Cuckoo, Common Kingfisher,
Golden Plover, Lapwing 246
Black-headed Gull, Corn Crake, Common Coot, Common
Teal 294
BLACK AND WHITE
Peregrine Falcon, Hobby, Kestrel 12
Long-eared Owl, Wood Owl 24
Ring - Ouzel, Fieldfare, Redwing, Missel - Thrush,
Wheatear, Whinchat, Stonechat 32
Grasshopper Warbler, Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler,
Lesser Whitethroat, Garden Warbler, Blackcap
Warbler, Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, Wood Wren 64
Great Titmouse, Coal Titmouse, Marsh Titmouse, Pied
Wagtail, White Wagtail, Yellow Wagtail, Meadow
Pipit 112
xi
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
FACING
PAGE
Corn Bunting, Yellow Bunting, Cirl Bunting, Snow
Bunting, Brambling, House Sparrow, Tree Sparrow,
Hawfinch, Siskin, Twite 140
Common Creeper, Wood Lark, Common Crossbill,
Spotted Flycatcher, Pied Flycatcher, Red-backed
Shrike, Waxwing 186
Raven, Carrion Crow, Hooded Crow, Rook 202
House Martin, Sand Martin, Common Swift, Great
Spotted Woodpecker, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker,
Wryneck, Red-necked Nightjar 222
Ring Dove, Stock Dove, Turtle Dove 252
Grey Plover, Greater Ringed Plover, Lesser Ringed
Plover, Jack Snipe 272
Common Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Redshank, Green
Sandpiper 276
Kittiwake, Spotted Crake, Water Rail, Water Hen 302
Common Heron, Great-crested Grebe, Mute Swan 308
Little Grebe, Mallard, Pochard, Tufted Duck 314
Wigeon, Scaup 322
xn
INTRODUCTION
LONDON has often been described as a " wilderness of
bricks and mortar," or as a " desert of houses " ; but surely
the least observant of its citizens would protest nowadays
against such an obvious libel, and with very good reason.
There are few spots, even in the centre of this vast
Metropolis, where the lover of Nature may not find
something of interest ; he cannot wander far in any
direction without having some reminder of more rural
scenes. Not only so : now that Nature-study occupies
such a prominent place in the educational course of the
Council's elementary schools, steps are being taken on
every side to preserve and encourage that Wild Life
which not only beautifies London, but elevates its
citizens, and exerts a priceless influence upon the recep-
tive minds of the young. A warning note, however, is
necessary. Now that the " schoolmaster is abroad " in
downright earnest it cannot be too strongly impressed
upon the responsible authorities that the Nature-know-
ledge imparted should be of a sound, reliable character.
It is just as easy to teach facts as to impart errors ; and the
teacher must have a sound knowledge of the subject in
which he essays to instruct, but I regret to say, speaking
as far as birds are concerned, that this is only too often of
an unreliable, and even downright fictitious, character. I
have examined many of the text-books now in the hands
of elementary teachers, and I must confess myself amazed
at the quality of the information they contain. This
seems to imply that the compilers of these books do
not possess the necessary knowledge to enable them to
separate sound facts from the glaring errors only too
palpable to the specialist. In some of them the Swift is
spoken of as a " Swallow," the nests of certain common
birds are quite erroneously described, as are the eggs,
A I
^ ...THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
, « <» A * • "N
and the most elementary facts concerning food, migra-
tion, and so forth are woefully inaccurate. So far as
London is concerned, there are plenty of common birds
found in the vicinity of most of the Council schools
which might and should serve as object-lessons and as
capital examples for teaching the rudiments of ornitho-
logy. The opportunity in most cases is lost. At the
end of the present chapter I propose to offer a few
suggestions for the " Nature-study " of birds in the
London schools.
The Bird-life of London presents a most fascinating
study to any one who cares to pursue it. A lifetime
among the birds may be profitably spent well within the
fifteen-mile radius. Not only do the residents and
regular migrants offer scope for endless study, but the
casual visitors are a source of great interest in themselves.
Migration, that fascinating drama of the air, may be
investigated with profit. The study of birds within the
Metropolis offers a field of research absolutely denied to
the ornithologist in more rural surroundings. This is in
relation to the ways of birds under more or less abnormal
conditions, which illustrate in a wonderful manner their
adaptability to novel circumstances. Some species, as
we know, have been banished from London ; others,
more adaptable, have maintained their existence through
the changing years ; others yet again have even invaded
the Great City and established themselves in a most
remarkable way. As time goes on there seems to be
every probability that more species will also succeed in
doing so. Time was, as we know by old records, when the
Kite was almost as familiar in London's streets as the
Sparrow is now, and the work of the modern scavenger
was largely left to this useful species, as it is to-day in
many Southern towns. The Swifts used to circle and
glide over what are now the densest parts of the city ;
the Martins and Swallows used to thread the narrow
INTRODUCTION
streets of timber houses, of which almost the last surviving
relic stands in Holborn to-day ; Woodcocks used formerly
to be shot near Piccadilly ; and the usual bird fauna of the
fields must once have occupied situations which are now
nothing but houses. Even the historical study of the
ornithology of London is a most fascinating one, deserv-
ing a volume to itself. In modern days the casual bird
visitors to the Metropolis are many and interesting ;
that is to say, the examples that are observed or obtained.
That old veteran ornithologist the late Herr Gatke used
to say that he would gladly exchange all his wonderful
collection of rare birds, obtained during a lifetime spent
on the tiny island of Heligoland (many times smaller
than London), for those that had passed over it unrecorded
and unobserved. The same might be said of London.
We are constantly getting evidence of the birds that
pass over the vast city, which indicates amazing possi-
bilities if our bird pilgrims could only be recognised.
The harvest is great, but unfortunately the labourers are
few. We want more intelligent observers of the Bird-life
of London, and the present little book has been written
largely with the purpose of winning recruits and stimu-
lating work in this direction. London already can claim
not a few remarkable records, which will be found in the
analytical table appended to this chapter. Some of
these occurrences are simply astonishing. There was,
for instance, the Puffin that flew through a window in
Brook Street — curiously enough, the residence then
occupied by the late Lord Lilford, President of the Orni-
thologists' Union, and a great lover of birds. The Fork-
tailed Petrel and the Stormy Petrel have been captured in
the London streets, attracted by the lights and pools of
water ; the Guillemot has come up the Thames to
London ; the Alpine Swift has been shot at Finchley ;
the Osprey has visited Richmond Park. Commoner
species are repeatedly turning up in the least likely
3
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
localities : the Sedge Warbler has been obtained on the
roof of the Agricultural Hall, at Islington, the Goldcrest
in the Big Wheel, the Sparrow-Hawk at Guy's Hospital,
the Woodcock in the Strand. Many other instances
might be given, but sufficient has been said to indicate
possibilities and stimulate watchfulness. During winter
the game - dealers' shops are a study in themselves,
especially Leadenhall Market, where from time to time
some of our rarest bird visitors find their way for sale in
the Metropolis. A fair collection of rare birds could
be obtained in this locality alone by the enterprising
naturalist. But this is only a side question of London
ornithology.
The migration of birds over London, I am convinced,
is on a very much vaster scale than is generally supposed.
Much evidence of this is set forth in the following pages.
The very size of the Metropolis suggests that it must of
necessity be crossed by large numbers of birds on their
way northwards from the Sussex coast, which we know
to be a district singularly favourable to the phenomenon.
London lies in the direct path of many of these journey-
ing birds. A few alight within London's limits ; some
of these are detected, others pass on without a call, but
sufficiently near to be recognised. During the migra-
tion in spring and autumn the cries of passing birds may
be repeatedly heard from the night sky ; and there can
be no reasonable doubt that the millions of lights in the
great city attract vast numbers of these feathered pil-
grims, especially during cloudy weather, when they are
apt to get off their course or completely to lose their way.
It is no uncommon thing to see bunches of Plovers or
long skeins of Ducks and Geese, often in a V-like forma-
tion, at a great height in the sky on passage over London.
During these periods in spring and autumn a sharp
look-out should be kept in parks and gardens, or in any
place where trees and bushes occur, for migrants which
4
INTRODUCTION
have been tempted to the earth for a brief rest. Then
there is the matter of observing the times of arrival and
departure of the many migratory species that visit London
regularly, either to breed or to spend the winter ; also
the numerous local movements of birds that are more
or less resident within our limits. In fact, London,
so far as its bird-life is concerned, is a self-contained
centre in many respects, and well worthy of systematic
observation. The gradual extension of range of certain
species within the Metropolis is another point of ex-
ceptional interest, the various favourable or unfavourable
influences aiding or checking expansion well repaying
careful and intelligent study. The distribution of many
birds within our radius is as yet very imperfectly known.
The magnificent parks and open spaces, the many
squares and gardens, the delightfully rural suburbs,
must ever prove increasingly attractive haunts for birds.
The waters are equally charming and alluring. The
care that is bestowed upon these places, the way they
are so constantly watched and guarded and their charms
preserved, all favour and encourage bird-life ; and if a
little greater vigilance could be shown in exterminating
rats and keeping cats (which should be shot at sight)
outside these beautiful spots, there seems to be no end
to the possibilities regarding birds that might be induced
to take up their quarters within London's limits. I am,
however, utterly opposed to the suggestions that have
been made with respect to the introduction of exotic
species. Our own avifauna can supply every need ;
and a little judicious management would, I am convinced,
induce many of our gayest and most charming birds to
take up their permanent residence in many of these
places. In some of the parks small aviaries have been
established, and it seems ungenerous to write a word
against them. I, however, am pleading for wild birds
alone. We cannot have too many in the Metropolis,
5
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
where their pleasing plumage, engaging ways, and charm-
ing "music will ever furnish a rich store of amusement
and recreation for those who are doomed to pass their
lives far from the green countryside, with all its benefi-
cent influences. Then the rapid, luxurious, and cheap
means of transit nowadays to all parts of the London
area make the study of London's birds much easier and
pleasanter than formerly. A short, quick journey in
any direction renders a visit to the haunts of any special
or particular bird a matter of little trouble or expense.
In the following pages, under the heading of each species,
a carefully worked-out distribution has been given,
whilst the table at the end of this chapter will show at a
glance the general habitat. Finally, I may add that
everything possible should be done not only to induce
birds to visit and remain in London, but to encourage
their intelligent study, especially by the young. From
a social and moral point of view alone the trifling expendi-
ture involved will prove an investment of the greatest
value to the community. That enterprising body the
London County Council, to which citizens are indebted
far more than they realise for endless improvements and
advantages, might be induced to do a little more in
beautifying the Great City from an ornithological point
of view. I would suggest that some competent person
be appointed to watch over the natural history of the
Council's parks and open spaces. His duties should be
to protect and extend the London avifauna (by local
Acts where necessary), and to record and report facts
concerning it, with the assistance of the many intelligent
keepers and rangers employed in these places. He
should also be competent to direct the Nature-study of
the elementary schools, and to suggest to teachers the
most suitable material available in each special area.
Children would then become familiar with the natural
objects to be found in their own neighbourhoods. It
6
INTRODUCTION
need not be a very expensive experiment, and I am
convinced that the outlay would not only be amply
repaid, but, which is more to the point, receive the
cordial approval of the general public. A monthly
report in the daily Press would serve as a guide to the
public concerning all that is going on in the bird-world
of London, and where specially interesting facts might
be observed.
A word now in conclusion respecting the Nature-study
of Bird-life in the London elementary schools. This
should be pursued in each and every case strictly and
exclusively, as far as possible, with a view to Loca) con-
ditions. The birds found in the district in which the
school is situated should form the objects of study; and
in this way the elementary facts of avine dispersal and
distribution may be illustrated. In this way may be
demonstrated how certain birds inhabit certain locali-
ties ; why they do so ; how they do so. The harmony of
species with their environment, the adaptability of species
or the lack of it, with its results, are other questions
bearing upon this branch of study. Then comes the
matter of species being sedentary or migratory. Why
are they so ? This leads on to the subject of avine
migration and local movements ; the cause (not lack of
food, as so many teachers insist), the destination, and so
on. With migratory species the times of arrival and
departure, the duration of the stay, the object of the visit,
must all be dealt with ; and in the case of sedentary
species the various movements, non-migrational, but
sufficiently marked, will require notice. Then comes
the structure, the habits, and economy of the birds
selected for study, care being taken to lay stress upon
the fact that these birds are typical of groups, to which
such structure and habits are common. The Sparrow
may be taken, for instance, as typical of the Finches,
the Thrush and the Robin of another group, the Wren of
7
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
another, the Starling of another, the Rook and the Dove
of others, and so forth. They should be taken as illus-
trative examples of as many of the broad facts of general
ornithology as may be possible ; but this at a later stage
of study. Then comes the school museum. Too often
this is a mere cupboard full of odds and ends and rubbish
of no use whatever from an educational point of view.
Each should contain at least stuffed specimens of the
common birds of the neighbourhood, together with a set
of models of the eggs of the commoner species. A school
museum should be organised on lines that illustrate the
course of instruction, and uniformity of arrangement
should be followed.
ANALYTICAL TABLE OF THE BIRDS OF
LONDON
SPECIES
STATUS
DISTRIBUTION
Osprey
Accidental visitor
Richmond
Peregrine Falcon
Irregular visitor
General
Hobby
Occasional visitor
General
Kestrel
Resident
General
Sparrow-Hawk
Resident
General
Barn Owl
Resident
General
Tawny Owl
Resident
General
Long-eared Owl
Resident
General
Blackbird
Resident
General
Ring-Ouzel
Migration
General
Fieldfare
Winter visitor
General
Redwing
Winter visitor
General
Song Thrush
Resident
General
Missel-Thrush
Resident
General
Robin
Resident
General
Nightingale
Summer migrant
General
Redstart
Summer migrant
General
Wheatear
Summer migrant
General
Whinchat
Summer migrant
General
Stonechat
Resident
General
INTRODUCTION
ANALYTICAL TABLE OF THE BIRDS OF LONDON— continued
SPECIES
STATUS
DISTRIBUTION
Hedge Accentor
Resident
General
Grasshopper Warbler
Summer migrant
General
Reed Warbler
Summer migrant
Thames and Colne
Valleys
Sedge Warbler
Summer migrant
General
Whitethroat
Summer migrant
General
Lesser Whitethroat
Summer migrant
General
Garden Warbler
Summer migrant
General
Blackcap
Summer migrant
General
Dartford Warbler
Resident
Surrey and Kent
Wood Warbler
Summer migrant
General
Willow Warbler
Summer migrant
General
Chiffchaff
Summer migrant
General
Goldcrest
Resident
General
Wren
Resident
General
Creeper
Resident
General
Nuthatch
Resident
General
Great Titmouse
Resident
General
Blue Titmouse
Resident
General
Coal Titmouse
Resident
General
Marsh Titmouse
Resident
General
Long- tailed Titmouse
Resident
General
Pied Wagtail
Resident
General
White Wagtail
Summer migrant
North and west
Grey Wagtail
Winter visitor
General
Yellow Wagtail
Summer migrant
General
Tree Pipit
Summer migrant
General
Meadow Pipit
Resident
General
Skylark
Resident
General
Wood Lark
Resident
General, but local
Common Bunting
Resident
General ; rarer in east
Yellow Bunting
Resident
General
Cirl Bunting
Resident
Local and rare
Reed Bunting
Resident
General ; riparian
Snow Bunting
Winter visitor
General and local
Chaffinch
Resident
General
Brambling
Winter visitor
General
House Sparrow
Resident
General
Tree Sparrow
Resident
General and local
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
ANALYTICAL TABLE OF THE BIRDS OF LONDON— continued
SPECIES
STATUS
DISTRIBUTION
Hawfinch
Resident
General
Greenfinch
Resident
General
Goldfinch
Resident
General
Siskin
Winter visitor
General
Lesser Redpole
Linnet
Winter visitor chiefly
Resident
General
General
Twite
Winter visitor
Local
Bullfinch
Resident
General
Crossbill
Spotted Flycatcher
Pied Flycatcher
Red-backed Shrike
Winter visitor chiefly
Summer visitor
Summer visitor
Summer visitor
Local
General
Northern
General
Waxwing
Starling
Raven
Winter visitor
Resident
Occasional visitor
Local
General
Local
Carrion Crow
Resident
General
Hooded Crow
Winter visitor
North and west
Rook
Resident
General
Jackdaw
Magpie
Jay
Swallow
Resident
Resident
Resident
Summer visitor
General
General
General
General
House Martin
Summer visitor
General
Sand Martin
Summer visitor
General
Swift
Summer visitor
General
Alpine Swift
Green Woodpecker
Great Spotted Wood-
pecker
Lesser Spotted Wood-
pecker
Wryneck
Cuckoo
Migration
Resident
Resident
Resident
Summer visitor
Summer visitor
Finchley, August 1860
General and local
General and local
General and local
General and local
General
Kingfisher
Nightjar
Ring Dove
Stock Dove
Resident
Summer visitor
Resident
Resident
General and local
General and local
General
General
Turtle Dove
Summer visitor
General
Pheasant
Resident
Local
10
INTRODUCTION
ANALYTICAL TABLE OF THE BIRDS OF LONDON— continued
SPECIES
STATUS
DISTRIBUTION
Partridge
Resident
Local
Red-legged Partridge
Accidental visitor
Local
Quail
Accidental visitor
Local
Golden Plover
Winter visitor
Local
Grey Plover
Winter visitor
Forest Gate, 1871
Lapwing
Resident
Local, but general
Ringed Plover
Migration
Local
Greater Ringed Plover
Migration
Local
Stone Curlew
Migration
Local
Common Sandpiper
Summer visitor
Non-breeding ; pas-
Wood Sandpiper
Migration
Local [sage
Redshank
Migration
Local
Green Sandpiper
Migration
Local
Curlew
Migration
Local
Whimbrel
Migration
Local
Woodcock
Migration
Local Has nested
Common Snipe
Winter visitor
General
Jack Snipe
Winter visitor
General
Black-headed Gull
Winter visitor
General and local
Gulls and Terns
Winter and passage
General and local
Corn Crake
Summer visitor
General and local
Spotted Crake
Migration
General and local
Water Rail
Casual wanderer
General and local
Water Hen
Resident
General
Coot
Resident
General and local
Heron
Resident
General and local
Great-crested Grebe
Resident
General and local
Little Grebe
Resident
General and local
Mallard
Resident
General and local
Teal
Winter visitor
General and local
Widgeon
Winter visitor
General and local
Pochard
Winter visitor
General and local
Tufted Duck
Winter visitor
General and local
Scaup
Winter visitor
Wanstead
Swans and Geese
Winter visitors
General and local
Smew
Winter visitor
Stjames's Park, 1907,
&c.
Puffin
Winter visitor
Brook Street
Guillemot
Winter visitor
Thames
II
THE PEREGRINE FALCON
FALCO PEREGRINUS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : Local resident in the
wildest districts ; chiefly on the rock-bound coasts of
England and Wales, but in Scotland and Ireland more
generally dispersed. Its numbers are increased by migrants
in autumn and spring, at which seasons and during the
intervening months it is given to much wandering.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : This species, the largest of British Falcons, can
only be described as a rare and irregular visitor within
London's limits. There are, however, plenty of records
within the fifteen-mile area of this bold and handsome
bird's visits to the Metropolis, induced doubtless by the
flocks of Pigeons that haunt so many public buildings.
There can also be little doubt that the bird pays many a
fleeting call without being recognised. It is recorded that
a pair of Peregrines once frequented St. Paul's, and were
even thought to have bred there ; whilst the bird has
been seen to strike Pigeons in the London streets. It
has frequently been killed in many suburban localities —
Hampstead, Finchley, Highgate, Harrow — and at various
places in Essex, Kent, and Surrey. The examples
observed are usually in immature plumage, and most
frequently occur in autumn and winter. I note recent
records from Cheam and Sutton.
The normal haunts of this beautiful Falcon are remote
from cities, in the wildest districts, especially along the
rock-bound coasts, where towering headlands fling back
the angry, turbulent waves that beat upon their face
incessantly, and where rabbits and Sea-fowl afford it an
abundance of food. Pigeons are everywhere a favourite
quarry, and the colonies of Doves in our towns and cities
12
i. Peregrine Falcon. 2. Kestrel. 3- Hobby.
•i * * "J"
THE PEREGRINE FALCON
tempt it to visit such places in its annual wanderings.
This bird is excelled by few other Raptores in the wild,
swift swoop with which it strikes itsprey,its long, pointed
wings giving it a superb supremacy in the air. It captures
the various Game Birds, besides Ducks and Waterfowl
of all kinds, Pigeons and rabbits, with almost matchless
daring and dash. The bird probably pairs for life, re-
turning each year to one particular place, and often
selecting for its purpose some cliffs which teem with Sea-
birds. Here, in April, on some narrow ledge or in a fissure,
the three or four eggs are deposited in a slight depres-
sion, with little or no nest beyond the refuse of the bird's
food. These eggs are dull white in ground colour, which,
however, is mostly hidden by the profusion of reddish
brown markings. As a rule the Peregrine is silent, but
when its nest is disturbed it utters a most persistent
chattering cry. When the young are reared the more or
less wandering life is resumed, and the offspring rarely
if ever remain in the locality of their birth. In all cases
the Peregrine prefers an open haunt. It shows no liking
for woods, choosing the breezy moors and uplands, from
which a wide survey of country can be made, and where
from some lofty perch it can start forth in quest of prey.
Although the sexes of the Peregrine are practically alike
in colour, the cock bird is considerably smaller than the
hen. The upper parts are dark slate-grey, becoming
black on the head, and two moustachial lines extending
from the gape down the sides of the throat ; the under
surface is buffish white, spotted on the throat and breast
and barred on the remainder with black. Immature
birds are brown above, each feather with a rufous margin,
and the under parts are streaked rather than spotted.
In adults the cere and eyelids are yellow, in the young
slate-grey. Bill dark horn-colour ; tarsi and toes yellow ;
irides dark brown. Length of adult male about 15 inches ;
female 17 or 18 inches.
13
THE HOBBY
FALCO SUSBUTEO
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A rare and local summer
visitor to England ; seen on migration in Scotland and
Ireland.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : Trie more or less regular appearance in spring
of the Hobby in localities within the Metropolitan radius
seems to suggest that in former years it bred in some
numbers in the extensive woods that surround London.
This pretty bird, a Peregrine in miniature, is seldom
allowed to rear a brood in the surrounding counties
nowadays, being shot or trapped and its nest pillaged at
every opportunity. It has, however, been known to have
bred successfully near London within the past twenty
years, and would probably do so regularly if protected.
As a casual visitor it is usually observed in April and May
or September and October, when on spring and autumn
migration. I have seen the Hobby in localities as far
apart as St. Mary Cray, Epping Forest, and Wembley
Park.
Although the Hobby is a miniature Peregrine in appear-
ance its haunts are very different ones. It is essentially a
woodland bird, but otherwise somewhat closely resembles
its larger congener in its ways of life. In one respect,
however, it differs very considerably from the Peregrine.
It is a migrant, arriving late in April or early in May,
and taking up its abode for the summer in large woods
and plantations, from which it sallies in quest of food.
Being probably a life-paired bird, it returns usually to the
same haunts each year. It is quite as dashing and fear-
less in quest of prey as the Peregrine, but its quarry, of
course, is smaller, chiefly consisting of the lesser birds,
H
THE HOBBY
say up to the size of a Missel-Thrush. It also feeds largely
on cockchafers and other large insects, hawking for them
with remarkable dexterity. Like its ally it usually sits
motionless on a lofty perch, whence it dashes as some
bird or insect appears, but if the quarry is missed a second
effort is seldom made. Like the Flycatcher, it prefers the
borders of the woods or some isolated tree in the fields which
commands a good view, when feeding, but at other times
the shades of the forest are sought. This pretty Falcon
makes no nest, but rears its young in the deserted cradle
of some other bird. That of a Crow or a Magpie is
frequently selected for this purpose, and here from three
to five reddish brown eggs are laid in June. If disturbed
at the nest the old birds utter a tremulous chatter,
showing considerable solicitude, but otherwise are com-
paratively silent. As soon as the young are strong upon
the wing the place is deserted and the migration south
takes place in September.
The male Hobby is dark slate-grey, almost black above,
with two moustachial lines of the same colour, and the
tail is barred with rufous brown ; the under parts are
very pale rufous, with brown streaks on the breast and
flanks ; whilst the thighs and under tail-coverts are chest-
nut. The female, larger than her mate, is not so bright
in colour, and the streaks on the under parts are broader.
Immature birds closely resemble young Peregrines, but
are, of course, smaller. Bill horn-colour, cere yellow;
tarsi and toes yellow ; claws black ; irides dark brown.
Length of adult male nearly 12 inches ; female nearly 14
inches.
THE KESTREL
FALCO TINNUNCULUS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " Hoverer "
(Essex).
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : Common resident in
the south ; more or less migratory in the northern
areas.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Kestrel is certainly the commonest rap-
torial bird in the Metropolitan area, and there are few
districts indeed in the suburbs where it may not be seen
at some time of the year or another. It breeds regularly
in all suitable spots in the outer portions of our fifteen-
mile circle, though unfortunately on the decrease in
many localities. A hovering Kestrel is by no means an
uncommon sight above such spots as Hyde Park, Kensing-
ton Gardens, Regent's Park, Greenwich Park, Clapham
Common, and Battersea Park ; whilst even yet more
frequently it may be observed further afield at Tooting,
Wimbledon, Richmond, Kew, Osterley Park, Hanwell,
Acton, Ealing, Wembley, Sudbury, Finchley, Hampstead,
Highgate, and Wanstead. Beyond these limits, again, the
bird becomes of more frequent occurrence, a feature in
the landscape that the bird-lover may expect to notice
anywhere and at any time ; whilst, on the other hand,
the observant watcher from the crowded streets of the
great city itself may from time to time detect the " Wind-
hover " poised as if hanging from some invisible thread
high above the loftiest buildings, or progressing across the
great hive of toiling humanity below to more congenial
haunts in the green country beyond. It has bred on the
steeple of Bow Church in Cheapside, and on the Nelson
Column in Trafalgar Square.
The presence of the Kestrel gives a pleasant touch of
16
THE KESTREL
life to many a rural spot in the suburbs of London. Un-
like the two preceding species, this little Falcon spends a
good deal of its time in the air, flying about above the
open fields and commons. It may easily be recognised
by its flight. One moment it looks as if it were suspended
from the sky, as it poises all aquiver with wings and
long tail outspread ; the next it is progressing with
rapid-beating wings for a few yards ; then the hovering
actions are repeated, or the bird glides some distance
with no apparent effort. Field after field is crossed in
this way, interrupted, perhaps, by a sudden drop or swoop
to the ground to capture prey, or an occasional visit to
some tree to rest. There are few more harmless birds
than the Kestrel. Its food consists chiefly of mice and
coleopterous insects, cockchafers especially. It may cap-
ture an occasional small bird, but very exceptionally.
There are few prettier sights in the air than a Kestrel
engaged in hawking for cockchafers, these, as well as all
other prey, being seized by the claws alone. The other
smaller mammals are also captured. The Kestrel for the
most part of the year is comparatively silent, but in spring
it becomes garrulous, and may then frequently be heard
uttering a chattering cry. This Falcon makes no nest,
but takes possession of an old home of a Magpie or a Crow
or seeks some hole in a cliff or building, and here it lays,
in April or May, from four to six reddish brown eggs.
As incubation progresses these become surrounded by
pellets of cast-up food refuse, as is the manner of all
Raptorial birds.
The male Kestrel is brighter coloured than the female,
and has the head, neck, lower back, and tail grey, the
rest of the upper parts rich reddish chestnut, spotted
with black ; the tail is tipped with white and broadly
barred with black near the tip ; the wings are dark
brown ; the under parts are pale buff, darkest on the
breast, marked with dark brown. Bill blue, yellow at
B 17
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
the base ; cere, orbits, tarsi, and toes yellow ; claws black.
Trie female has the entire upper parts chestnut barred
with black, and the under parts are much more streaked.
Length of adult male about 12 inches ; female about
I2i inches. Young birds in first plumage resemble the
female.
18
THE SPARROW-HAWK
ACCIPHER NISUS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A widely distributed
resident.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Sparrow-Hawk is much less rarely met with
in the inner suburbs than the preceding species, possibly
because it is not so aerial in its habits. It is a casual
visitor to some of the London parks and commons, and
certainly breeds at many places well within the fifteen-
mile radius, as, for instance, in the Wimbledon and
Richmond districts, about Hanwell, Sudbury, Wembley,
Barnet, Enfield, Epping, Wanstead, the Kentish Grays,
Ewell, and Epsom. In most districts the bird seems to
be on the decrease, owing to the persecution of game-
keepers and to the encroachments of the builder. I
have seen this Hawk in Hyde Park, in Regent's Park close
to the Zoological Gardens, and more frequently in the
vicinity of Neasden and Dollis Hill. As one gets further
into the rural and well-timbered districts its appearance,
of course, becomes more frequent ; although even in the
heart of the country these Hawks are nowhere numerous,
and a sight of them is only obtained at irregular and
uncertain intervals. They are solitary birds, and thinly
distributed everywhere.
For its size, the Sparrow-Hawk is one of the boldest
and most rapacious of the Birds of Prey. It delights in
well-timbered localities, woods and fields with tall hedges
and plenty of trees about them. Although its wings are
somewhat short and rounded it is capable of rapid flight,
seen at its best when the bird is following some victim.
It may often be met with gliding along the hedgeside in
quest of prey, and with a sudden, lightning-like swoop
'9
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
seize some unsuspecting small bird sitting quietly on a
spray, or as suddenly drop to the ground and strike a
terror-stricken victim there. This Hawk is the terror of
the countryside, the dread of all the smaller birds, and
the captor of many species much larger and heavier than
itself. Frogs, field-mice, rats, and young rabbits are also
taken. The Sparrow-Hawk always builds its own nest — a
large, flat structure, usually placed on a branch close to
the trunk in a tall tree, a fir or pine for preference, and
made of sticks, some of them with green buds attached.
Here in April or May the female lays four to six very
pretty eggs, pale greenish blue, handsomely splashed and
spotted with reddish brown, pale brown, and grey. Very
often these markings chiefly form an irregular zone round
one end. Both parents incubate, and when the young
are hatched the old birds become even more rapacious,
ceaseless in their hunting for prey. The female especially
sits very closely, often remaining on the nest until the
climber reaches it. She is also very bold in its defence,
swooping past the intruder's head, whilst the male, high
in the air above, sails round and round in circles anxiously
awaiting events.
The male Sparrow-Hawk is dark slate-grey above,
with a white patch on the nape ; the wings and tail are
brown, the latter barred with darker brown ; the under
parts are rufous brown, palest on the throat and under
tail-coverts, barred with a darker tint of the same. The
female, which is nearly twice the size, has the upper
parts brown, relieved with a similar pale nuchal patch,
and the under parts greyish white barred with brown.
The young in first plumage vary considerably in colour
even in the same nest, but resemble the female in a
general way, although the upper parts are marked with
reddish brown. Bill bluish horn ; cere, tarsi, and toes
yellow ; claws black ; irides yellow. Length of adult male
about 13 inches ; adult females 2 to 3 inches longer.
20
THE BARN OWL
STRIX FLAMMEA
LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " White Owl."
" Willy," " Billy Owl " (Essex).
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A widely distributed
resident, becoming scarcer and more local in the wilder
districts.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Barn Owl is by no means a rare bird in the
more rural parts of the Metropolitan radius. I have
found it, so far as my experience goes, most common in
Surrey and Middlesex, but other observers testify to its
by no means unusual occurrence in Essex and Kent. I
have never heard its cry in any of the inner London
parks, nor do I know of any haunt of this Owl within the
five-mile radius. Beyond that limit, however, there are
many places where the note of the Barn Owl is a fairly
familiar night-sound, and as we pass mile after mile out-
wards into the remoter suburbs and the opening country-
side the species becomes more frequent. It still haunts
Harlesden, and occasionally the open country near to
Kensal Rise.
If left unmolested there can be little doubt that the
Barn Owl would eventually become commoner than it
is now in the immediate vicinity of London. It readily
makes any old barn, hollow tree, or church-tower into a
resort, whence it sallies forth at nightfall in quest of food.
It is seldom seen abroad before the twilight hour, and
from then until dawn it is actively engaged in searching
for food, which largely consists of mice. It will regularly
catch thirty or forty of these troublesome vermin in a
single night, so that its usefulness to man is great. It is,
indeed, one of the farmer's best friends, and should receive
far more encouragement and protection than it usually
21
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
gets. Besides mice it also preys upon rats, moles, shrews,
and even occasionally on fishes. The flight of this Owl
is graceful, airy, and noiseless, and in course of feeding
the bird will quarter almost every foot of field after field,
flitting to and fro in a very ghost-like way. The startling,
unearthly note of the Barn Owl — a wild screech — is too
well known to require more than the barest allusion ;
besides this it utters a snoring note. This Owl, like the
House Sparrow, begins to breed early in spring, and
continues to rear brood after brood all the summer. It
makes no nest, but lays from three to six white eggs,
rough in texture, and about as big as those of a Pigeon.
These are deposited on the bare floor of the hole or on
the pellets of food refuse cast up by the parents, the
cavity selected usually being the day retreat. The first
eggs are laid in April or May, and clutches are produced
until quite late in the autumn. Many readers may be
familiar with the snoring cry made by the Owlets, but
this noise is not entirely confined to the young.
The Barn Owl has the general colour of the upper parts
sandy buff, vermiculated with grey and finely spotted
with black and white ; the wings and tail barred with
brown ; the pear-shaped face surrounded by a frill of
stiff plumes; and the under parts generally are white in the
male, but sparsely spotted with dark brown on the flanks
in the female. In some examples the breast is suffused
with rufous. Bill pale yellow ; feet covered with stiff
hairs ; claws black ; irides black. Length of adult about
13 inches. The young are clothed in white down.
22
THE TAWNY OWL
SrRNIUM ALUCO
LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " Brown Owl "
(Essex).
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : Fairly common resi-
dent in the wooded areas of England, Wales, and the
south of Scotland, but unknown in Ireland.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Tawny Owl, I should say, is a rarer bird
within the Metropolitan limits than the preceding species,
although I have heard it very frequently no further
away from St. Paul's than Harlesden, and it is said even
to breed in Kensington Gardens. It may also often
be heard at Wembley, and is known to frequent the
vicinity of Dulwich, Wimbledon, Richmond, Bushey,
Kew, Osterley, Hampstead, Epping, and Wanstead.
Further afield, of course, it becomes more numerous,
and is locally distributed in most of the wooded districts
within our Metropolitan radius of fifteen miles. Owls
are most difficult birds to observe, and during their
seasons of silence can very easily be overlooked. They
frequent regularly many localities where their presence is
not even suspected, and include in their nightly wander-
ings many places far from their roosting- and breeding-
places.
The melancholy, deep, and far-sounding cry of the
Tawny Owl is a very familiar night-cry in the wooded
districts of suburban London. At such places as Rich-
mond Park, Epping Forest, and Osterley, to go no further
afield, the oft-repeated hoo — who — hoo of this Owl may be
heard during the livelong summer night. The Tawny
Owl shows no partiality for buildings ; it loves the woods,
and usually makes its retreat in some hollow tree, although
it occasionally passes the day sitting on a branch asleep
23
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
with its body pressed close up to the trunk. If disturbed
the light seems to cause it uneasiness, and it glides
off on silent wings in an erratic, uncertain way, its only
aim, apparently, to find another dusky nook. It is
thoroughly nocturnal, heard but seldom seen, and seeks
its prey in darkness. This food consists chiefly of mice,
rats, voles, shrews, young rabbits, and frogs, all the
indigestible parts of which are thrown up in pellets.
Small birds are occasionally caught. During winter
the Tawny Owl is somewhat solitary, but at other times
lives in closer company with its mate, to which it is
apparently paired for life. The same retreat and nesting-
place is often used year after year. It makes no nest,
but lays its three or four rotund white eggs in a hole in a
tree or cliff, amongst a dense cluster of ivy, or even in the
deserted home of a Crow, a Magpie, or a squirrel. The
first clutch of eggs is usually laid in March, and succeed-
ing clutches are produced as late as August. The birds
resent any disturbance, and are frequently very fearless
when their young are approached.
The general colour of the upper parts of the Tawny
Owl is chestnut-brown, vermiculated and spotted with
dark brown and black ; the wing-coverts are marked with
round white spots ; the under parts are buff, streaked and
barred with brown. The female is a trifle larger than the
male. Bill greyish yellow ; irides dark brown. Length
of adult between 15 and 16 inches. The nestling is
clothed in greyish white down.
i. Long-eared Owl. 2. Wood Owl.
• •-»*•«* *-,«-«*••
• « 5a i <9 * . «» •
IX:V '::..•-•
THE LONG-EARED OWL
AS10 OTUS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A widely distributed
resident, its numbers increased in autumn by migratory-
individuals.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The present species is certainly the rarest and
the most local of the Owls to be met with in the Metro-
politan area. Possibly the absence of dense fir-woods
and other suitable haunts may be the reason. I know
of no regular resort of this Owl within eight miles of St.
Paul's, but it may possibly breed at Wembley and Pinner
in the north-west, in the Bushey district, and in the Grays
in the south. I know of no Essex resort. Just beyond
our limits this Owl certainly breeds at Windsor, Burnham,
and Farnham, and also near Uxbridge.
It is with some diffidence that I include the Long-
eared Owl in the present work, and I do so chiefly because
there is a strong possibility of the bird being overlooked
in many of the outlying districts well within the fifteen-
mile radius. Pine- and fir-woods are the favourite haunts
of this Owl, and where it does occur several pairs not
unfrequently resort to the same neighbourhood. In its
habits it very closely resembles the Tawny Owl. It is
just as nocturnal and retiring, passing the day in some
dark, secluded spot amongst ivy, in a hole in a tree, or in
the dark crown of a pine. It also has the same habit as
the Tawny Owl of sleeping whilst pressed close up to the
trunk of a tree, where its beautifully mottled plumage
so closely resembles the bark that detection is difficult.
The approach of twilight arouses the Long-eared Owl
into activity, and it comes forth into the open in quest
of food. In soft and noiseless flight it quarters the
25
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
neighbouring fields and commons, pays visits to the rick-
yards, and I have known it to pass to and fro above the
highway. This Owl neither hoots nor screeches, but
utters a mewing or barking cry. It apparently pairs for
life, and keeps fairly close to one particular haunt through-
out the year. It is an early breeder, laying its eggs from
February onwards. No nest is provided for them, and
they are deposited in the old deserted home of a Pigeon,
Crow, Magpie, or squirrel, or in some hollow in a tree,
especially where ivy grows in dense festoons and bunches.
They are from three to seven in number, white, and
slightly polished. The chief food of this Owl consists
of mice, rats, and voles, but small birds and insects are
occasionally sought.
The general colour of the upper parts of this Owl is
buff, mottled and vermiculated with various shades of
brown ; the long horns or erectile tufts are black marked
with buff ; the under parts are of a paler buff, streaked
with dark brown and barred with light brown. Bill
and claws bluish grey ; irides bright orange-yellow.
Length of adult between 13 and 14 inches. The nestling
is covered with grey and buff down.
THE BLACKBIRD
MERULA VULGARIS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A common and widely
distributed resident, and increasing its range in many
localities.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Blackbird is almost as familiar in the
London parks and gardens as the House Sparrow is in the
crowded streets. It is a resident, and breeds regularly
from less than a couple of miles from St. Paul's, in St.
James's Park, in every spot sufficiently suitable to its needs,
garden, park, and pleasure-ground, right out to our radial
limits in the open country. Few are the private grounds,
orchards, and open spaces where the noisy yet sweet-
voiced songster may not be heard. I have frequently
remarked its exceptional numbers about the orchards
and gardens at Acton, Ealing, and Gunnersbury, also in
Battersea Park ; whilst its song, especially at morn and
even, is a marked feature in such leafy suburbs as Dulwich
and Clapham. In winter the bird may often be observed
in the squares, fraternising with Starlings and Sparrows.
I have seen it at this season in the Embankment Gardens
between Charing Cross and the Temple, as well as in
gardens near Euston Road. It is common in the
Botanical Gardens, and I lately saw it at the Marble
Arch.
One of the first signs of the advent of spring to
dwellers in London is the Blackbird's resumption of
song. In a fairly open season the bird regains his voice
in February, and then the flute-like warble, all too short,
and interrupted by intervals of silence, may be heard
almost everywhere, wherever there is sufficient greenery
to afford the sable songster shelter. His song, with that
27
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
of the Thrush, forms the most familiar bird-music of
rural London, and must recall to countless toilers in the
Great City memories of green countrysides and distant
homes, of younger and more peaceful days, free from the
stress and turmoil that throbs unceasingly around them
here. Amidst such scenes and surroundings the song of
the Blackbird in London can never be more than an echo
of the country. During April and May he keeps in
splendid voice ; there is a marked decrease in June ; and
in July it ceases for the year in the annual moult which
then begins. Every reader must be familiar with the
Blackbird, either as it hops fearlessly about the grass or
scurries off into the evergreens startled and uttering a
string of loud cries, lifting its long tail above its
back just as it alights. It is pugnacious enough, and
rarely allows another of the same sex to share its own
particular haunt. This trait is specially marked in spring,
when males may be seen in the London parks and else-
where chasing each other amongst the shrubberies. The
food of this species during spring and summer is largely
composed of worms, grubs, slugs, and certain insects ;
in summer the bird levies a heavy toll upon the suburban
fruit gardens ; whilst in autumn and winter berries of
many kinds are eaten. It pairs early in spring, and may
be found nesting from March onwards to August. The
first nests of the season are usually made in an evergreen,
but later on as deciduous trees come into leaf almost
every kind of tree or bush is selected. In many of the
London parks the nest will often be made within a few
paces of frequented paths. It is composed of dry grass,
twigs, dead leaves, and moss, lined first with mud and
then with fine dry grass. The eggs are from four to six,
greenish blue, spotted and freckled with reddish brown
and grey. Both parents incubate ; and if disturbed
frequently utter a very plaintive note, something like
the " weeping " cry of the Robin at the same season.
28
THE BLACKBIRD
This Ouzel is not gregarious, and if seen in numbers
together has congregated only where food chances to be
abundant.
The adult male Blackbird is uniformly glossy black ;
the bill and orbits are orange-yellow. The female has
the upper parts dark brown tinged with olive, darkest on
the wings and tail, the under parts brown, more or less
suffused with rufous on the throat and breast, which are
marked with dusky streaks. Bill and orbits nearly black ;
legs and feet of both sexes nearly black; irides dark
brown. Length about lof inches. Young in nestling
plumage have pale shaft streaks and dark tips to the
feathers of the upper parts, and the under parts have
dark bars.
THE RING-OUZEL
MERULA TORQUATA
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A regular summer visitor
to the moors and uplands ; lowlands on migration.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : London and the home counties generally
scarcely come within the limits of the Ring-Ouzel's migra-
tion route to the northern districts of Great Britain,
where the bird spends the summer. Nevertheless it
has been known even to breed in Kent ; whilst from
time to time stragglers out of their normal course appear
within the Metropolitan area. In Surrey the bird is by
no means a very rare one on passage, especially on the
higher grounds. In Middlesex it similarly occurs, and
has been recorded from Kingsbury, Kilburn, Hampstead,
Hendon and Edgware. It is seen occasionally in Essex,
and quite recently an example was shot on the sewage
farm at Walthamstow. Many years ago (in the autumn
of 1889) I came across a small party of Ring-Ouzels,
apparently a brood of the year, and their parents, close
to Epsom. They were feeding on berries of the moun-
tain ash, on some open ground, and were comparatively
tame. This was the first time I had seen the Ring-Ouzel
away from its summer haunts on the moorlands, although
I have many times met with it in gardens and orchards in
the northern shires when passing south from its breeding
places in autumn.
It is only a very fleeting glimpse that the Londoner
can ever hope to get of the Ring-Ouzel. This is when the
bird is migrating to or from its summer home on the wild
uplands and moors of the north. It travels in flocks of
varying size, sometimes composed of a hundred or more
individuals. It is a somewhat shy, yet on occasion bold
3°
THE RING-OUZEL
and very noisy, bird, resenting any intrusion of its haunt
by a series of oft-repeated chattering cries. It visits our
islands to breed, spending the winter in the south of
Europe or North Africa. In its summer haunts it is
particularly fond of frequenting rocky places, the banks
of moorland streams, where heather and birch-trees are
plentiful, and where the gorse and bramble and bracken
are interspersed with huge boulders. Soon after arrival
the males commence their song, which is not so flute-like
as that of the blackbird, although equally short and broken
up by interrupted strings of harsh notes. It breeds in
May, making a nest exactly similar to that of the Black-
bird in a low bush or on the ground amongst the heath.
The four or five eggs also resemble those of that species
so closely that they cannot be distinguished from them.
At the nest it is very pugnacious. In its food, flight,
habit of elevating its tail upon alighting, and in many
other ways it closely resembles the more familiar bird.
It rears but one brood each season, and retires south in
September and October.
The adult male Ring-Ouzel is nearly uniform brownish
black, except a broad white band across the breast, and
most of the small feathers have pale margins. Bill
yellow ; tarsi and claws brown ; irides brown. The
female is duller and browner, and the white gorget is
suffused with brown. Length about 10 inches. Nest-
lings are barred with black and buff on the breast and
back, and the wing coverts are spotted with buff.
THE FIELDFARE
TURDUS PILARIS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " Felfer,"
" Jack Bird " " Pigeon-Felt " (Essex).
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A common and widely
distributed winter visitor.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Fieldfare is by no means an uncommon
winter migrant to trie Metropolitan area, although, like
everywhere else, its numbers vary a good deal almost
every season in succession. This may not be altogether
due to the local weather conditions in the British Islands,
but to the fact of a successful breeding-season in the
northern regions or the reverse. During hard weather
this handsome Thrush may frequently be remarked in
the parks and open spaces within a few miles of St. Paul's,
whilst fleeting visits are often paid to many suburban
gardens and pleasure-grounds, a plentiful supply of
berries often proving the chief attraction. As we get
out more into the opening country, into the comparative
seclusion and quiet of the remoter suburbs, the Fieldfare
is, more frequently observed. So far as my own expe-
riences go, these remarks specially refer to the Streatham,
Norwood, Wimbledon, Richmond, Harrow, and Barnet
districts. The bird, however, is well known in many
others, especially in Essex, in the Epping area, and I
have records of its abundance in some years in the Kentish
Grays and many parts of northern Surrey. The Field-
fare, however, is everywhere a somewhat capricious visitor.
Unlike the Ring-Ouzel, the Fieldfare is a visitor to our
shores in winter only, arriving early in November and
leaving towards the end of March or beginning of April.
It lives in flocks of varying size, which wander about the
open country largely in quest of the berries upon which
32
i. Redwing. 2. Ring-Ouzel. 3. Whinchat. 4. Wheatear. 5. Stonechat.
6. Missel-Thrush. 7. Fieldfare.
THE FIELDFARE
it chiefly subsists during its stay with us. At night
these flocks usually resort to some shrubbery to roost,
continuing to do so as long as they remain in the locality.
Next to the Missel-Thrush the Fieldfare is the wildest
and the wariest of the British Thrushes. The flocks gene-
rally pass from place to place at a good height, and the
birds may be readily recognised by the white under the
wings, which is very conspicuous during flight, and also
by their harsh notes of sack-sack. Beyond these harsh
call-notes and a series of low guttural notes often heard
at the roosting-place or when the birds are feeding, the
Fieldfare is silent. Its song is reserved for the breeding
season in the Arctic regions, where it nests. During its
stay with us the bird is chiefly a berry-feeder, but in
summer it subsists on animal substances and fruit. It
breeds in scattered colonies, making a nest very similar
to that of the Blackbird, and its five or six eggs so closely
resemble those of that species that they cannot be dis-
tinguished.
The adult Fieldfare has the general colour of the upper
parts slate-grey, spotted on the head with black, and the
back is chestnut-brown. The wings and tail are brownish
black ; the throat and breast are buffish brown ; the centre
of the abdomen and the axillaries are white ; the throat and
breast have black streaks, and the buff flanks are mottled
with black. Bill yellow ; tarsi and toes black ; irides brown.
Length about 10 inches. The nestling is spotted on the
upper parts.
THE REDWING
TURDUS ILIACUS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A common and widely
distributed winter visitor.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Redwing seems everywhere to be a more
abundant bird than the Fieldfare, although almost pre-
cisely the same remarks apply to its distribution in the
Metropolitan area otherwise. It is also much more
regular in its habits, and returns to certain spots each
autumn, which it makes its headquarters and roosting-
places all the winter through. Not only so, but the
Redwing is more gregarious. Fieldfares are often met
with in scattered parties ; Redwings as frequently live
in large flocks ; and as they obtain the bulk of their food
upon the ground many open localities are resorted to
which would have little attraction for the Fieldfare, which
depends so largely for sustenance upon berries. There are
many acres of market gardens and open fields scattered
about the suburbs where this Thrush congregates in large
numbers. I have also seen it repeatedly in the West-
End parks — St. James's Park, Hyde Park, and Kensington
Gardens especially — and a fall of snow has always a ten-
dency to drive it townwards. In the remoter suburbs
it is, of course, much more frequently observed. It is
exceptionally common in the Epping area and in the
Walthamstow and Wanstead districts. Severe winters
often send it to unusual localities.
There are certain characteristics in the appearance and
economy of the Redwing that serve readily to distin-
guish it from the Song Thrush, which it not only closely
resembles, but with which -it is very often confused.
The Redwing is perceptibly smaller, has a pale stripe
34
THE REDWING
above the eye, dark ear-coverts, and the flanks and under
surface of the wings are bright chestnut. Then it only
appears in our islands in winter, and is a very gregarious
bird. Bands of Redwings reach us in October, a little
earlier than the Fieldfare, and in many cases return each
season to certain haunts, which they frequent throughout
their stay. They are much attached to a roosting-place
— usually in some shrubbery or wood with plenty of
undergrowth containing evergreens. The days are spent
chiefly upon the fields, where the birds may be seen con-
stantly in motion, the flock scattering in all directions,
individuals every now and then taking short flights ; and if
disturbed the whole band rises irregularly and congre-
gates upon some tree, whence as the alarm subsides they
fly down to the grass again in twos and threes to resume
their search for food. The Redwing is not so much of
a berry-feeder as the Fieldfare, subsisting chiefly upon
worms and other animal substances. It suffers severely
during a long-continued frost in consequence. The bird
is silent, so far as song is concerned, in our country, its
usual note being a shrill yelp or a musical double note
during flight ; it also utters a harsh chattering cry similar
to that of the Song Thrush when alarmed, and at the
roosting-place a low and not unpleasant chatter. The
Redwing breeds in more or less scattered colonies, in
birch- and alder-trees, and its nest very closely resembles
that of the Blackbird. Its four or five eggs resemble
those of that species, but are much smaller.
The adult Redwing has the general colour of the upper
parts olive-brown ; the eye-stripe is very pale buff. The
under parts are pale buff, shading into white on the abdo-
men and into bright chestnut on the flanks ; under wing-
coverts and axillaries spotted and streaked with dark
brown. Bill dark brown ; tarsi and toes pale brown ;
irides brown. Length about 8 inches. The nestling is
spotted both on the upper and under parts.
35
THE SONG THRUSH
TURDUS MUSICUS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " Mavis "
(Essex).
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A common and widely
distributed resident, subject to some local migration, and
its numbers perceptibly increased in autumn in certain
districts.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The present species is unquestionably the
commonest and most generally dispersed Metropolitan
Thrush. From the two-mile radius, which includes
part of the Green Park and the whole of St. James's Park,
the Song Thrush may be found in numbers that only vary
in response to the suitability of its haunt. To give its
distribution in detail here would require a page or more
merely to list the names of almost every open space
sufficiently covered with trees and undergrowth to afford
it cover. There are few places it frequents in which it
does not habitually nest, and I have often remarked its
home in some evergreen tree in the most frequented
spots. As the suburban circle widens the Song Thrush
increases in numbers. It is a bird that Londoners
should dearly prize, for it voices in unstinted abundance
one of the sweetest and the most charming echoes of the
countryside. I have stood in Trafalgar Square in the
quiet of a springtide dawn listening enthralled to the
varied notes of this loud-songed chorister, wafted over
the grimy roofs of Spring Gardens from the plane-trees
in St. James's Park. In a few hours the roar of the traffic
conceals the music, but the song goes on just the same
the livelong day.
Town life has modified the habits of the Song Thrush
but little ; and it is this fact that renders the bird's
36
THE SONG THRUSH
presence in the Metropolis all the more attractive and
gratifying. It is perhaps the most persistent songster
of all the London birds, continuing in voice, if fitfully,
nearly the winter through, commencing its almost end-
lessly varying lay at dawn, and continuing until darkness
has settled over its haunts. In April and May especially
its voice lends quite a rural charm to the more central
London parks, and the song is all the more lustily given
after rain. The tired and perhaps miserably hopeless
wayfarer may turn aside from the turmoil of the streets
into these lovely sylvan spots and be soothed by the cheery
voice of the Throstle, and his fancy may interpret into
messages of hope and encouragement the varied notes
of this speckled songster. There are few more familiar
birds than the Song Thrush, and it readily responds to
any advances that may be made for its protection and
comfort. There must be few readers who have not
watched this bird hop out from under the evergreens on
to the grass and then pause a moment as if listening
intently, then, perhaps, run or hop a little way further
into the open and make another pause, presently seizing a
worm and dragging it out to eat it at leisure. Most of
the grass is searched, and every now and then another
struggling worm secured. It also searches for snails,
breaking the shells by striking them against a stone or
the hard ground ; grubs, fruit, and berries are also eaten.
Many Thrushes may often be remarked feeding within a
small area, but the bird is by no means a gregarious one.
The Song Thrush is not a very noisy bird, but often at
nightfall, or when disturbed at the nest, it becomes gar-
rulous, especially when the young 'are hatched, its cries
on these occasions being very loud' and harsh. It pairs
early in the year, and its nest may frequently be found in
February ; March and April are the more regular months.
It will build in almost any bush — an evergreen for pre-
ference in early spring — or low tree, no pains being
37
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
taken to conceal it. It is made of dry grass chiefly,
mixed with roots, dead leaves, moss, and sometimes a
few twigs, lined first with wet mud, and finally with wet
decayed wood. The eggs are four or five in number,
turquoise blue, spotted with very dark brown and grey.
Both sexes incubate, and frequently several broods are
reared in the season. To some extent this Thrush is
migratory, leaving certain districts entirely during winter,
a fact attributable probably to its animal diet, for like
the Redwing it shows small partiality for berries.
The adult Song Thrush has the general colour of the
upper parts olive-brown, the wing-coverts tipped with
buff ; the under parts are white, more or less suffused
with pale buff, most pronounced on the flanks and breast ;
the under surface of the wings is golden buff ; most of
the under surface is spotted with black. Bill dark brown,
paler at the base of the lower mandible ; tarsi and toes
yellowish brown ; irides brown. Length about 9 inches.
The nestling is profusely mottled and spotted on the
upper parts with buff.
THE MISSEL-THRUSH
TURDUS VISCIFORUS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " Mavis,"
shared in common with the Song Thrush.
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A widely distributed
resident in all wooded districts, and one that has greatly
increased its range during the past century. Its numbers
are increased in autumn by migratory individuals.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The gratifying improvement of late years in the
protection of birds within the London area, resulting so
beneficially to many species, seems not to have affected
the Missel-Thrush so much as other songsters that could be
named. The fact is that the Missel-Thrush is not only very
shy, but very wild. He is a countryman of pronounced
type, not to be seduced by the many attractions of city life,
and it is only in winter that he enters the inner circles
of the Metropolitan area, driven thereto by need. In
the outer suburbs, however, the bird is much more gene-
rally distributed, breeding in many localities and paying
fleeting visits to others with tolerable regularity. I have
heard its wild song in Regent's Park, in Kensington
Gardens, and in Battersea Park, but have no proof that it
breeds there, although said to do so. I know that it nests,
however, in the Wimbledon and Richmond districts,
and at Osterley, Twyford, Harlesden, Wembley, Dollis
Hill, Hampstead, Epping, and Wanstead. As we leave
the more central districts it becomes commoner, and
in surrounding areas, well within the fifteen-mile radius,
it is a widely dispersed and well-known resident.
The Missel-Thrush is not only the largest, but by far the
wariest of the British Thrushes. It delights to frequent
the tallest trees rather than the shrubs and underwood
so dear to the Song Thrush, and when disturbed whilst
39
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
feeding on the ground almost invariably seeks a refuge
in the highest branches. It obtains much of its food on
the ground, searching pastures, turnip-fields, and so forth
for worms and grubs. It is also very partial to many
kinds of berries and small fruits, roaming far and wide,
especially in autumn and winter, in quest of them. In
the matter of its music the Missel-Thrush is unique among
British birds. The song is commenced in autumn,
continued through the winter, and ceases in April, just
when the voices of other Thrushes are at their best. It
is a loud, wild song, uttered in fitful snatches from the
tree-tops, not quite so flute-like as the Blackbird's, but
otherwise resembling it, and nothing nearly as varied as
the Throstle's. The call-notes are harsh and grating,
especially when the nest is disturbed. This Thrush
pairs early in February, and a few weeks later nesting
operations are in progress. The nest is built in tall trees,
often in a fork or on a branch close to the stem, and less
frequently at a lower elevation in a birch, hawthorn, or
even an evergreen. It is made of dry grass, sphagnum
or other mosses, tufts of wool, and slender twigs, lined
first with mud and then with a thick layer of fine grass.
The eggs are normally four, bluish, greenish or reddish
in ground colour, spotted and blotched with reddish
brown and grey. Two broods are frequently reared in
the season. As soon as the breeding season is over the
Missel-Thrush assembles into flocks, but as winter ap-
proaches these disband to a great extent. The bird is
now exceptionally wild and wary, often consorting with
Fieldfares, a marked change in its habits from the early
spring months, when it frequently makes its nest quite
close to houses and in much-frequented spots. In fact,
the Missel-Thrush is an anomaly in many respects.
The adult Missel -Thrush has the general colour of the
upper parts pale olive-brown ; the under parts are dull
white boldly spotted with dark brown ; the outermost
40
THE MISSEL-THRUSH
tail-feathers are marked with dull white patches, and the
axillaries are white. Bill dark brown ; tarsi and toes
pale brown ; irides dark brown. Length between 10
and ii inches. The nestling is marked with buff and
black on the upper parts, as well as spotted below.
41
THE ROBIN
ERHHACUS RUBECULA
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA: A common and widely dis-
tributed resident, its numbers increased during migration.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Robin is another common London bird,
although one that is much more frequently seen in the
inner Metropolitan area during winter than at other
times, when it seems to retire to remoter districts to bring
up its brood. It is in autumn, perhaps, when the
universality of its distribution is most apparent. It may
be met with in almost every spot where a wild bird can
find shelter, from well within the two-mile radius to the
uttermost limits of the circle we have selected, becoming
commoner, of course, as the suburbs become more rural
and vegetation more abundant. How near to St. Paul's
it may breed is rather a difficult question to solve. It
may possibly do so in the grounds of Buckingham Palace,
in St. James's Park and Hyde Park, as well as in Battersea
Park ; that it does so at Clapham, Dulwich, Kilburn,
Brondesbury, and Hampstead there can be no doubt ;
whilst further afield, at Tooting, Wimbledon, Chiswick,
Gunnersbury, Acton, Harlesden, Highgate, Wanstead,
and other suburbs, it becomes, of course, increasingly
numerous. In winter there are few suitable suburban
grounds and gardens where it may not be detected,
whilst in exceptionally severe weather it visits localities
where its presence may justly excite surprise.
Although the London suburbs are visited in autumn
and winter by numbers of Robins that not only come in
from the country districts round about, but even from
Continental Europe, the " Cockney " individuals wander
little from their usual retreats, nesting in them. Most
42
4 5
i. Blackbird. 2. Redstart. 3. Robin. 4. Nightingale. 5. Song Thrush.
* «*• •
< ' •.
THE ROBIN
of the individuals seen in places where the species is not
known to breed are either migrants or wanderers. The
habits of the familiar Robin do not require to be described
at any great length here. The bird is a prime favourite
everywhere, and nowhere greater than in suburban
London, where his charming song and trustful ways
endear him to us. In many spots he is contented with
the modest cover of a small garden or shrubbery, seeking
a nesting-site in some retired corner ; whilst in autumn
his tuneful voice is almost the only bird-melody of
suburbia. From August onwards the song becomes
increasingly prevalent. The Robin is of solitary habit,
resenting intrusion of its favourite haunt by other
individuals of the species, and well able to hold its own
with the Sparrow and other familiar birds. Its food
chiefly consists of insects and worms, but in severe
weather crumbs and other trifles scattered for our
feathered pensioners are eagerly sought. The Robin is
an early breeder, one of the first of the smaller birds to
commence nest-building in March, or in exceptional
cases even in February. As a rule the bulky nest is care-
fully hidden away in a hole of a wall, amongst ivy, or
under a heap of wood or hedge-clippings, but many
other situations are chosen, some of them most eccentric,
as inside an old hat or can, on the shelf of a greenhouse or
shed, or even in a flower-pot. It is made outside of moss,
dry grass and roots, and dead leaves, the cup warmly and
neatly lined with horsehair. Year after year the same
situation will be used. The eggs, usually six in number,
are white in ground colour, more or less thickly freckled
and spotted with brownish red and grey. Most of the
colouring-matter is usually dispersed over the large end
of the egg, in a zone or circular patch. Both sexes
incubate, and the sitting bird is often remarkably fearless.
The young are tended for some time after they leave the
nest, but eventually seek haunts elsewhere.
43
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
The Robin is too familiar to require much detailed
description. The adult is olive-brown, palest on the
flanks, and almost white on the centre of the under parts ;
the forehead, throat, and breast are orange-chestnut,
and the crown and sides of the neck are grey. Bill
black ; tarsi and toes pale brown ; irides dark brown.
Length 5^ inches. The young in first plumage lack all
trace of the orange, and are spotted above and below
with buff and black.
THE NIGHTINGALE
DAULIAS LUSCINIA
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A common yet local
summer migrant to England east of Devon and as far
north as Yorkshire ; a straggler elsewhere.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The vast Metropolitan area is exceptionally
well favoured by the Nightingale. Indeed, it is only
the lack of suitable conditions, such as proper cover and
food, that arrests its distribution short of the most
central parts of London. There is abundant evidence to
prove that almost within the memory of men still by no
means aged the Nightingale regularly frequented spots
now given up to the jerry-builder or the domain of
squalor and wretchedness. Nightingale Lane at Clap-
ham and Nightingale Road at Harlesden suggest Night-
ingales that are now no more. The vicinity of the
Harrow Road near Kensal Rise was formerly a haunt.
Here, as many readers know, Harrison Ainsworth once
resided, and we have it on record that his house was a
favourite meeting-place of Dickens, Thackeray, and other
prominent men in literature, and that these kindred
spirits used to walk along the Harrow Road and listen to
the Nightingales after their convivial gatherings had
dispersed. There are no Nightingales here nowadays,
and the Harrow Road, depressing to a degree, is one of
the meanest of London's many " mean streets," prome-
naded by Kensal Green-bound funerals, and presenting
countless evidences of squalor and poverty. There are
many other localities in the Metropolitan area from
which the builder has banished the Nightingale, but
fortunately there are some left where the summer days
are still gladdened by its presence. It is said that the
4S
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
Nightingale has even been known to breed in Battersea
Park, and I can quite believe it, for this charming spot,
especially the larger island in the lake, could afford it
ample seclusion. The bird seems to be decreasing in
some parts of Middlesex, although just beyond our
radius in this direction it is still as common possibly as
when Milton wrote his immortal sonnet to it in the
neighbourhood of Horton and Stoke Poges. One of its
most favoured spots in the county is round about Osterley
Park; it formerly bred at Golder's Hill. In Surrey it is
certainly still a common bird, and its voice may be heard
at Dulwich, Wimbledon, Richmond, Balham, Tooting,
Clapham, Kew, Norwood, Croydon, and so on. In
Kent it is extremely common in many places, one of the
most favoured in my experience being St. Mary Cray.
In Essex, Epping is a famous resort. It would, however,
be impossible to tabulate all the localities which the
Nightingale frequents. Broadly speaking, it may be
heard locally throughout the Metropolitan area, com-
monest, perhaps, in the west and south. The depreda-
tions of cats and bird-catchers are potent factors in the
reduction of its numbers and in its extermination from
many localities.
The Nightingale reaches the London area about the
middle of April, leaving again early in September. Its
favourite haunts are small woods and coppices, especially
those of a marshy character and where there is plenty of
undergrowth ; and though a somewhat secretive bird, it
may often be seen flitting across the more open spaces,
where its expanded chestnut tail gleams in the light and
affords a ready means of identification. The characteristic
song of the male soon proclaims the bird's return, and may
be heard with almost as much frequency in the day-time
as at night, especially during May. Shortly after arrival
many individuals assemble in certain familiar spots, but
in a few days a gradual dispersal takes place as all the old
46
THE NIGHTINGALE
summer haunts are filled. This assembling may have
something to do with mating, and as soon as that is over
each pair appears to betake itself to some chosen spot,
from which the birds wander little during the summer.
The unrivalled and charming song of this species forms
one of the sweetest attractions in the bird- world of Greater
London. The late Richard Bentleytold me that Night-
ingales in his grounds not far from London were some-
what of a nuisance in disturbing the family slumbers !
It is at its best in May, declines through June, and finally
ceases as the autumn moult comes on in July. The
Nightingale is by no means the only songster in suburban
London that warbles at night : Sedge Warblers, Reed
Warblers, and Thrushes do the same ; but the voice of
these singers can never be confused with it by any observer
familiar with its strains. In general habits the Nightin-
gale is very like a Robin ; its actions and flight are similar,
the flicking of the wings and tail and bobbing motion
being very noticeable ; whilst its harsh croak of alarm
resembles that of a Whitethroat. It feeds on worms and
grubs, insects, and larvae, besides many of the smaller
fruits. The Nightingale rears but one brood during the
summer, and the eggs are laid in May. The nest is made
upon the ground, amongst grass, in drifts of dry leaves, or
in coarse herbage, and is made of dry grass, moss, and dead
leaves (usually of the oak), lined with finer grass and roots
and a little horsehair. The five or six eggs vary from
dark olive-brown to bluish green, the surface colour
more or less densely distributed over the shell, in some
specimens most pronounced in a circular cap over one
end. During the period of incubation the birds become
even more secretive, although the male frequently
betrays the whereabouts of the nest by his persistent
song in its vicinity.
In its appearance the adult Nightingale is one of the
most soberly arrayed of birds, the upper parts being
47
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
russet-brown, shading into chestnut-brown on the tail ;
the under parts are very pale buff, tinged with grey on
the breast and flanks. Bill brown, palest below ; tarsi
and toes brown ; irides rich brown. Length 6% inches.
The nestlings are spotted above and below with pale brown,
showing close affinity with the Robin, although generically
distinct.
THE REDSTART
RUTICILLA PH(ENICURUS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " Firetail "
(Essex).
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A somewhat local
summer migrant to most parts of England ; much rarer
in Scotland, and abnormal in Ireland.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Redstart cannot be described as common
or even of frequent occurrence in the Metropolitan area.
There are few places where it breeds except in the most
remote suburbs, and even there the bird is a local one.
On migration it is sometimes noticed in Battersea,
Regent's, and Hyde Parks ; but it is more frequently
seen in the Wimbledon and Richmond districts, about
Kew and Bushey, Osterley, Acton, Wembley, the northern
woodlands (Hampstead, &c.), Epping, Wanstead, the
Kentish Grays, Croydon, Banstead, and Epsom. I have
seen it in Wimbledon Park during summer, and it is
said to have nested at Streatham and Dulwich. There
are many localities, of course, in which the Redstart may
be met with, but sufficient have been mentioned to
indicate its widespread yet local dispersal. A migrant
like the Redstart might be noticed almost anywhere
when on passage ; it is too conspicuous easily to be over-
looked, but the lack of records from many localities seems
to confirm the fact of its scarcity close to the city.
The Redstart reaches the south of England early in
April, and it is during this month that examples are
occasionally seen in inner London, or during August and
September, when the return journey is made. Round
London its usual summer haunts are large gardens,
pleasure-grounds, the borders of woods and coppices,
and parks, especially those where old and hollow trees are
D 49
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
numerous. Like many other migrants, the Redstart
seems to be much attached to certain spots, returning
each year to nest in them. It is a somewhat shy and rest-
less bird, resenting too close a scrutiny, and often hiding
away in the tree-tops, from which the short, sweet, but
somewhat monotonous song of the male may be heard,
especially during May. There is something very Chat-
like in the actions of the Redstart. Like those birds it is
fond of sitting on a wall or large stone, until approached,
when it flits off to another resting-place to await events,
all the time it is perched flicking and occasionally spread-
ing out its tail. Its flight is jerky and uneven, and the
bright chestnut tail is expanded, rendering the bird easy
of identification. Its food largely consists of insects and
larvae, many of the former being secured whilst on the
wing ; and in late summer many of the smaller fruits
and the soft corn are eaten. The Redstart breeds in
May, making a slovenly nest of dry grass, moss, and dead
leaves, lined with wool, hair, and an abundance of
feathers, which it places in a hole of a wall, tree, or rock.
The eggs, usually six in number, are pale blue. Both
sexes incubate, and after the young are hatched the
parents become much more secretive, and when the nest
is approached utter a very plaintive note. The young
are fed and tended for some time after they leave the
nest.
The male Redstart is one of the gayest-coloured of
our indigenous birds. The upper parts are mostly slate-
grey, except the forehead, which is white ; the wings are
brown, the throat and ear-coverts black, the under parts
and tail chestnut. The female is very different, being
chiefly sandy brown in colour ; the tail, however, is
chestnut, but not so brilliant as in the male. Bill,
tarsi, and toes black ; irides dark brown. Length 5^
inches. The nestlings are similar in colour to the female,
but spotted.
THE WHEATEAR
SAXICOLA (ENANTHE
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A common and widely
distributed summer visitor, becoming most abundant in
the wilder and more northern areas.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : It is chiefly as a passing migrant in spring and
autumn that the Wheatear visits the Metropolitan area,
and at those seasons it is occasionally seen in such spots as
Hyde Park, Regent's Park, Primrose Hill, Clapham and
Tooting Commons, the various sewage farms, Hampstead
Heath, and so forth. Further afield it is not quite so
scarce or irregular a visitor to Wimbledon, where it is
reported to breed, and I have several records of it in
ploughed fields, especially in spring, in the Acton, Peri-
vale, and Willesden districts. I have known pairs and
odd birds to remain in a locality for several days, but these
individuals are obviously on migration, and soon pass on.
Possibly the Wheatear was once common in such spots as
Wimbledon and Hampstead, but the wanton trapping
that went on in past years has sadly reduced its numbers,
to say nothing of the transformation which so many suit-
able haunts have undergone with the growth of Greater
London. It still breeds sparingly and locally within the
fifteen-mile limit, possibly more frequently on the high-
lands of Surrey and in Middlesex than elsewheie ; it
breeds in Richmond Park.
From the end of March to the beginning of May
the Wheatear may be met with on migration over the
London area, and again in August and September, when
the return passage is in progress. The few that breed in
this area take up their abode in the open spots, brickfields,
sand-pits, and bare spaces, where they may be easily
5*1
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
recognised. The Wheatear is by no means a shy bird,
if a somewhat wary one, and it usually first arrests the
attention as it sits quietly on some coign of vantage
watching your movements or glides along close to the
ground to a safer resting-place. As likely as not it utters a
series of clicking notes, which sound like pebbles knocked
together, accompanying them with a flicking motion
of the tail and wings. In the earlier part of the nesting
season the male utters a short and rambling song, often
when fluttering in the air. The food of this species
consists of worms, small snails, insects and larvae, and
various small fruits. It is a somewhat early breeder,
commencing to build in April, and the eggs are laid during
that month and May. A covered situation seems always
to be selected, such as under a heap of stones or bricks, a
hole in a wall, or a rabbit-burrow. The nest is loosely
made of dry grass and roots, lined with hair, wool, and
feathers, and the egg — usually five or six — are pale blue.
It is a difficult nest to find, and the old birds are wary in
the extreme. The Wheatear seldom perches in trees,
but often sits on telegraph wires and posts. In autumn
Wheatears gather into parties, which eventually become
flocks and migrate in company.
The Wheatear cannot readily be confused with any
other British species. The male has most of the upper
parts bluish grey, merging into white on the lower back ;
the under parts are pale buff ; the eye-stripe and ear-
coverts are black ; above the eye is a white streak ; the
wings are black; the tail black and white. The female
has the body plumage nearly uniform sandy brown, the
wings and tail nearly as in the male. Bill, tarsi, and
toes black; irides dark brown. Length 6i inches. The
young in nestling plumage resemble the female in general
colour, but are spotted above and below.
THE WHINCHAT
PRATINCOLA RUBETRA
LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " Furzechat "
(Essex).
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A widely distributed
summer visitor, becoming rarer and more local in the
south-west of England and in Ireland.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : Here again we have a species that with charm-
ing persistency returns to old-time haunts that are fast
being transformed. I know of several localities — hay-
meadows close to Wormwood Scrubbs and Park Royal —
in which the dread notice-board proclaims an " eligible
building-site," but to which the Whinchat returns each
summer, and will doubtless do so until these selfsame
meadows are converted into the hollow pretences of
suburban gardens.
The Whinchat, notwithstanding almost yearly changes,
still continues to visit most of the outlying portions
of the Metropolitan area wherever it can find suitable
haunts, such as meadows and rough, furze-grown
ground. It is perhaps most local in the Essex portion
of the fifteen-mile radius. It breeds at Wimbledon,
Streatham, Dulwich, Norwood, and Croydon, and in
many intervening places ; whilst westwards and north-
wards it may be traced over the Richmond, Osterley,
Hanwell, Twyford, Sudbury, Wembley, Harrow, Enfield,
and Epping areas. In the more outlying districts, where
meadows, golf links, and open spaces are commoner, the
bird, of course, is met with in increasing numbers. Inci-
dentally I may mention that on April 26, 1905, I observed
a female Whinchat flitting about the tulips in the orna-
mental gardens of the Victoria Memorial opposite
Buckingham Palace. It frequently perched on the iron
S3
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
railings or on the topmost spray of an evergreen bush,
occasionally fluttering into the air in chase of an insect, or
hopping about the gravel paths.
The Whinchat is a late migrant, not reaching its
summer haunts in the Metropolitan area before the
second half of April. Its favourite resorts here are
grass-meadows, heaths, and the patches of gorse and broom
on commons, railway banks, and similar open places. It
leaves them for the south in September. This is another
easily recognised species, from its persistent habit of perch-
ing on some tall weed in the meadows or on the top of
a bush or upon a telegraph wire and monotonously uttering
a double note of u-tac , which is frequently accompanied
by a flick of the wings and tail. When approached it flits
off in an uneven manner to another stem or bush, and again
repeats its cry. Its food chiefly consists of tiny worms,
insects, and larvae, but in late summer it varies its diet
with soft corn. The male utters a short and unassuming
little song, often whilst in the air, to which both sexes
frequently resort in chase of insects. The Whinchat is
seen in pairs soon after its arrival, and the eggs are laid
in May or early June. The nest is either made amongst
the meadow grass, amongst the herbage on some bank,
or more frequently amongst the tangled growth under
whin or broom bushes. It is a neatly made, cup-like
structure, loosely put together, formed outwardly of
dry grass and a little moss, and lined with fine roots and
horsehair. The five or six eggs are blue, dusted with
rusty brown freckles, chiefly on the larger end. The
young and their parents remain in family parties for the
rest of the summer, migrating apparently in company when
the moult is completed. Few nests are more difficult to
find, and the old birds are excessively wary throughout the
breeding season. Hay-meadows are a favourite resort in
late summer, and later on turnip-fields. I have also noted
a more arboreal tendency after the young are reared.
54
THE WHINCHAT
The male Whinchat is dark brown on the upper parts,
the feathers having paler brown margins, and there is a
pale streak over the eye ; the ear-coverts are black, and
the under parts are rufous ; the wings and tail are dark
brown, the smaller coverts of the former white, and the
latter has the basal half white, except the two centre
feathers, which are white at the extreme base only. The
female is much paler, and the black and white parts of
the plumage are not so pronounced. Bill, tarsi, and toes
black ; irides brown. Length nearly 5 inches. The
nestling resembles the female, but is more spotted above,
and the breast is marked with darker brown.
55
THE STONECHAT
PRATINCOLA RUBICOLA
LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " Furzechat,"
" Blackcap " (Essex).
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A widely distributed
resident, somewhat local, and subject to considerable
seasonal movement.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Stonechat is another species of the more
outlying suburbs, the inner portions presenting few if
any of the conditions suited to its requirements. It is
locally distributed over such furze-clad areas as Wimble-
don and Mitcham Commons. I have met with it on
Tooting Bee Common, near Croydon, on some of the
more extensive heaths, and on open spaces in the vicinity
of Park Royal and Epping. It may be met with in the
Richmond and Bushey districts, Hounslow, Hanwell,
and Epping, whilst many of the Surrey heaths and Kentish
wastes well within the Metropolitan area may be given as
its habitat. In some places the bird is seldom or never seen
in summer ; in others its winter absence alone is remarked.
I am sure the Stonechat is much overlooked, owing to its
secretive ways and the kind of cover it frequents.
From the nature of its favourite haunts the Stonechat
must always be a scarce bird within the London district,
and there can be little doubt that its habitat will become
even more restricted as the suburbs are more densely
populated. It is essentially a bird of the wild, uncultivated
places, finding its favourite haunts amongst the gorse and
the rough, broken ground of commons and heaths ; the
fields and the hedgerows, the gardens and pleasure-
grounds, offer little or no attraction. In its general
habits it somewhat closely resembles the Whinchat. It
is just as fond of perching on the topmost sprays of its
56
THE STONECHAT
cover, is just as alert and watchful, flitting from bush to
bush when disturbed, persistently uttering its double
note of wee-chic, accompanied by movements of tail and
wings. It has the same uneven flight, and a very similar
little song. The Stonechat, however, often indulges in
aerial flights much more extended than any I have ever
seen its congener undertake. In May the male occa-
sionally takes long soaring flights on flutterings wings,
from time to time hovering stationary for some moments,
at a height even of several hundred feet. During
these flights it will often chase an insect. Its food is
composed of insects, larvae, small worms, and seeds, the
latter probably enabling the bird to winter in our country.
It lives in scattered pairs, which apparently do not separate
after the nesting season. The Stonechat breeds in April
and May, and the nest is usually placed under the shelter
of a gorse or other bush, amongst the tall, coarse grass,
and is cunningly concealed. It is made outwardly of
dry grass, moss, and roots, lined with hair, feathers, and
sometimes wool. The five or six eggs are pale bluish
green, freckled and spotted with reddish brown. During
the nesting season the birds are exceptionally wary, and
it requires infinite patience to make them betray the
site of their home. The birds remain in family parties
well into the autumn in many cases.
The Stonechat is a much showier bird than the Whin-
chat, and bears no great resemblance to any other British
species. The adult male has the head, throat, and back
black, the rump white, the under parts rich chestnut,
paler on the neck and breast ; the wings and tail are
dark brown, the former marked with white. The female
is far less showy, being browner, and the white parts are
not so clear. Bill, tarsi, and toes black ; irides brown.
Length 5^ inches. The nestling is spotted and marked
with pale brown, and has no trace of the black throat
or white patches in the wings.
57
THE HEDGE ACCENTOR
ACCENTOR MODULAR1S
LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " Hedge-betty,"
" Hedge Moke " (Essex).
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A common and widely
distributed resident, its numbers increased in autumn by
migratory individuals.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Hedge Accentor is one of the commonest
birds of the Metropolitan area, too often mistaken for a
Sparrow, perhaps, but a denizen of London found, say,
from the two-mile radius in increasing numbers to the
outlying suburbs. That the bird is much overlooked,
especially in the central districts, there can be no doubt,
but the observant person may detect it in almost every
nook where it can possibly find food and shelter. It is
a resident in probably all the London parks, and there
must be few suburban gardens or shrubberies worthy of
the name in which it does not dwell or which it does not
visit at one time or another. I know of small gardens in
London which are visited regularly by the Hedge Accentor
in winter only. A friend of mine told me that a bird
of this species has visited his garden regularly for several
years, remaining all the winter through, disappearing in
spring. This is a common trait of the Robin also, and
many other small birds. In some cases these individuals
may be migrants from other lands, and then the incident
becomes even more interesting.
The Hedge Accentor becomes far more localised in
summer, simply because suitable breeding-places are
restricted. There are many spots in the London area
where this bird can and does pick up a living during the
winter, but which for various reasons are quite un-
suitable for nesting purposes. Almost any kind of cover
58
THE HEDGE ACCENTOR
will content this homely, unobtrusive little bird, and its
jerky yet sweet if somewhat short song is almost perennial.
The male continues in voice right through the year, the
moulting season excepted, and even in the severest
weather his cheery song may be heard in sheltered spots.
The bird rears several broods in the course of the season,
preparations often being made for the first, in a mild,
open year, as early as February. In the London area its
favourite nesting-place appears to be a thick hedge or an
evergreen bush, but it will build in a vast variety of spots,
and often contents itself with a heap of hedge-clippings
or pea-sticks in a quiet corner of the garden. The nest is
a substantial one, cup-shaped, and formed externally of
moss, dry grass and leaves, and a few slender twigs,
warmly lined with hair, wool, and feathers. The five or
six eggs are dark turquoise-blue. The habits of this
species are somewhat retiring ; the bird obtains most of
its food on the ground, where it shuffles along picking up
minute trifles here and there, slipping off into the bushes
if alarmed, and spending most of its time in the conceal-
ment of its cover. In severe weather it comes with the
Sparrows to our houses, and is one of the most trustful
of our feathered visitors. Its food chiefly consists of
insects, larvae, small worms, and a variety of tiny seeds.
The call-note of this species is a low and plaintive weet.
It is for the most part solitary, but in the pairing season
it shows more gregarious tendencies, often congregating
early in January in small parties. In the country districts
this species is often selected by the Cuckoo to act as foster-
parent.
The Hedge Accentor is one of our plainest birds,
although there is a chaste beauty in its sombre dress. * The
adult has the head and nape slate-grey streaked with
brown, the remainder of the upper parts reddish brown
streaked with dark brown, except the upper tail-coverts,
which have an olive tinge ; the throat and breast are
59
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
grey, merging into pale greyish buff on the rest of the
under parts, darkest on the flanks, which are streaked
with brown. Bill dark brown, paler below ; tarsi and
toes light brown ; irides brown. Length 5-5- inches.
The nestling resembles the adult, but is more thickly
spotted.
60
THE GRASSHOPPER WARBLER
LOCUSTELLA N.EFU
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A local and capricious
summer visitor, generally distributed over England and
Wales, the south of Scotland, and Ireland.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Grasshopper Warbler is found in various
parts of the Metropolitan area, but from its excessively
skulking habits it is very often overlooked. It is local
certainly, but is a regular summer visitor to the gorse-
covered commons and heaths at no very great distance
from the City. Perhaps its nearest haunts are at Wim-
bledon ; and Coombe Wood is said to be another. Then
it is recorded as a summer visitor to suitable spots in the
Hendon, Kingsbury, Harrow, and Hampstead districts ;
Wembley, Osterley, and Croydon neighbourhoods are
others. It frequents suitable areas in the Kentish Grays,
and across the river is a regular visitor to Epping, and is
said to haunt Dagenham Lake, near Ilford. Doubtless
there are many tangled bits of cover where the Grasshopper
Warbler skulks through the summer undetected. There
are many such rural spots within London's limits where
the bird's song might be mistaken for the sibilant sound
of the grasshopper, as even in districts where this Warbler
is absolutely common it only shows itself exceptionally
and for fleeting moments.
There are few other British birds so difficuit of observa-
tion as the Grasshopper WTarbler, and the ordinary bird-
lover may well be excused if he fails to meet with it in
spots it is absolutely known to frequent. Its favourite
haunts are dense thickets and mazes of brushwood in
small woods or on commons or by the roadside, as well
as tangled hed^e-bottoms, ditches, and the luxuriant
61
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
masses of vegetation by the waterside. Here it skulks the
summer through, its actions more like those of a mouse than
wbird, and only at irregular and quiet intervals appearing
a ithin view, when it seems to think it is not observed.
The slightest alarm sends it quickly to cover, and then
only the vibration of a twig here and there or the trem-
bling of the tall grass-stems indicates its creeping, gliding
passage through the dense cover. Possibly this Warbler
may arrive in the London area about the middle of April,
but its appearance is seldom noted until its presence is
disclosed by its curious song, which is usually first heard
near the end of that month, or in some seasons not before
the beginning of May. Its departure also is somewhat
a matter of conjecture, but close and persistent observa-
tion fixes the date as the end of August or early in Sep-
tember. It must be remembered that the bird is then
practically silent, so no clue to its movements or presence
is afforded by its voice. The chirp of the grasshopper
or the squeak of the field-mouse prolonged for as long as
several minutes at a time will give a good imitation of
the voice of the Grasshopper Warbler. It announces its
presence with this persistent, monotonous trill, like no
other bird-music in England, which is uttered not only
at all hours of the day, but very often during the warm,
still summer nights. This curious song appears to be
confined to the male, but both sexes utter the usual tec-
tec call-note so common with the Warblers in general.
At fitful intervals a glimpse of the bird may be obtained,
either when driven out of one cover to another or when
for a fleeting moment it runs up some taller stem or
branch than the rest, and then drops down again. Its
flight seems feeble enough, but that its powers of wing
are considerable is proved by the long migrations it per-
forms twice every year. The food of this Warbler con-
sists of insects, larvae, and various small fruits. It is a
somewhat late breeder, the eggs being laid during May
62
THE GRASSHOPPER WARBLER
or June. Its nest is cunningly concealed either on the
ground 'or just above it in the tangled lower vegetation
of its haunt, long grass being a favourite situation. It is
deep and cup-shaped, compact, and made outwardly of
dry grass, dead leaves, and moss, and lined with fine
round grass-stalks. Thefive or six eggs are white suffused
with the palest pink, spotted and profusely dusted with
reddish brown and grey, with an occasional streak of dark
brown. The female sits closely, and glides from the nest
in a very silent manner, seldom betraying its whereabouts.
One brood only is reared in the season.
The adult Grasshopper Warbler is olive-brown above,
spotted with darker brown of the same shade, buffish
brown below, merging into nearly white on the chin
and belly, and the under tail-coverts have brown shaft-
marks. Bill dark brown, paler below ; tarsi and toes light
brown ; irides brown. Length 5^ inches. The nestlings
are yellower in tint, and have many dark markings on the
throat and flanks.
THE REED WARBLER
ACROCEPPIALUS ARUNDINACEUS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " Reedchat "
(Essex).
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : Common yet local
summer visitor to England, most abundant in the south,
and rarest in the north and west.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : Although the Reed Warbler is seen occasionally
even so close to the city as Battersea Park, I know of no
summer haunt of this species nearer than Richmond.
There are certain breeding-places in the valleys of the
Thames and the Colne within the Metropolitan area, but
the Reed Warbler does not become in any way common
until we get a score or so of miles from the city. The
bird is found in summer at Virginia Water, Betchworth,
Cobham, and other places, but everywhere it is a local
one, and one also that may be very easily overlooked.
It is difficult to explain the bird's absence from many
spots that appear to be ideal summer haunts, and in the
north-east and south-east especially the species is un-
common. Wliere found this Warbler is usually abun-
dant, numbers of pairs living in the same bed of reeds
or belt of osiers.
That the Reed Warbler is somewhat capricious in the
choice of a haunt or seeks localities where some special
food is abundant seems proved by the fact that it frequents
many unlikely districts, and continues to visit them after
they have undergone considerable change. I know of
haunts of this Warbler that have been considerably
curtailed by drainage and building operations still con-
tinuing to be frequented, and even after most of their
privacy has been destroyed. On the other hand, I can
call to mind many more, ideal in every way so far as can
64
8 9
i. Grasshopper Warbler. 2. Blackcap Warbler. 3. Garden Warbler. 4. Chiffchaff.
5. Reed Warbler. 6. Lesser Whitethroat. 7. Goldcrest. 8. Wood Wren.
9. Sedge Warbler.
THE REED WARBLER
be judged, in which a Reed Warbler never by any chance is
seen. The vivid green spears of the reeds are showing
well above the brown, rotten growth of the preceding
year and vegetation by the waterside is becoming full
and generous before the Reed Warbler appears at the end
of April or the beginning of May. Already hosts of
summer migrants are filling the woods and fields with
music before the first strains of the Reed-bird's chattering
melody issue from the greenery of the waterside. Once
here, however, he is a persistent songster indeed, and his
voice day and night is a pleasing feature of his haunt.
The song in parts is harsh and grating enough, but there
are interludes of singular power and sweetness ; he mars
his best endeavour by introducing jarring fragments that
seem to interpret defiance and anger rather than joy.
It is a song of wild contrasts, varied in the extreme, and
occasionally sounds as if the performer were threading the
notes of half a dozen other birds into his own refrain.
The Reed-birds are shy enough, or perhaps we ought
rather to say that they prefer the cool, green seclusion of
the rustling reeds to the sweltering sunlight of the outer
growth. Here more likely than not a trembling stem
or a harsh churr are the only signs of their presence ;
but at fitful intervals a glimpse is obtained of a bird
crossing the more open waterways amongst the reeds
and osiers, or clinging to a bending stem, to drop down
again at once into cover. Now and then you may be
fortunate enough to see a bird flitting to and fro or run-
ning mouse-like up the round, polished stalks of the reeds,
singing all the time. The song is most prevalent in
calm, warm weather ; rough wind and a cool atmosphere
are not conducive to music. They are quarrelsome little
creatures, resent intrusion, and each pair appear to have
vested rights in some particular spot, from which they
seek to drive off all trespassers. Pairing begins soon after
their arrival, and the eggs are laid in May or early June,
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
The deep, cup-shaped nest may either be built hammock-
wise amongst the reed stems or suspended from one or
two thin twigs, at a height of a few inches or several
feet from the water, over which it is usually made. The
materials are woven round several reed stems or twigs,
and consist of dead grass and various aquatic herbs, leaves
of last year's reeds, bits of moss, and roots, lined with finer
grass and roots, a little hair, and sometimes particles of
vegetable down, or even a few feathers. The four or five
eggs are pale greenish blue, spotted and blotched with
greenish brown, pale brown, and grey, with occasionally
a few dark hair-like lines or freckles. The old birds be-
come very restless and scolding if their nest be menaced.
But one brood is reared, often after several attempts,
and the return migration takes place in September.
The food of this Warbler is almost if not entirely com-
posed of insects and larvae, such as haunt the waterside,
but its frequent visits to gardens may be for the smaller
fruits. Although it flies in an apparently feeble and
hesitating manner its powers of wing must of course be
very considerable to enable it successfully to cross the
seas twice each year.
The adult Reed Warbler is olive-brown above, with a
perceptible tinge of rufous on the rump, the pale eye-
stripe very indistinct, and pale buff below, becoming
nearly white on the throat and centre of the belly. Bill
dark brown above, pale brown below ; tarsi and toes
greyish brown ; irides brown. Length 5-$- inches.
66
THE SEDGE WARBLER
ACROCEPHALUS PHRAGMITIS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " Night Warbler "
(Essex).
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A common summer
visitor, widely distributed, and found in all suitable
localities.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Sedge Warbler is certainly more generally
dispersed and commoner than the Reed Warbler in the
Metropolitan area. To begin with, it is far less fastidious
in the selection of a haunt, and often makes its summer
retreat on the banks of small ponds and ditches, which
the rarer species would shun. I have records of its breed-
ing at Dulwich, Wimbledon, Kew, and Richmond ; it
is found in many localities within our radius in North
Surrey and Kent ; whilst in Middlesex it may be met
with in most suitable spots about the Brent, the canal
banks at Twyford, Park Royal, Wembley, Harrow,
Kingsbury, the northern suburbs, and east to Epping,
Wanstead, Ilford, and Dagenham. The Sedge Warbler
is much attached to its haunts, and will continue to visit
them after much of their once great privacy has been
disturbed by the growing exodus of London's population.
On several occasions I have remarked how the noisy
rowing of some Cockney band on river or canal has called
this Warbler into scolding songs of resentment. It is a
skulking bird, and very often overlooked in localities where
its presence might never be suspected.
Such Sedge Warblers as spend the summer within
the area of Greater London reach their usual haunts
towards the end of April, and, like the preceding species,
leave them again in September. Although not quite so
exclusively aquatic, this bird somewhat closely resembles
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
the Reed Warbler in its habits and economy. It is
perhaps not quite so retiring, but resents scrutiny, and
hides away amongst the cover with little provocation.
It sings with equal persistency, both by day and by night,
its voice being a mixture of pleasant warbling and harsh,
discordant chatter. Most birds cease their song if dis-
turbed ; the Sedge Warbler may usually be induced to
break into music by throwing a stone into the cover.
Many pairs frequent one locality, not from any social
tendency, perhaps, but owing to the suitability of the
situation. Shortly after arrival the birds are somewhat
restless, and may often be seen in the trees and hedges ;
pairing may have something to do with this, for as the
breeding season comes on more secretive habits are
developed. During its stay with us the Sedge Warbler
seldom takes any extended flights, confining itself chiefly
to the cover, where it is for ever in motion, slipping about
amongst the vegetation, appearing fitfully here and there,
and from time to time uttering a scolding churr or a string
of chattering cries. It feeds chiefly upon insects and larvae
and small worms, to which are added the smaller fruits.
The nest is made in May or early June ; and in the matter
of its family arrangements the Sedge Warbler is by no
means confined to the waterside, neither does it suspend
its cradle from reeds or twigs. It is usually placed amongst
the long matted grass and weeds growing on a bank, or at
the foot of an osier or other bush, frequently in the
branches of a willow, or in a dense hedge or thicket of
brambles, briars, nettles, and so forth. It is a small,
cup-shaped structure, loosely made of dry grass, moss,
and withered leaves of aquatic plants, lined with horse-
hair, a little down, or even a few feathers. One I recently
saw from the banks of the Brent near Stonebridge had
a fair quantity of the latter. The five or six eggs are
greyish white, more or less densely freckled with yellowish
brown, and sparingly streaked (sometimes not at all)
68
THE SEDGE WARBLER
with dark brown lines" and scratches. The nest is only
discovered with difficulty, and, as is usual with so many
Warblers, the sitting bird slips off in a very stealthy manner
when disturbed.
The adult Sedge Warbler is russet-brown above, each
feather with a dark brown centre, very pronounced on
the head and wings, and absent from the rump, which is
of a more rufous tinge. The eye-stripe is pale buff ; the
under parts are pale buff, darkest on the breast and flanks.
Bill dark brown above, paler below ; tarsi and toes pale
brown ; irides brown. Length 4^ inches.
THE WHITETHROAT
STLFIA CINEREA
LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " Hayjack,"
" Haychat " (Essex).
^STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A common and widely
distributed summer visitor.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : Although the Whitethroat cannot be regarded
as a visitor to the inner portions of the Metropolitan
area, there are many places in the suburbs where it is
fairly common during the summer. I have never met
with this species in any of the strictly urban parks and
pleasure-grounds, though there are some in which it
might be reasonably expected, as, for instance, in the
Botanical Gardens ; on the other hand, I may mention
Dulwich and Wimbledon as districts it regularly fre-
quents. Regarding the more outlying areas, however,
there are many spots still sufficiently rural to afford it a
suitable summer residence. It may be noticed in many
parts of Middlesex — Park Royal, Wembley, Harrow,
Kingsbury, Hendon, and so forth ; whilst in Essex it
regularly visits the Epping district, Wanstead, and Dagen-
ham. In Kent it has many haunts about the Grays and
elsewhere ; whilst Surrey, of course, affords it others in
many scattered localities well within the fifteen-mile
radius — Kew, Richmond, and so on. I have heard of
this species as a visitor to large gardens in the autumn
much nearer the city, where a plentiful crop of fruit
has, of course, been the chief attraction.
If there are Whitethroats in a locality the fact can
scarcely be overlooked by any one familiar with the species.
The bird is particularly partial to hedges, and has a
habit of mounting to the top of them to sing, flitting
along before the observer, hovering in the air, or con-
70
THE WHITETHROAT
cealing itself amongst the dense foliage, where the un-
mistakable call-note of tay-tay-tay and the trembling
of the twigs proclaims its presence. The Whitethroat
reaches the London district towards the end of April, in
most seasons late enough to evade the last snap of winter,
and when insect life is stirring in abundance. This is
not always the case, however, for in the spring of
1908 the Whitethroat and many other migrants had an
experience which fortunately is rare. The last ten days
of April were marked by wintry conditions, and several
falls of snow occurred. It was a novel sight on April 24
to watch the Whitethroat near Sudbury flitting about
snow-draped hedgerows and across the white fields,
silent and ill at ease, in company with Willow Warblers,
fellow wanderers in distress. Probably the birds had
never seen snow before, and there can be little doubt
that the Whitethroats at any rate perished for lack of food.
The return migration of the Whitethroat takes place in
September. The song of this species is a blithe, sweet,
garrulous little lay, rich with a wild beauty all its own.
The bird is a most industrious singer, and as often as not
warbles as he flies or whilst threading his way with
wonderful speed through the matted hedges. He con-
tinues in voice until the end of July. The food of this
species is largely composed of insects and larvae, but
soft corn and garden fruits are eagerly sought. Its nest-
ing season is in May and June. The simple little nest
may be found in a great variety of situations, in gardens
and hedges, amongst the tangled vegetation by the
roadside or in any convenient thicket of briar, brambles,
or nettles, sometimes close to the ground, at others
several feet above it. It is a flimsy little structure, a
deep and rounded cup, chiefly composed of dead grass,
stalks, and roots, lined with horsehair. The five or six
eggs range from greyish to buffish white in ground colour,
mottled, clouded, and freckled with light brown and olive-
71
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
brown and grey. But one brood is reared. In autumn
the Whitethroat commonly resorts to cornfields and
gardens, and on migration frequently visits unusual
localities.
The adult male Whitethroat has the head grey, the rest
of the upper parts pale brown, margined on the wings
with chestnut ; the outer tail-feathers are bordered
with white ; the under surface is white, with a rosy tinge
on the breast and a buff one on the flanks. The female
has a brown head, and lacks the rosy tinge on the breast.
Bill dark brown, paler below ; tarsi and toes pale brown ;
irides pale brown. Length 5$ inches. The young closely
resemble the female in colour.
72
THE LESSER WHITETHROAT
STLVIA CURRUCA
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A local summer visitor ;
rarer in the extreme west, and in Scotland ; of only
abnormal occurrence in Ireland.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN TIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : In the Metropolitan area, as almost everywhere
else, the Lesser Whitethroat is less common and more
local than the preceding species. It is a bird, however,
that is often overlooked, and may justly be classed as a
regular summer visitor to many places within^the limits
of London's suburbs. During the seasons of migration,
in autumn especially, this little species frequently visits
small gardens within the six-mile radius, and I have
records from Kensington Gardens. In the autumn of
1904 I noticed a Lesser Whitethroat among some rows of
peas (the only cover the wretched apology for a garden
contained) for several days in succession, whilst I have
frequently observed it in allotment gardens not very far
from the City. To the more central suburbs it is
certainly a regular summer visitor, breeding at Dulwich,
whilst it is by no means rare in the Willesden, Wembley,
and Hendon districts. I have also summer records of it
from the Ealing, Acton, Kew, and Gunnersbury areas ;
whilst, of course, further afield it becomes commoner,
round Wimbledon, Richmond, Osterley, Southall, King-
ston, Merton, Ewell, Croydon, the Grays, Dartford,
Ilford, Wanstead, Epping, Enfield, Barnet, and Harrow.
Within the limits I have given and in the vicinity of
all the places specified the Lesser Whitethroat may be met
with during summer. It arrives near the end of April,
and migrates south in September. With the important
exception that the Lesser Whitethroat shows a greater
73
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
preference for trees, its habits otherwise closely resemble
those of the preceding species. This propensity for the
higher vegetation is the reason the bird is so frequently
overlooked and thought to be much rarer and more local
than it really is. It has the same restless disposition,
the same secretive ways, as its larger congener. Fre-
quently it may be seen to flutter out from some tree into
the air in chase of an insect. Its song is nothing nearly
so sweet as that of the common Whitethroat, and consists
of a few twittering notes, often uttered during flight ; its
call-note is a grating tec-tec. The food of this species is
largely composed of insects and larvae, especially aphides ;
and the smaller garden fruits, such as currants and rasp-
berries, are greedily sought. The nesting season is in
May and June. The nest is often built quite close to
the ground, amongst brambles or gorse and similar matted
vegetation, but at other times is placed in a tall thick
hedge. It is not so deep as that of the common White-
throat, but made on the same flimsy design, outwardly of
grass stalks and bents and inwardly of horsehair. The
four or five eggs range from white to buff in ground colour,
blotched and freckled with greenish brown and grey, and
occasionally scratched with dark brown. The eggs are a
little smaller than those of the preceding, and the spots
are more clearly defined. But one brood is reared.
The adult Lesser Whitethroat is pale slate-grey above,
with a brownish tinge on the back and ear-coverts ; the
wings and tail are brown, the inner secondaries with pale
brown margins, and the outer feathers of the latter tipped
with white ; the under parts are pale brown, shading into
white on the throat, centre of the abdomen, and under tail-
coverts. The female closely resembles the male in colour.
Bill dark slate-grey, paler at the base of the lower mandible ;
tarsi and toes slate-grey ; irides pale brown. Length
5f inches. The nestling closely resembles the adult in
general coloration.
74
THE GARDEN WARBLER
STLFIA HORTENSIS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A somewhat local and
capricious summer visitor, but very generally distributed ;
rarest in trie south-west of England, in Wales, parts of
Scotland, and in Ireland.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN^ FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Garden Warbler is a fairly common summer
visitor to suitable places in the Metropolitan area, but its
skulking habits cause it very frequently to be overlooked.
It is very possible that this Warbler breeds locally within
the five-mile radius, in which it is a tolerably frequent
visitor to many gardens and some of the parks during
spring and autumn migration. It is said to breed at
Dulwich and Ranelagh. Beyond this boundary it be-
comes, of course, a more regular visitor, and it may be
traced through most suitable neighbourhoods from Wim-
bledon and Richmond, Twickenham, Kew, Osterley,
Hanwell, Wembley, Willesden, Barnet, Waltham,
Beckenham, Norwood, Mitcham, Merton, and Kingston.
In the remoter suburbs I have evidence of its regular
occurrence in the districts of Croydon, the Kentish Grays,
Banstead, Cheam, Epsom, Bushey, Teddington, Houns-
low, Southall, Harrow, Waltham, Epping, Wanstead,
and Rainham. These localities are only indicative of the
general distribution of the species ; it occurs in a great
many others, no doubt, but sufficient has been said to
trace its distribution within the fifteen-mile limit.
Considering the number of large gardens, nurseries,
orchards, and shrubberies in the suburbs of London, the
wonder is that the Garden Warbler is so local and com-
paratively scarce. It is more than possible that the bird,
owing to its secretive, unobtrusive habits, escapes notice
75
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
altogether. A better look-out should be kept for it.
This Warbler is one of the latest summer migrants to
reach the London area, seldom being seen or heard be-
fore the first week in May. Like all its congeners, it is
shy and retiring, resembling them in its habits generally.
It is fond of skulking in the dense thickets and other
cover of its haunts, threading its way through the maze
of twigs with great celerity, a shaking branch here and
there and an occasional harsh tec-tec being the only
indication of its whereabouts. Like all its kind, it is
restless in its search for food, appearing at intervals in the
open, crossing from one bush or hedge to another with
apparent reluctance, and always preferring to wander from
one part of its haunt to another hidden by the shelter of
the leaves. If its song were only louder it would compare
not unfavourably with that of the Blackcap ; it is not quite
so rich or so flute-like, but its beauty is certainly marred
by its singular softness. The cock is much too modest
in his utterance, and spoils much of its effect by warbling
so far'in the cover. At rare intervals he will mount to some
higher spray, as if moved by a sudden impulse, and warble
for a moment or so in full view ; and sometimes, White-
throat-like, he sings .as he flies. The food of this Warbler
consistsof insects, larvae, and small fruits, especially currants
and raspberries. Insects are sometimes caught in the air.
The nesting season is in May and June, and the nest is
well concealed amongst nettles or other coarse plants, in
fruit bushes, rows of peas, in thickets, briars, and brambles.
It is a simple, net-like little structure, cup-shaped, and
made of fine grass stalks, roots, a little moss, and lined with
horsehair. The five or six eggs are white, sometimes
with a greenish or buffish tinge, blotched, mottled, and
freckled with olive-brown, pale and buflish brown, and
grey. But one brood is reared in the year.
The adult Garden Warbler is olive-brown above,
darkest on the wings and tail ; the under parts are pale
THE GARDEN WARBLER
grey, nearly white on the abdomen, and darkest on the
breast and flanks ; the axillaries and under surface of the
wings are buff. Bill dark brown, paler on the base of
the lower mandible ; tarsi and toes slate-grey ; irides
bright brown. Length 6 inches. The young birds
closely resemble the adult in colour.
77
THE BLACKCAP
SYLVIA ATRICAPILLA
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A common and widely
distributed summer visitor, but becoming local in Scot-
land and Ireland. Occasionally met with during winter.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : Whether the more conspicuous appearance of
the Blackcap has anything to do with the widely prevail-
ing opinion that this bird is commoner than the Garden
Warbler in the Metropolitan area I am not prepared to
say. Whatever may be the reason, it is reported as
more or less numerous in every suitable part of London's
extensive suburbs. Its breeding-places, of course, in the
most central localities are few, Dulwich, perhaps, being
the nearest point to St. Paul's, or even possibly Battersea
and Regent's Parks. On migration the Blackcap may
appear in any of the urban parks ; I have records from
Hyde Park ; but its visit is transient, and may be generally
overlooked. In the more rural suburbs, such as Croy-
don, Norwood, Streatham, Wimbledon, Richmond, Kew,
Ealing, Wembley, Willesden, Barnet, Enfield, Waltham,
Epping, Ilford, and Bromley, the bird is fairly numerous,
but decreasing in some places where the builder is becom-
ing too aggressive. Beyond these limits, again, in the
still more rural and quieter localities the species becomes
generally dispersed, and in some parts may be classed
as quite a common bird. Notwithstanding the Wild
Birds Protection Acts, many Blackcaps are still caught in
the environs of London. More's the pity !
The breaking up for building purposes of so many
beautiful rural spots in the suburbs of London is causing
the Blackcap and many other charming birds to decrease
sadly in numbers. The destruction of Wembley Park
78 '
THE BLACKCAP
is one of the most pitiable of recent instances. In a
belt of glorious shrubbery there the Blackcap could be
heard in numbers all the summer through warbling
deliciously, the Rooks cawing noisily in the trees over-
head. There the Goldcrest bred, Titmice and Creepers
had their haunt, and the Thrush and Blackbird piped
the livelong day. All is now laid bare and desolate ; in
the meadows adjoining, some of the most magnificent
timber round London has been felled ; everything of
beauty is given over to that arch-spoiler the speculative
builder ! The Blackcap reaches its London haunts
about the middle of April, and its arrival is soon loudly
proclaimed by its beautiful song ; it migrates south
again in September. The favourite haunts of this
Warbler are shrubberies, coppices in which plenty of
brushwood clothes the ground, dense thickets and hedges,
orchards and large gardens. It by no means confines
itself to the thick growth, and often visits the trees, or
sits and sings on some exposed spray ; but it is fond of
cover, and like all its kindred threads its way through the
branches with celerity, from time to time uttering a
harsh tec-tec as if of warning or defiance. The song of
this Warbler is flute-like and beautiful in the extreme —
not even the Nightingale rivals it for sweetness or variety.
If undisturbed the bird will continue in song for minutes
at a time, and it is then one can realise the wonderful
compass and power of his matchless melody. He con-
tinues in voice until the young are reared, ceasing with
the approach of the autumn moult. The food of this
Warbler consists largely of insects and larvae, but fruit
is eagerly sought, and even the berries of the ivy and
the yew. It begins nesting early in May, building its
home amongst the dense thickets and hedgerows. The
nest is a beautifully neat and rounded cup, slightly put
together, made externally of grass stalks, flakes of moss,
roots, and lined with horsehair. As is the case with most
79
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
Warblers, bits of cobweb and cocoons are used to bind the
materials together. The five or six eggs are white, some-
times suffused with blue or red, in ground colour, clouded
and blotched with various shades of brown and grey, and
occasionally scratched with very dark brown. Both sexes
incubate, and the sitting bird frequently shows great
fearlessness at the nest.
The adult male Blackcap has the forehead and crown
jet-black, the remainder of the upper parts grey, suffused
with olive on the quills and tail ; the under parts are
pale bluish grey, becoming nearly white on the abdomen.
The female resembles the male in general coloration,
but her forehead and crown are chestnut-brown. Bill
dark brown ; tarsi and toes lead-colour ; irides brown.
Length 5f inches. The young of both sexes resemble
the female in colour.
80
THE DARTFORD WARBLER
SYLVIA PROFINCIALIS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : An extremely local resi-
dent in the southern, eastern, and central counties of
England ; extinct in certain localities where it was once
common.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Dartford Warbler is a species in which I have
always taken exceptional interest. Nearly thirty years
ago I obtained its nest in the most northerly recorded
locality in England (in the Rivelin Valley, on the out-
skirts of Sheffield). The fact has been ignored by some
recent writers, and doubted by others (including Mr.
Saunders, for reasons best known to himself), but the
nest and eggs were in my collection for years, and at
the time I took them I stood for several minutes examin-
ing the mother bird as she brooded on the nest within reach
of my hand. I thought little of the occurrence at the
time, and it was not recorded till several years after-
wards in the History of British Birds. A special interest
also attaches to this species, because it was actually first
discovered and made known to science from specimens
obtained on Bexley Heath, near Dartford, some fifteen
miles from St. Paul's. It, is certainly a very local bird in
the Metropolitan area, and may nest only in suitable
spots in Surrey and Kent at the extreme limits of the
radius. It has been recorded from Wimbledon, as
having bred at Hampstead, as frequenting Stanmore
Common and Harrow Weald Common, and as having
been obtained at Old Oak Common and Wormwood
Scrubbs, both in the Willesden area. There are many
gorse coverts within the Metropolitan radius where this
skulking bird might find a suitable haunt, and it is
F 81
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
just possible that it has been overlooked in some of
them.
Although there is much of intense interest in the
habits of the Dartford Warbler it will not be necessary
to dwell upon them at any great length in the pre-
sent volume, because* the bird is so utterly local, and is
not likely to come before the notice of many observers
in Greater London. The most remarkable fact about
this species is that it is a resident ; all the other Warblers
are migrants, yet this tiny creature manages to exist in
England through the severest winters. It may be that
it can always find food of some kind amongst the dense
gorse coverts it frequents, such spots offering a sanctuary
to those lower forms of insect life upon which this
Warbler largely subsists. A good deal still requires to
be investigated concerning the food of this particular
species. There are few shyer or more restless and re-
tiring birds than the Dartford Warbler. It keeps close
to the gorse, only at fitful intervals appearing on the
higher sprays, and then but for a moment or so. Some-
times it indulges in a little soaring flight above the cover,
but soon drops down again into it like a stone. Its call
note of pit-it-chou is very characteristic, but it also
utters a sound like the familiar tay-tay of the White-
throat. During the breeding season — between May and
June — the cock bird may be heard to warble a short yet
musical little song. The nest for the first brood is made
in April, for the second in June. It is usually placed close
to the ground, amongst dead gorse and grass, a loosely
built structure, made of round dry grass stems, bits of
dry gorse, and moss, and lined with scraps of wool, finer
grass stalks, and hair. The four or five eggs so closely
resemble those of the Whitethroat that they can only be
distinguished with the greatest difficulty. A? a rule the
markings are perceptibly more clearly defined, and
darker.
82
THE DARTFORD WARBLER
The adult male Dartford Warbler is sooty brown above,
shading into dark slate-grey on the head ; the wings are
marked with pale brown ; the tail is dark slate-grey, like
the head, but the outer feathers are marked with white.
The under parts are chestnut-brown, flecked with white
on the throat, and merging into white on the abdomen ;
the under tail-coverts are grey, tipped with white. The
female is duller than the male, and the under parts are
very much paler and more uniform in tint. Bill dark
brown, nearly black, paler at the base of the lower
mandible ; tarsi and toes pale brown ; irides orange-
yellow. Length 5 inches. The nestlings are browner
above and buff below.
:
THE WOOD WARBLER
PHTLLOSCOPUS SIBILA7RIX
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A local and somewhat
capricious summer visitor to all suitable districts in
England and Wales ; much rarer in Scotland, and only
found in a few places in Ireland.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : Of the Willow Warblers the present species is
decidedly the least common within the Metropolitan area.
It is everywhere local, and chiefly confined to the more out-
lying suburbs, where woods are plentiful. I have records
of the Wood Warbler from Richmond and Wimbledon ;
it is also said to frequent the vicinity of Dulwich. In
Middlesex, Bushey, Osterley, Wembley, Harrow, Pinner,
Ruislip, and Enfield may be mentioned as haunts. It
has also been recorded from the Hampstead district, and
has been observed in Highgate Woods. It is a very local
visitor to the Epping area, and may possibly be a regular
summer migrant to the vicinity of Wanstead. Of Kent I
possess little authentic information, but I have repeatedly
heard the sibilant song of the Wood Warbler in the area of
the Grays and near High Elms, as well as a little further
west, between Shirley and Croydon. During migration
this pretty Warbler occasionally pays fleeting visits to
gardens and private grounds much nearer to the city,
but as it is silent in autumn it is often overlooked
in the tops of tall trees, or mistaken for its smaller
congeners.
There are fortunately many noble woodlands well
within the fifteen-mile radius which offer a congenial
summer retreat to the Wood Warbler — the largest and
brightest coloured of the three little species known
collectively as Willow Warblers. The favourite haunt of
THE WOOD WARBLER
this species is amongst trees, not necessarily woods, for the
bird may be observed in isolated trees in the fields, in
small coppices, in orchards, parks, and pleasure-grounds.
The Chiffchaff also loves the trees to a great extent ;
the Willow Warbler shows more preference for lower
vegetation. It is this proneness for arboreal celsitude
that enables the Wood Warbler so often to elude dis-
covery, although its very characteristic song and call-note
should furnish a ready means of identification. The
Wood Warbler is the latest of the trio to reach us in spring,
not arriving before the end of April, and it departs some
time in September. Its sojourn here is largely spent
amongst the foliage, which it persistently searches for
insects, slipping about amongst the leaves, fluttering below
them, and hopping from twig to twig, occasionally utter-
ing a note like dee-ur, oft repeated ; and from time to
time the male gives forth a string of rapid notes, followed
by a harsh trill, which constitutes his song. In addition
to insects and larvae, there can be little doubt that the
Wood Warbler also eats the smaller fruits. The nest of
this Warbler is made in May or early June, and is always
placed upon the ground amongst the herbage. It is
semi-domed, made externally of dry grass, bits of moss,
and a few dead leaves, lined with horsehair, never with
feathers, as is the case with its two congeners. The half-
dozen eggs are white, profusely spotted and freckled with
rich brown and grey. It rears but one brood in the
season. The nest is difficult to discover, the female being
very cautious and secretive, but the male frequently
betrays its proximity by his persistent song in the trees
overhead.
The adult Wood Warbler has the general colour of the
upper parts yellowish green, brightest on the rump and
upper tail-coverts ; the very distinct eye-stripe is sulphur-
yellow ; the wings and tail are brown, margined with
yellowish green. The under- parts are white, suffused
85
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
with yellow, more especially on the throat and neck.
Bill dark brown, paler at the base of the lower mandible ;
tarsi and toes brown ; irides brown. Length 4^ inches.
The nestlings are similar in colour to the adults, but a
trifle duller — greener, in fact.
86
THE WILLOW WARBLER
PHTLLOSCOPUS TROCHILUS
LOCAL names in surrounding districts :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A common and widely
distributed summer visitor, found almost everywhere.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Willow Warbler is one of the commonest
of the smaller summer migrants to be found through-
out the Metropolitan area in most suitable places in the
wooded and rural suburbs. I have records from many of
the urban parks, having seen this species in St. James's
Park, Battersea Park, Hyde Park, Regent's Park, Victoria
Park, on Clapham Common, and in some of the larger
cemeteries, although I cannot say that it nests in any of
them. Beyond these limits, however, we reach districts
where the Willow Warbler habitually spends the whole
summer. It would be impossible to mention all of them
here, but I may instance such localities as Dulwich,
Putney, Streatham, Tooting, Wimbledon, Richmond,
Kew, Osterley, Acton, Baling, Hanwell, Willesden,
Harlesden, Wembley, Harrow, Highgate, Hampstead,
Hendon, Enfield, Waltham, Epping, Wanstead, Ilford,
the Grays, Croydon, Norwood, Sydenham, Mitcham,
Ewell, Kingston, and Merton. As our radius widens
into the country the Willow Warbler becomes even yet
more abundant ; whilst in spring and autumn it is by no
means an uncommon visitor to gardens and private grounds
within a few miles of the City.
This pretty bird, one of the smallest of our summer
migrants, reaches the London suburbs early in April, and
quits them again at the end of September or early in
October. Alert and restless, it may be watched hopping
from twig to twig, ever and anon bursting into a delight-
ful ' little song — a series of sweet and plaintive notes in a
87
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
descending scale, finishing so softly as to be scarcely audible.
It makes itself as equally at home in a large garden or
orchard as amongst the hedgerows and coppices and shrub-
beries of more rural spots. It is a most persistent singer
too, and throughout April and May makes its haunts melo-
dious as one bird answers another from the leafy bowers. Its
call-note is equally pleasing — a plaintive weet, long-drawn
and musical, and uttered most pertinaciously when you
are near the nest. The males continue in song until the
summer, ceasing in July and August, during the moult,
and regaining it after that event, unlike any other of their
kindred. The food of this species is largely composed of
insects and larvae, but small fruit and soft berries are
eagerly sought as soon as ripe. The Willow Warbler
pairs soon after its arrival, and eggs may be found from
the end of April onwards to June. The nest is mostly
made upon the ground, amongst sheltering herbage, but
in exceptional cases it is placed at some distance above it.
It is semi-domed, and made of dry grass, bits of moss,
withered leaves, and roots, and lined with hair and large
quantities of feathers. The five, six, or seven eggs are
white (sometimes with a yellowish tinge), blotched,
spotted, and freckled with pale brownish red. Parties
of Willow Warblers are not unfrequently met with in
the London area in autumn, on passage, and many seen
here at that season and in spring are merely Lmigrating
over the city.
The adult Willow Warbler has the upper parts olive-
green, brightest on the rump ; the paler eye-stripe is very
ill-defined ; the wings and tail are brown, with paler
margins. The under parts are yellowish white, suffused
with buff on the breast and flanks ; the under surface
of the wings and the metatarsi are yellow. Bill dark
brown, paler below ; tarsi and toes brown ; irides brown.
Length 4^ inches. The young are browner above and
yellower below than their parents.
88
THE CHIFFCHAFF
PHTLLOSCOPUS RUFUS
LOCAL names in surrounding districts : " Oven-builder "
(Essex).
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A common if somewhat
local summer visitor to England and Wales ; most abundant
in the south and west ; rarer in Scotland and Ireland.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : Although the Chiffchaff is almost as widely
dispersed as the Willow Warbler it seems to be a scarcer
and more local species in some localities. With this
exception the distribution of the two species within the
Metropolitan area is very similar. I do not find it so
common or so well known in the eastern districts, and
in the Epping area it is said to be a very local bird. Dur-
ing the seasons of its migrations it often visits the parks
and wooded places within a mile or so of St. Paul's, but it
probably breeds no nearer than Dulwich, or possibly in
Battersea Park. Beyond this area it becomes so generally
distributed in districts where the Willow Warbler is also
found that it is unnecessary to repeat the list of localities.
Very probably the two birds are much confused, although
the very characteristic note of the Chiffchaff and its
partiality for trees should form a ready guide to its correct
identification. Passing mention may be made of a pair
of Chiffchaffs that I watched for some time in the tall
elm-trees in Kensington Gardens on April 13, 1905 —
worth recording as a date of passage.
Special interest attaches to the Chiffchaff, because it is
absolutely the first, as it is the smallest, of the Warbler
band to reach British shores in spring. True, its journey
may not be a very extensive one, for possibly the south of
France is the winter home of British individuals, but in any
case the wild weather of the closing days of March usually
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
brings this Warbler to the London area. March 16, 1906,
is an exceptionally early record from Mitcham. The migra-
tion is stronger as April advances, and soon all the accus-
tomed spots are filled. The return journey is equally a late
one, and many examples of this species linger with us well
into October. The bird soon proclaims its presence in a
district by its monotonous so-called song, resembling the
syllables chiff-chaff, which it utters with the greatest
persistency at intervals the livelong day. Its general
actions are very similar to those of its near ally the
Willow Warbler, but the bird shows a more decided
preference for trees, in this respect resembling its con-
gener the Wood Warbler. It is an active, restless little
bird, incessantly hopping about amongst the foliage,
which it searches most industriously for its food. This
chiefly consists of insects and larvae. Upon one occasion
I was intently watching a ChifTchaff searching an apple-
tree for aphides, picking them off the under surface of
the leaves, when it suddenly flew to the window and tried
to catch a house-fly creeping inside the glass. It was most
amusing to watch the bird fluttering before the window-
pane, making repeated pecks at the glass in its efforts to
catch the fly. To the above fare are added many small
fruits. Soon after its arrival the Chiffchaff may be seen
in pairs, and the breeding season extends over April,
May, and June. Although fond enough of resorting to
the higher branches, it generally selects a site upon the
ground for its nest, or at most a few feet above it, amongst
ivy on a wall, or in a tangle of brambles and briars. A
favourite spot is amongst the meadow-grass or tall herbage
on a bank. It is semi-domed, and made externally of
moss, dry grass and leaves, lined with hair and feathers.
The half-dozen eggs are white, sparsely spotted with dark
reddish brown, paler brown, and grey. The old birds are
wary and secretive near the nest, and it is only by exer-
cising great patience that one can induce them to betray
90
THE CHIFFCHAFF
its precise whereabouts. The cock not unfrequently in-
dicates the general locality by his persistent monotonous
song in the branches near by.
The adult ChifrchafF has the general colour of the
upper parts brownish olive-green, brightest on the rump ;
the greyish white eye-stripe is not very prominent ;
the wings and tail are brown, the outer margins of the
feathers olive-green, the inner margins of the tail-feathers
greyish. The under parts are yellowish white, merging
into grey on the breast and flanks. Bill dark brown, paler
below ; tarsi and toes dark brown, nearly black ; irides
brown. Length about 4^- inches. The nestling resembles
the parent, but is yellow on the under parts.
THE GOLDCREST
REGULUS CRISTATUS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A widely distributed
and common resident in all wooded districts, its numbers
largely increased in autumn by migrants.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : Although the Goldcrest is an irregular and fitful
visitor to many places within strictly urban limits it does
not appear to nest anywhere very near to the great city.
I have seen it during autumn and winter well within a
seven-mile radius, but know of no probable breeding-places
nearer than Sydenham, Croydon, and the Wimbledon
and Richmond districts in the south, Uxbridge, Harrow,
Pinner, Wembley, and Epping in the west and north, and
the Kentish Grays in the south-east. All observers testify
to its most common occurrence during autumn and winter,
and merely to specify the localities where it may probably
be met with would be to compile a list of almost every
wooded spot within the Metropolitan area from St.
James's Park and Regent's Park outwards. One of its
favourite resorts is Wembley, so far as my experience goes,
and I cannot help thinking that it may nest in the many
suitable spots in the park there. After all, the bird
could easily be overlooked not only here, but in many
other places within the fifteen-mile radius, its secretive
and silent habits during the nesting season being very
conducive to its non-discovery.
Although popularly regarded as " Wrens," the Gold-
crests have only a remote affinity with those birds, their
plumed nostrils and very conspicuous crest being two of
their principal characteristics. The British Goldcrest is
the smallest European bird, and there are many facts in
its life-history of great interest. Not the least wonderful
92
Whitethroat. 2. Dartford Warbler. 3. Willow Wren. 4. Common Wren.
5. Goldcrest. 6. Common Nuthatch. 7. Hedge Accentor.
THE GOLDCREST
of these are its annual migrations. Many individuals of
this species are apparently resident in our country, but
in autumn these numbers are increased by vast hosts of
Goldcrests from Continental Europe, and there can be
little doubt that most of the birds seen in London are
part of them. That the Metropolis is in the direct path
of many migrating Goldcrests seems proved by the
frequency of their occurrence during the season of migra-
tion ; and it may be recalled with interest that an example
was once found in the Great Wheel which used to stand
in the Exhibition grounds at Earl's Court. I have seen
this species myself in the trees in the gardens there. The
Goldcrest is very Tit-like in its habits, not so much
because of its affinity with those birds, but because it lives
on similar food and searches for it in the same way and
in the same places. It is by no means a shy bird, but its
restlessness seldom allows one to observe it for long
in the same spot. Tit-like, it explores the branches
of the trees and clings to the slender twigs, searching
the lower bushes, hidden in their tangled recesses,
or for a fleeting moment appearing in view on the
outer sprays ; then flitting to the trees one after the
other in a twittering, straggling train, uttering a singularly
low and piercing call-note, pitched so high as to be abso-
lutely inaudible to many ears. During summer the bird
lives in pairs, but in autumn and winter consorts in parties,
and very frequently accompanies Titmice in their wan-
derings. It subsists on insects, larvae, and tiny seeds,
those of the birch and alder being eagerly sought. It
breeds in April or May, usually selecting a fir of some
kind or a yew, from a branch of which it suspends ham-
mock-wise its beautiful little, almost globular nest, the
surrounding foliage being deftly interwoven with the
materials. This is made of moss and lichens, bound
together with cobwebs, and plentifully lined with hair
and feathers. The six or eight eggs are pale reddish white,
93
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
freckled with brownish red, chiefly on the larger end, and
sometimes so suffused over the entire surface as to con-
ceal the ground colour. During the breeding season the
male has a sweet little song, but I have frequently heard
this species warble delightfully in autumn. The young
and their parents usually remain in company until the
following spring.
The adult Goldcrest has the upper parts yellowish
olive-green ; two black lines reach from each side of the
forehead, enclosing the flaming orange-yellow crest ; the
wings and tail are brown, with yellowish margins to the
feathers, and the former have two white bars. The under
parts are greyish brown. Bill dark brown ; tarsi and
toes brown ; irides brown. Length nearly 3! inches.
The nestling has no black lines on the head, and the
yellow crest is absent.
94
THE WREN
TROGLODTTES PARFULUS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :* " Diddy Wren,"
" Tiddley Wren " (Essex).
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A common and widely
distributed resident.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Wren may fairly be described as a common
resident throughout all suitable places in the Metropolitan
area. The Wren's requirements are modest ones, and
from the urban parks outwards through the increasingly
rural suburbs to the remote open country on their furthest
radius the restless little bird may be met with. I have
heard its cheery carol within a stone's-throw of Tra-
falgar Square, on the island in St. James's Park, and in
such spots as the Botanical Gardens, Kensington Gardens
(near the palace), the grounds of Holland House, and many
small patches of private ground at no great distance
from the City. Like the Hedge Accentor, the Wren will
often take up its quarters for the autumn and winter in
some spot that affords it suitable cover, which it leaves
in spring for a nesting-place further afield. Although
mouse-like and skulking in its habits, its almost perennial
song soon betrays its whereabouts in many localities
where otherwise it would most probably be overlooked.
It is often matter for surprise how small a suburban
garden or shrubbery will serve as a haunt for this species
during many months of the year, the bird only quitting
such a retreat to rear its young. The Wren is one of the
most restless birds, not spending its activity up in the
trees or bushes, but close to the ground, where it is for
ever exploring every nook and corner, creeping about old
walls, hedge-bottoms, the drifts of dead leaves, heaps of
pea-sticks, or any other spots likely to harbour the " small
95
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
deer" upon which it subsists. Its progress, with tail
erect, is more like that of a mouse than a bird, and
on the rare occasions when it flies far in the open it
drifts along looking like a big brown leaf borne by
the wind. During a lifetime spent in watching birds
in almost every kind of circumstance I only remember
to have seen the Wren hop upon the ground on one
occasion. So unique was the experience that I recorded
the date, March 31, 1897. I then saw a Wren cross a
Devonshire lane for about half a dozen yards in a suc-
cession of rapid hops, from the hedge on one side to a
low wall on the other. The Wren is a perennial songster.
Except in the moulting season, in early autumn, its joyous,
jerky, trilling song, loud and beautifully clear, stopping
with a suddenness that always seems to suggest that the
singer has been interrupted before it could be finished,
may be heard almost everywhere. I often pause for a
moment to listen to it in the London parks. The call-
notes are loud and startling, uttered in snatches in rapid
succession, and most frequently heard when the bird is
alarmed. Its food consists largely of insects, but also of
seeds and fruits, according to season. Except during
the nesting season, and for a week or so after the young
can fly, the Wren is solitary enough, although there can
be little doubt that in many cases the birds pair for life
and yearly breed in one particular spot. It is a somewhat
early breeder, and eggs for the first brood may be found
in April, those for later ones in June. The large, globular
nest is made in bushes and thickets, amongst ivy on walls
or tree-trunks, in old walls, in haystacks and sheds, in
thatch, under banks, amongst tree roots, and on old ivy-
covered stumps in the hedges. There are other sites
more exceptional, but which possibly occur to many
readers. The nest is made of moss, dry leaves and grass,
lichens, roots, and dead fern-fronds, lined with hair and
feathers. The entrance-hole is bound round with grass
THE WREN
stems and roots. The external materials usually har-
monise very closely with surrounding objects, and thus
aid the concealment of the nest. The half-dozen or
more eggs are white, spotted with brownish red and
greyish brown. The Wren is a close sitter, but will
forsake its nest with very little provocation.
The adult Wren has the upper parts dark rufous brown,
darkest on the head, and barred from below the neck
with dark brown ; the wings and tail are rufous brown,
barred with darker brown, the former spotted with white
on the coverts ; the eye-stripe is yellowish white. The
under parts are rufous brown, shading into greyish brown
on the breast and throat, and more or less barred with
dusky brown. Bill dark brown, paler brown below ;
tarsi and toes pale brown ; irides dark brown. Length
about 4 inches. The nestling closely resembles the
parents in general colour, but the under parts are a
little more rufous.
97
THE CREEPER
CERTHIA FAMILIAR1S
LOCAL names in surrounding counties : u Bark-runner "
(Essex).
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A common and widely
distributed resident in all wooded districts.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Creeper is perhaps nowhere very abundant
in any part of the Metropolitan area, but it is sufficiently
widely dispersed therein to be fairly classed as a common
bird in all places suited to its requirements. The bird,
especially during winter, pays irregular visits to the urban
parks where large trees are numerous. I have often
watched its erratic movements about the trunks of the
old elm-trees in Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park, in
some of the old woodland fragments still remaining about
Clapham and Dulwich, in the grounds of the Crystal
Palace, and amongst the grand old oaks at Tooting.
Possibly the Creeper breeds in none of these spots ; I
have no proof or record of the fact, but that it does so
within a mile or two of these localities is certain. The
bird breeds to my knowledge in Coombe Wood, in Rich-
mond Park, at Wimbledon and Osterley, in the Willesden
and Twyford areas, near Kingsbury and Harrow, Enfield,
Waltham, Epping, and Wanstead. Across the Thames
I have records of the species during the breeding season
in the area of the Crays, Bromley, Croydon, Merton,
Banstead, Kingston, and Epsom, but of course there are
numerous intermediate localities where the bird habitually
nests.
It requires a sharp and practised eye to detect the
Creeper. Its unobtrusive ways conduce to its being over-
looked. It is one of the most silent of our smaller
birds, and it prefers to spend its life amongst the mature
THE CREEPER
timber, where its sober colouring most effectually tends
to its concealment. Woodpecker-like, it runs about the
trunks and larger branches, supporting its body with its
stiff tail, and picking out its food from the chinks and
cracks with its long, slender bill. It flies little whilst in
quest of food, save to move from one tree to another,
and will often remain about one large tree until almost
every part has been examined. Sometimes a solitary
Creeper will join a company of Titmice during autumn or
winter, and whilst its companions pick up a living amongst
the slender twigs it will search the trunk for its own fare,
but flitting off in company in an undulating manner.
There are many old orchards in Greater London where
the ways of this charming little bird may be watched
with ease. It lives perhaps exclusively on insects and
larvae. The Creeper is not much of a songster, no more
so than the Titmice, and its feeble call-note of weet is
heard most frequently in the breeding season. It is
solitary in its habits, seldom more than a pair being seen
unless the brood is out, and very often but a single
individual. It probably pairs for life, and begins nest-
building for the first brood in April, for the second in
June. A favourite site for its nest is in a crevice behind
a piece of loose bark, but a hole in a tree is sometimes
chosen, a cranny in a building or amongst thatch. The
nest is made externally of twigs, lined with fine roots,
strips of bark, moss, wool, and feathers. The six or eight
eggs are yellowish white, spotted and blotched with reddish
brown of various shades and grey. The old birds are secre-
tive enough during the breeding period, and do little to
betray the site of their nest, which may be placed in quite
a frequented spot.
The adult Creeper has the upper parts dark brown, palest
on the rump and darkest on the head, streaked with
rufous brown and palest buff ; the wings are dark brown
barred with pale brown, the coverts tipped with pale
99
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
buff ; the tail-feathers are rigid, brown in tint, with yellow
shafts. The under parts are silver-white, suffused with
buff on the flanks and under tail-coverts. Bill dark
brown, paler below ; tarsi and toes brown ; irides brown.
Length about 5 inches. The nestling resembles the adult
in colour, but has a shorter and nearly straight bill.
100
THE NUTHATCH
SITT4 C&SIA
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A local resident, com-
monest in the southern and central English counties ;
rarer northwards, and accidental in Scotland ; unknown
in Ireland.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST
PAUL'S : This handsome bird is fairly uniformly distri-
buted over the Metropolitan area in all places suited to
its needs, breeding in many localities and frequently
visiting urban areas during the non-nesting season. It
may be met with in almost every locality given for the
Creeper, and precisely the same remarks apply to its
errant wanderings. It often visits the lawns of suburban
villas, has been noticed in Kensington Gardens, and I
have on several occasions seen it on trees growing by the
side of bus- and tram-frequented roads. It is said to
breed at Dulwich, and I have records of it doing so at
Richmond, Wimbledon, Merton, Epsom, Banstead, and
Croydon. In Middlesex it breeds at Osterley, Norwood,
Hanwell, Harrow, and Wembley, and is often seen at
Hendon, Hampstead, and Highgate, probably breeding
in the latter locality. It is, of course, found at Epping
and Wanstead, whilst across the river in Kent the Grays
are a favourite resort, and Langley Park may also be
mentioned. Beech woods and hazel coppices are favourite
resorts of this species, but the bird wanders far and wide,
and may be met with amongst every variety of timber,
old parks being a great attraction.
Although more showy in coloration than the Creeper,
the Nuthatch, from its retiring ways, is almost as much
overlooked. It delights in precisely the same haunts,
and has the same way of appearing accidentally in a spot
101
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
perhaps not at all suitable to its requirements, where
it will linger for a time. Parks full of old timber are
* 9 P **£ &
the favourite haunt of the Nuthatch ; orchards and less
frequently large gardens are others. Although the tail-
feathers are normal and soft the bird climbs about the
trunks and larger limbs with perfect ease, and like the
Woodpeckers taps the bark, and can break into a nut
skilfully with its powerful, chisel -like bill. In two
respects the Nuthatch is somewhat of an anomaly : he
climbs with a soft tail, and has a bill like a Woodpecker,
the latter structura^ peculiarity being no indication of
affinity with that bird, but only the result of similarity in
obtaining food. Although an expert climber, the Nut-
hatch by no means confines itself to the trunks and
larger branches, where it creeps about in every possible
manner ; it also frequents the slenderer boughs and twigs,
and I have seen it clinging to the extremities of drooping
ones, swinging like a pendulum whilst twisting off the
fat farinaceous buds. The food of this species consists of
insects, and larvae also, as well as nuts — which are usually
placed in some chink and chipped open with the bill — and
various kinds of berries. It is somewhat solitary in habit,
although paired for life, and frequently breeds in one spot
for years. It has no song, but often betrays its presence by
its vigorous tapping, and its call is a loud, musical whit.
The Nuthatch probably rears more than one brood in the
year, as eggs may be found as early as April and as late as
July. The usual site for the nest is in a hole in the timber,
less frequently in a wall or a haystack. The hole, which
varies in depth from a few inches to a foot or more, is
sometimes enlarged by the bird itself, and the entrance is
invariably plastered up with clay, leaving an aperture
just large enough for ingress, the amount of this material
varying according to the size of the hole selected. At the
bottom a slight nest of dry leaves and flakes of bark,
sometimes a little dry grass, is formed, and here the six
102
THE NUTHATCH
or eight eggs are deposited. These are white, spotted with
reddish brown and grey. The Nuthatch often makes its
nest in a frequented spot in an orchard, and will continue
to use the place in spite of much disturbance. Like all
hole-builders it is a close sitter.
The adult Nuthatch is a very pretty bird, having the
upper parts, including the two centre tail-feathers, the
secondaries, and the margins of the primaries, clear blue-
grey ; the white eye-stripe and black band on each side
of the head through the eye are very conspicuous ; the
wings are brown, the remaining tail-feathers black
marked with white. The cheeks, throat, and centres of
the under tail-coverts are white, the remainder of the
under parts buff, shading into chestnut on the flanks and
the margins of the under tail-coverts. Bill lead-colour,
paler below ; tarsi and toes pale brown ; irides brown.
Length nearly 6 inches. The nestling closely resembles
the adult in general colour, but the under parts are not
so rich a chestnut, none of the remaining tints are so
brilliant, and the bill is much paler.
103
THE GREAT TITMOUSE
PARUS MAJOR
LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " Saw-sharpener,"
" Post-builder " (Essex).
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A widely distributed
and common resident in all wooded districts ; numbers
increased in autumn by migrants.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : Although nowhere so common as the Blue
Titmouse, the present species is pretty generally distri-
buted over the Metropolitan area, and as a transient
visitor may be met with in the central portion. It is
a frequent visitor to St. James's Park, the grounds of
Buckingham Palace and Marlborough House, Hyde Park,
and Kensington Gardens, to my knowledge breeding in
the two latter. Thence it may be traced as a visitor
(and possibly nesting) to the grounds of Holland House,
north to Regent's Park, east to Victoria Park. On the
" Surrey side " I can record it from Peckham Rye,
Herne Hill, Battersea Park, and Clapham Common.
Beyond these limits its distribution becomes so general
that a detailed list of localities is scarcely necessary. As
the suburbs become more rural and vegetation more
abundant it becomes commoner as a nesting species,
sometimes rearing its young year by year in situations
close to public highways. The bird is not so gregarious
as the smaller species of Tits, and very often an odd
individual attaches itself to a party of them. It moves
about a good deal in pairs, and is warier than many of
its congeners.
There can be little doubt that many of the Great Tits
seen within the London area, especially during autumn
and winter, are migrants from Continental Europe, or
perhaps from more northern localities in our own island.
104
THE GREAT TITMOUSE
At these seasons the Great Tit may be seen or heard in
gardens, in trees by the wayside, even in busy streets,
especially such as may be in the vicinity of the parks.
During the breeding season, however, the bird retires to
more suitable haunts, and also does not betray its where-
abouts to any great extent by its characteristic notes.
The habits of all the Tits are very similar ; the birds
spend most of their waking moments amongst the
branches in quest of food, restlessly hopping hither and
thither, placing themselves in every possible attitude,
some grotesque in the extreme, and from time to time
trooping off one after the other in dipping flight. Of all
the British species perhaps the Great Tit is the wariest,
and it confines itself more to the larger trees than its con-
geners. It lacks the audacity of its ally the Blue Tit, and
seldom or never evinces such trustfulness in man. Some-
times, however, it visits the ground to search for food, and
frequently clings to the bark, hammering with its stout
bill to get at some tempting morsel. Insects and larvae
and small seeds and fruits form the principal food of
this Titmouse, but exceptionally a small bird is killed
after the manner of the Shrike. The bird is not much of
a songster, but in early spring the males string a few
notes together into the semblance of a love-trill, and at this
season especially its shrill call of peek-ur, peek-ur, is very
characteristic. Besides these it often utters a musical si-
si-si or a spluttering and prolonged chur. The Great Tit
pairs for life, and preparations are made for its first brood
in April ; in June for a later one. It makes two distinct
types of nest, according to the situation in which each
is placed. One is globular, almost like that of the Wren,
and made in the old nest of a Crow or a Magpie, or amongst
the sticks of that of a Rook, even whilst it is occupied ;
the other is open and placed in a hole of a wall, a tree, a
pump, post, flower-pot, or even in the ground. The
materials are moss, dead leaves, dry grass, hair, wool, and
105
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
feathers, more or less felted together, the first-named
type, of course, being the most compactly made. The
six or eight eggs are white or yellowish white in ground
colour, spotted and freckled with light red. Throughout
the nesting season the old birds are shy and wary and
silent.
The adult Great Titmouse has the general colour of the
upper back yellowish green, yellowest towards the nape,
which is white, and shading into slate-grey on the lower
back and upper tail-coverts ; the forehead, crown, sides of
the neck and throat are glossy black, the cheeks and the
ear-coverts are white ; the wings are brown, with pale
margins, the coverts pale blue, tipped with yellowish
white, forming a bar ; the tail is dull black suffused with
blue, the two outer feathers white along the outer web and
at the tip, the next pair tipped with white. The under
parts below the throat are bright greenish yellow, with a
broad black band extending from the black on the throat
to the vent, which, with the under tail-coverts, is mottled
with white. Bill black ; tarsi and toes lead-colour ; irides
dark brown. Length 5i inches. The nestlings closely
resemble their parents in general colour, but are duller,
and the white parts are suffused with yellow.
1 06
THE BLUE TITMOUSE
PARUS CJERULEUS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " Pick-cheese,"
" Bluecap " (Essex).
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A common and widely
distributed resident in all wooded districts, its numbers
increased in autumn by migratory individuals.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : This is the commonest and by far the best
known of the Tits throughout the Metropolitan area. It
may be met with from time to time almost anywhere,
provided there are a few trees to afford it shelter. So
grimy does the little bird become in exploring the soot-
covered trees that one is often puzzled for a moment to
recognise it, its delicate contrasts of blue and yellow being
concealed by the dirt of the great city. It probably
breeds from St. James's Park outwards to the limits of
our radius, including almost every urban park in the
Metropolis. In winter there are few private grounds or
houses with trees about them that the Blue Titmouse does
not visit, and its cheery notes may often be heard from
the trees that fringe suburban roads, or even the Thames
embankments. It is possible that some of these little
wanderers may be migrants, for the species is particularly
in evidence in autumn, when the countryside is swarming
with family parties not only from our own woodlands,
but from across the seas, whither they come in company
with Goldcrests and the following species.
Next to the Sparrow and the Starling the Blue Titmouse
is one of the most familiar of London's birds. Although
it seems to go into an eclipse, as it were, during the
breeding season, keeping silent and seclusive, during the
remainder of the year it is in more or less constant evi-
dence. Never is it more so than in autumn, when crowds
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
of this species visit us from other areas and in noisy
bands invade the trees and gardens. Often the little
blue mites may be watched from our windows, searching
the chrysanthemum bushes and the tall, fast-withering
sunflowers, or actively flitting about the trees, clinging
in every attitude to the slender extremities of the twigs,
and answering each other with merry twittering cries.
Then a bone or bit of suet hung in the back garden,
be that garden ever so small, will attract the Blue Tit
almost without fail, and the tiny visitor will afford endless
amusement by its acrobatic movements as it picks a meal.
It is one of the most nimble of birds, and may often be
seen holding a big seed or a scrap of suet in its feet the
better to tear it in pieces with its strong bill. The way
it will bore into an apple or a pear is astonishing. The
food of this Titmouse consists of insects and larvae, small
seeds, fruit, and any unconsidered trifles of animal
matter that come its way. In the pairing season more
especially it may be heard to utter a string of twittering
notes, something like chicka — chic-ka-kee-kee-kee. Its
call-note is an oft-repeated si-si-si, and when disturbed
at the nest it hisses in a most alarming way. The Blue
Titmouse seems to pair for life, and will yearly return to
nest in a certain spot. It is double-brooded, laying in
April and June. Its nest is invariably made under cover,
in a hole of some kind, in a tree, wall, post, stump, flower-
pot, pump, or other singular spot, more rarely in the ground
itself. It is a carelessly made cup of moss, dry grass, and
leaves, matted together with wool and hair, and lined
with feathers. The six to ten eggs are white, freckled
and spotted with light red. It is a courageous little
creature at the nest, and will bite fiercely in defence of
its home.
The colours of the Blue Titmouse are distributed in a
somewhat eccentric way. The adult has the general
colour of the upper parts from the nape yellowish green ;
108
THE BLUE TITMOUSE
the wings and tail are blue, the greater wing-coverts
and the innermost secondaries tipped with white ; the
crown is azure blue, surrounded by a ring of dull white,
succeeded by a band of dark blue, which also encircles
the white cheeks and meets on the chin and throat. The
under parts below the throat are greenish yellow, palest
on the abdomen, and with a streak of dusky blue on the
centre of the breast ; under surface of the wings yellow.
Bill dusky grey ; tarsi and toes lead-colour ; irides brown.
Length 4^- inches. The nestling is similarly coloured,
but the white parts are strongly suffused with yellow,
and the dusky mark on the breast is absent.
109
THE COAL TITMOUSE
PARUS ATER (sub-sp. BRITANNICUS)
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A widely distributed
resident in all wooded districts, its numbers largely
increased in autumn by migrants.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Coal Titmouse is another of those species
that is generally met with in the immediate precincts
of the city during the autumn and winter. It is, how-
ever, by no means as common in the Metropolitan area,
apparently, as the two preceding species, and many of the
individuals that pay London a visit are doubtless autumn
migrants from Continental localities. I have records of
the Coal Titmouse as near the city limits as St. James's
Park, Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, Regent's Park,
Holland Park, and Battersea Park. That it also pays
fitful and fleeting visits to many other spots where
trees grow within the inner portions of the great city
is undoubted. In the outlying suburbs the bird, of
course, becomes of more frequent occurrence. It is
recorded as breeding at Dulwich and Norwood, and to
these localities may be added Tooting and Clapham.
Elsewhere it certainly breeds in the Kew, Richmond,
and Wimbledon districts, at Bushey, Hounslow, Osterley,
Hanwell, Horsenden, Twyford, Wembley, Harrow, Kings-
bury, and Elstree. It also nests in the Epping area,
Wanstead, in the Kentish Crays, and in the Croydon,
Banstead, Epsom, Merton, and Cheam districts.
Precisely similar remarks apply to the Coal Titmouse
as to the preceding species, although the bird is a much
scarcer one, and not so familiar and trustful as the last-
named. Its habits are very similar ; in autumn and winter it
becomes more or less gregarious and social, in summer living
no
THE COAL TITMOUSE
in pairs. Its food consists chiefly of insects, larvae, and small
seeds. It has the usual Tit-like actions, restless and acro-
batic, and frequently consorts with other Tits, Nuthatches,
and Creepers, from which its loud, clear note of if-hee-if-
hee-if-hee serves instantly to distinguish it. In winter it
often visits houses in the suburbs, and shares the suet or
bone with the Blue Tit. It rears two broods in the year,
laying in April and June. It appears to pair for life, and
often returns regularly to one spot to breed. The nest, a
somewhat slovenly, loosely constructed cup of moss and
dry grass, felted together with hair and lined with feathers,
is placed in a hole of a tree or wall, in a pump, or even
at times in the ground. The six or eight eggs are white,
spotted and freckled with red.
The adult Coal Titmouse has the head and throat rich
glossy black shot with blue, the cheeks and nape white,
the remainder of the upper parts brown ; the wings and
tail are greyish brown, the coverts of the former tipped
with white, making a double bar across them ; the breast
and remainder of the under parts are greyish white, shad-
ing into brown on the flanks. Bill black ; tarsi and toes
lead-colour ; irides brown. Length 3f inches. The
young resemble their parents, but the white parts are
replaced by sulphur-yellow.
in
THE MARSH TITMOUSE
PARUS P4LUSTRIS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " Blackcap "
(Essex).
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A locally distributed
resident in all suitable districts of England, Wales, and
the south of Scotland ; rarer and more local in Ireland.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Marsh Titmouse is decidedly more local
than any of the preceding species, although, given suitable
localities, it is by no means an uncommon bird within the
Metropolitan area. It may be met with occasionally in
almost every spot where there are trees, chiefly during
autumn and winter, and these wanderings embrace prob-
ably every spot visited by its three congeners. From
St. James's Park and the Green Park outwards it is a
winter straggler, and may possibly breed in Regent's Park
and in the vicinity of Kilburn, in both which places I have
seen it in summer. As we get out more into the rural
suburbs the bird is better known, and in many places
breeds regularly. It is recorded as doing so at Dulwich,
possibly in Battersea Park, and thence in all suitable
localities to the limits of its London distribution. It is
certainly local at Epping, but I note it as a resident at
Kingsbury, Stanmore, and Elstree, possibly at Hampstead,
and certainly in the Wembley and Harrow areas. It may
also be met with during summer at Southall and Earing,
Harlesden, and about the wooded districts west of Worm-
wood Scrubbs. In Kent and Surrey it is also fairly
numerous.
There can be little doubt that the Marsh Titmouse is
very frequently confused with the Coal Titmouse, and
consequently thought to be scarcer in the London area
than is actually the case. Its actions are very similar ; it.
112
6 7
i. Pied Wagtail. 2. Yellow Wagtail. 3. Meadow Pipit. 4. Marsh Titmouse.
5. Coal Titmouse. 6. Great Titmouse. 7. White Wagtail.
1 • -
THE MARSH TITMOUSE
feeds upon much the same objects ; but its characteristic
cry of tay-tay-tay will readily serve to identify it, in con-
junction with the absence of a white nape. The Marsh
Titmouse appears to pair for life, and rears two broods in
the season, the eggs for the first being laid in April, those
for the second in June. A hole in a decayed stump or
tree, sometimes in a gate-post, is usually selected, and in.
this a nest is made, cup-shaped, of dry grass, moss, wool,
hair, and feathers, matted and felted together. The six
to ten eggs are white, spotted and freckled with brownish
red. After the young are hatched the birds keep in
family parties for some time at least, although the Marsh
Titmouse is perhaps the least sociable of all the Tits.
The adult Marsh Titmouse has the crown of the head
and the nape glossy black, the cheeks white, the remainder
of the upper parts sandy brown, palest on the rump ;
the wings and tail are brown. The chin and upper
throat are black flecked with greyish white, the remaining
under surface greyish white, suffused with buff on the
flanks and vent. Bill black ; tarsi and toes lead-colour ;
irides brown. Length 43- inches. The nestling closely
resembles the parents in colour, but the black portions of
the plumage are not so glossy, and the under surface is
paler.
THE LONG-TAILED TITMOUSE
ACREDULA ROSEA
LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " Bottle-Tit,"
"Oven-Tit," "Pudding-Poke," "Bottle-Tom" (Essex).
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A common and widely
distributed resident in wooded districts, becoming more
local in Scotland and Ireland.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : This pretty bird is another fitful visitor during
autumn and winter to the innermost parts of the Metro-
polis, more frequently observed in private grounds, shrub-
beries, and enclosures of small trees than amongst the
larger timber. There are few such spots in which it may
not be met with from Kensington Gardens, Regent's
Park, and Battersea Park outwards. As the suburbs
become more rural and well-shrubbed grounds more
plentiful the Long-tailed Titmouse may be observed
more frequently. How close to the city it actually
nests it is perhaps difficult to say. It is recorded as
doing so at Dulwich, and very possibly in the Tooting
and Norwood districts. It certainly breeds at Wimbledon
and Richmond, Bushey, Hounslow, and Osterley, whilst
northwards I trace it through Ruislip Woods, Pinner,
Horsenden, Sudbury, and Wembley. It also nests in
the districts of Harrow, Mill Hill, Barnet, Enfield, Wal-
tham, Epping, Wanstead, and Ilford, and across the
river in the Grays, Bromley, Beckenham, Croydon, Car-
shalton, and Sutton. In the more remote districts it is
of course more generally dispersed, and in many cases
nests in comparatively public spots.
Of all the British species the Long-tailed Titmouse is
the most restless and wandering in its disposition. Ex-
cept during the breeding season, the birds in parties are
roaming the countryside, and only appearing fitfully in
114
THE LONG-TAILED TITMOUSE
any one locality. There are few prettier sights than a
company of Long-tailed Tits, especially in winter, when
the bare trees admit of their close observation. They are
most sociable little birds, keeping close together, trooping
in dipping flight one after the other from tree to tree or
along the hedgeside, twittering merrily to each other.
Their actions are much the same as those of the other
Titmice, but their long tails give an added grace to their
acrobatic movements. They feed chiefly upon insects,
especially in summer, but at other times small seeds are
sought. The broods and their parents usually keep
company through the winter, but in early spring these
break up into pairs for nesting duties, and the old birds
appear to return to some old-accustomed spot to rear
another family. The notes of this species are not so
varied as those of other Titmice, the usual call being a
harsh, churring string of cries, besides which the bird
utters the usual si-si-si prevalent with all. The Long-
tailed Titmouse is famous for the beautiful nest it builds, a
large, globular structure which for compact workmanship
is unexcelled. Contrary to all the other British species of
Tit, the present bird places its home in a low tree or bush,
amongst thickets, in evergreens, or in a cluster of honey-
suckle. It is usually made chiefly of moss and lichens,
cemented together with cocoons and spiders' webs, and
lined with an abundance of feathers and hair. Usually
one or two twigs are interwoven, and the entrance-hole is
on one side near the top. The outer materials often
harmonise most closely with surrounding objects. The
six to ten eggs are white, dusted with pale red and grey.
The adult Long-tailed Titmouse has the head white,
the crown encircled with a black band ; the back is black,
shading into rose-pink on the rump and scapulars ; the
wings are black, the innermost secondaries with broad
white margins ; the long tail is black, the three outermost
feathers on each side white on the outer web and on part
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
of the inner web at the tip ; the cheeks and throat are
greyish white, with dusky streaks on the fore-neck ; the
remainder of the under parts is pale rosy pink ; under
surface of the wings white. Bill black; tarsi and toes
dark brown ; irides brown, eyelids red. Length 53-
inches. The nestling is duller in colour than the adult,
and lacks most of the rosy tints.
116
THE PIED WAGTAIL
MOTACILLA TARRELLI
LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " Nanny Wagtail,"
" Dish-washer " (Essex).
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A common and widely
distributed resident, becoming more local in winter, and
subject to some migrational movement.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Pied Wagtail seems to possess a special
propensity for paying casual visits to most uncongenial
places in towns and cities. Many years ago I used fre-
quently to see this Wagtail in the most central parts of
Sheffield, running along the roofs of the factories or
daintily tripping by the margin of the filth-stained rivers,
an armVlength from roaring machinery. In London I
have many times noticed it running about the foreshore
between the Tower and Battersea. It may well be de-
scribed as one of the commonest of our country's birds, and
has been known to nest in suitable spots right up to the
town limits. These include most of the parks and the
suburban brickfields. There are, indeed, few localities
where water is present that this Wagtail does not visit ;
and this means that the bird may be met with all
along the Thames, by the various canals and the many
ornamental sheets of water and reservoirs that abound
in the Metropolis. I have no personal records of the
species from the fountains in Trafalgar Square, but the
bird has been seen at them. In all the more rural
suburbs it is of frequent occurrence, and breeds in
every locality at all suited to its needs.
The Pied Wagtail is subject not only to much local
movement, but to considerable migration during autumn
and spring ; consequently many individuals on passage
visit inner London, seldom remaining long, and by no
117
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
chance attempting to breed. This Wagtail is by far the
best known of the five species that nest in the British
Islands, and is one of the most lively and graceful of birds.
It may not only be seen by the waterside, but running
daintily about the market-gardens and suburban fields
where tilling work is in progress, or in the pastures where
cattle are grazing. It is ever in movement, and its long
tail is being almost incessantly beaten up and down, as if to
balance the body. It runs lightly over the earth, occa-
sionally darting this way or that to snap at a fly, or flutters
into the air on a similar quest. If disturbed it flies off
in a peculiar dipping way, each dip accompanied by its call-
note of chiz-zit. The moment it settles again the long
tail is rapidly beaten several times in succession, and then
the sylph-like little creature renews its running to and
fro. Water is ever an attraction to this Wagtail, the
sluggish streams like the Brent and the Mole, the open
ditch, beneath the dignity of a name, the stagnant pool
in the brickyard, or the horse-pond by the roadside or in
the corners of the field, all present rich feeding-grounds
for the Pied Wagtail. Its food consists almost exclusively
of insects and their larvae, together with small worms and
snails. The cock bird has a song, but only utters it at rare
and fitful intervals in the love season, and usually when
hovering for a moment or so above his mate, less frequently
on the ground or from a tree, where, however, he is rarely
seen. The song is short, varied, and musical, somewhat
resembling the twittering music of the Swallow. The
Pied Wagtail is an early breeder, eggs for the first brood
being laid in March, and for succeeding broods onwards
to June. It is probable that many birds of this species
pair for life, as year after year nests may be found in the
same spots. The nest, amongst a variety of similar
situations, is often made in a hole of a wall, under a clod
of clay or a tile, and is a large, cup-shaped structure,
formed of dry grass, straws, twigs, moss, or, in fact, almost
118
THE PIED WAGTAIL
any dead vegetable refuse, lined with hair, wool, and
feathers. The five or six eggs are greyish white, freckled
and spotted with pale brown and grey, and occasionally
scratched with dark brown. The young keep in company
with their parents for some time, and many of the later
broods remain together through the winter, during which
season the bird is more or less gregarious.
The adult male Pied Wagtail in summer plumage has
the upper parts black, except the forehead, ear-coverts, and
the sides of the neck, which are white ; the wing-coverts
are marked with white, and the inner secondaries and two
outside tail-feathers are white; the other wing and tail-
feathers are black. The throat and upper breast are black,
which joins the black of the upper parts at the shoulder
and isolates the white on the sides of the neck from the
white of the remainder of the under parts. Bill black;
tarsi and toes black ; irides brown. Length about 73-
inches. The female in similar plumage resembles the
male, but the colours of the upper parts are never so pure,
and mottled with grey. The nestling is nearly uniform
grey, and after the first moult the white parts then assumed
are suffused with yellow. In winter plumage the adult
has a white throat, and the black on the breast is repre-
sented by a crescentic band ; the back is grey, and the
nape black.
119
THE WHITE WAGTAIL
MOTACILLA ALBA
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A local visitor, chiefly
on spring and autumn migration, a few remaining to
breed ; rare in Scotland, and very sparingly distributed
in Ireland.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : A special interest attaches to the White Wagtail,
for it was first noticed in England in the spring of 1841
by Bond, who discovered it breeding at Kingsbury
Reservoir, which is less than eight miles from St. Paul's.
There can be no doubt that the present species is very
often confused with the Pied Wagtail, so that even its
approximate dispersal within the Metropolitan area be-
comes very difficult to trace. That it visits many parts
of this area during its annual migrations cannot be
doubted ; whether it habitually nests within it cannot
at present be determined. Mr. Sharpe records the visit
of this Wagtail to Chiswick in October 1890 and 1891.
The comparatively few observers competent to identify
the White Wagtail in this area renders its detection a
matter of the greatest chance. That the White Wag-
tail breeds in England far more frequently than was
once suspected by ornithologists, as the recent testimony
of careful observers proves, seems to suggest the bird's
greater frequency within our limits. The information
relating to this species round London is exceptionally
meagre, and the Kingsbury and Chiswick records stand
practically alone. Let us hope that a fuller investigation
may soon be made and recorded.
The habits, nesting economy, and eggs of the White
Wagtail so closely resemble those of the preceding species
that it is not necessary in a work of the present scope to
120
4 5
i. Tree Pipit. 2. Skylark. 3. Blue Titmouse. 4. Grey Wagtail.
5. Long tailed Titmouse.
THE WHITE WAGTAIL
specify them. A more useful purpose will be served in
devoting our allotted space to the points of distinction
between the two birds.
The White Wagtail in breeding or summer plumage
may always be distinguished from the Pied Wagtail,
which it otherwise very closely resembles, by its slate-
grey, instead of black, back. In winter plumage the two
species are very much more alike in colour, but in the
Pied Wagtail the rump is always darker than that of the
White Wagtail, the latter having the upper tail-coverts
dark only.
It is interesting to remark that the White Wagtail is
common enough just across the English Channel, in the
meadows near Calais, actually within sight of our island,
where, however, it is a rare and local species. The
two species have been known to interbreed, and in the
South Kensington Museum a nest from Norfolk is
exhibited, the male belonging to which is a White Wagtail
and the female a Pied Wagtail. Another instance has
been recorded from Suffolk.
121
THE GREY WAGTAIL
MOTACILLA SULPHURED
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A somewhat locally and
sparingly distributed resident throughout England, Wales,
and Ireland ; more commonly dispersed in Scotland. It is
subject to considerable local or internal migration, in
summer frequenting the moors, mountains, and uplands,
in winter the plains and low-lying grounds.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Grey Wagtail is occasionally met with be-
tween autumn and spring in suitable spots well within
the inner portions of our radius. From Chelsea upwards
it pays irregular visits to the banks of the Thames, and I
have a record of it from the filter-beds at Battersea ;
another from St. James's Park. I have also seen it on
the banks of the Brent between Hanwell and Brentford,
as well as on those of the Wandle during winter. It is
also a winter wanderer to Kingsbury Reservoir, the Welsh
Harp, Hampstead Ponds, Muswell Hill, and the Epping,
Wanstead, and Dagenham districts. I have a summer
record from the banks of the Beverley Brook at Wimble-
don, and I believe the nest was taken at Barnes Common
some dozen years ago. Its breeding within the Metro-
politan area, however, must be very exceptional, but its
casual visits at other times are sufficiently numerous and
widely dispersed to call for no very special remark nor
record.
The Grey Wagtail is more addicted to the waterside
than any other British species of the group, and always
prefers a mountain stream to a lowland one, but in autumn
many of the northern waters are deserted, and then the
bird appears near rivers and pools in the milder south.
It is chiefly during this internal migration from the low-
122
THE GREY WAGTAIL
lands to the hills that the Grey Wagtail visits the London
waters. Its habits are very similar to those of the Pied
Wagtail. It runs in the same easy, graceful way, accom-
panies its movements with the same beats of the long tail,
has the same peculiar dipping flight and a similar call-note
during its progress, feeds on insects, larvae, small worms,
and seeds, and young and parents keep in parties for long
after the former can forage for themselves. Its song is
fitful, but of the same twittering character, and the bird
frequently perches in trees. It may rear more than one
brood in the year, as eggs are found from April to June.
The nest is never made far from the waterside, under an
overhanging rock or bank or stone, or among tall grass
and weeds, sometimes an old stump. It is made of dry
grass, roots, and moss, lined with hair and sometimes
feathers. The four or five eggs are white, more or less
tinged with grey or buff, mottled and speckled with pale
brown, and occasionally scratched with dark brown.
The adult male Grey Wagtail in summer has the upper
parts slate-grey, shading into greenish yellow on the rump
and upper tail-coverts ; a white stripe extends from the
base of the bill behind the eye ; the wings are dark brown,
with pale margins, the secondaries with the basal half
white. The central tail-feathers are brownish black, with
yellowish margins ; the two outer ones are white, the
succeeding pair white on the inner web, most of the re-
maining portion dull black. A narrow white line extends
from the base of the bill down the sides of the throat and
upper breast, which are black, and the remaining under
parts are bright yellow. Bill black ; tarsi and toes brown ;
irides brown. Length 6f inches. The female closely
resembles the male in colour, but the black throat is
mixed with grey. The nestling closely resembles the
adult in autumn plumage, in which the black throat is
replaced by white.
123
THE YELLOW WAGTAIL
MOTACILLA RAII
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : With few exceptions, a
summer migrant, generally distributed over England and
the south of Scotland, but very local in Ireland, chiefly
in the north and west.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : This beautiful and graceful little bird is chiefly
observed during the two seasons of migration within the
Metropolitan area, although a small number pass the
summer in suitable parts of it. I have seen this species
in the Green Park, in Hyde Park, in Regent's Park, and
Battersea Park. There must be various other similar spots
which it frequents occasionally. Further out towards
the more rural suburbs its occurrence, of course, becomes
less noteworthy. It occasionally visits Wormwood Scrubs,
many of the large market-gardens and sewage-farms, and
most of the open pieces of agricultural land still left
between the blocks of houses. The Yellow Wagtail has
been known to breed at Putney, Wandsworth, and
Mitcham. It also does so commonly in the Wimbledon
and Richmond districts, as well as in those of Hanwell,
Southall, Sudbury, Wembley, Harrow, Hendon, Enfield,
Waltham, and Epping, although in the latter locality it
is said to be becoming less numerous. Thence it may
be traced as a breeding species through many places
in the eastern suburbs, in Kent, and in all suitable
parts of North Surrey, from Epsom and Chelsham in-
wards.
The gay and sprightly Yellow Wagtail is pre-eminently
a bird of the open fields and pastures, most in evidence,
perhaps, shortly after its arrival upon ground which is
being tilled, and where it may be seen daintily running
124
THE YELLOW WAGTAIL
after the plough, standing for a moment on some clod of
earth, and all the time vigorously beating its long tail up
and down in the usual Wagtail-like way. Flocks of this
Wagtail reach our shores in March, and for some little time
after their arrival continue together, ultimately distri-
buting in pairs over the usual summer haunts. In the
autumn similar habits are noticed, and during September
and October the journey south is made in companies.
The habits of this species are very similar to those of allied
forms. The bird is mostly terrestrial, seldom perching
in trees, but occasionally soaring in a Pipit-like way to
utter a short, twittering song. It moves from place to
place in the same dipping flight as its congeners, accom-
panying it with a series of shrill cbiz-zits, is by no means
shy, and is very partial to running about the pastures
where cattle are feeding to prey upon the many flies
that assemble near them. The food of this species is
chiefly composed of insects and larvae and small worms.
It may rear two broods in the season, the first in April,
the second in June. It pairs soon after arrival, and makes
its nest on the ground, well concealed amongst herbage
or under a stone or clod of earth. The outer materials
are chiefly dry grass, roots, and moss, the lining of hair,
fur, and feathers. The five or six eggs are greyish white,
mottled and speckled with various shades of olive, and
occasionally streaked with dark brown. The young are
tended after they leave the nest, and the broods join into
larger companies as the autumn approaches. I ought
to add that the Yellow Wagtail is to some extent a winter
resident in this country.
The adult male Yellow Wagtail in breeding plumage
has the general colour of the upper parts yellowish green,
and the under parts, including a stripe over the eye, are
bright yellow. The wings and tail are similar to those of
allied species. Bill black ; tarsi and toes black ; irides
brown. Length about 6j inches. The female closely
125
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
resembles the male hr colour, but is a trifle duller, and
the forehead is not so brilliant a yellow. The autumn
plumage is greener than that of summer. The nestlings
are browner above, the eye-stripe is buff, the throat and
chest are suffused with buff, and there are many dusky
spots on the latter.
126
THE TREE PIPIT
4NTHUS ARBOREUS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A widely distributed
summer visitor, rarer in the west of England and in
Scotland, and almost unknown in Ireland.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Tree Pipit is still a fairly common if some-
what local summer visitor to the suburbs of London. It
is a bird that seems greatly attached to its breeding haunts,
continuing, as I have repeatedly remarked, to visit certain
fields long after the builder has taken possession of the
immediate neighbourhood. The open fields between
Kensal Rise and Willesden Green and certain spots in the
vicinity of Park Royal and Ealing are cases in point.
During migration the Tree Pipit occasionally visits the
big parks within the city limits, and it still breeds at
Dulwich, Wimbledon, Streatham, Norwood, and Croydon.
Then, again, we can trace it as a regular summer visitor
from Kew and Richmond northwards through Osterley,
Hanwell, Southall, Twyford, Wembley, Harrow, and
Kingsbury to Hendon, Highgate, Cricklewood, Hamp-
stead, Elstree, Barnet, Enfield, Waltham, Epping, Romford,
and many parts of Kent, especially in the vicinity of the
Grays. So far as my own experience goes, the Tree Pipit
seems commoner in the southern, western, and northern
suburbs than in the eastern ones, but this may be due to
a less thorough investigation.
The Tree Pipit appears in its summer haunts towards
the end of April, quitting them again in September or
October. There are many ideal haunts of this species in
suburban London — spacious expanses of grass-land, well
timbered, meadows on the borders of woods, and private
parks. As its name implies, this species spends a good deal
127
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
of time in trees, more especially during the nesting period,
when the male loves to start its song-flights from some
lofty perch in the branches, and from which he sings at
intervals the livelong day. The female, however, keeps
more closely to the ground, and it is there most of
the food is obtained. The song of the Tree Pipit is
both varied and musical, and always sounds best whilst
uttered during flight. Ever and anon the bird starts
fluttering upwards from some tree, warbling sweetly
as he goes, upwards and upwards until the zenith of
his flight is reached, when he sails down again with
wings and tail outspread, uttering long-drawn notes
of twee — twee — twee as he comes. Sometimes the song
is finished on the tree, or even on the ground, some-
times as the bird flies from one tree to another.
By the middle of July the song ceases, the moult
comes on, and for the remainder of their stay the birds
spend for the most part a terrestrial existence. The
food of this Pipit consists of insects and larvae, small
worms, and tiny seeds. When the corn is in a soft, milky
state the birds are fond of the grains. Upon the ground
the Tree Pipit runs and walks very gracefully and nimbly.
It breeds in May and June, making a cup-shaped nest
amongst the meadow-grass or the herbage on a bank,
often beneath a tree, of dry grass, roots, and moss, and
lined with finer grass, and often hair. The five or six
eggs vary considerably in colour, presenting several well-
defined types, those in the same nest, however, being
similar. They range in ground colour from white, with
a greyish, bluish, or pinkish tinge, to pale olive, mottled,
spotted, and blotched with reddish brown of various
shades, purplish brown and olive-brown, and sometimes
streaked with dark brown. The young keep in their
parents' company for some time after leaving the nest.
The Tree Pipit has the general colour of the upper parts
brown, with darker centres to each feather ; the under
128
THE TREE PIPIT
parts are sandy buff, spotted with dark brown on the
throat, breast, and flanks ; the wings are brown, the
coverts tipped with dull white, forming a double bar ;
the tail is brown, the outer feathers white obliquely
marked with brown. Bill brown, paler at the base of the
lower mandible ; tarsi and toes yellowish brown ; irides
dark brown. Length 6 inches. This Pipit can readily
be distinguished from the other British species by its short,
curved hind claw. The nestling is more profusely spotted
on the under parts than the adult.
129
THE MEADOW PIPIT
ANTHUS PRATENSIS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " Titlark "
(Essex).
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A common and widely
distributed resident, subject to considerable local migra-
tion.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : This species is commoner and much more widely
distributed than the Tree Pipit. It may be met with
during autumn and winter especially on almost any piece
of fairly open ground from St. James's Park outwards.
I have often seen it in parties in the Green Park, and it
frequently visits Regent's Park, Primrose Hill, and other
similar spots, and may frequently be noticed on railway
banks, in allotments, and so forth. Meadow Pipits are
sometimes very numerous on Wormwood Scrubbs, and
the bird breeds in many localities in the immediate
vicinity. It would be impossible to mention all the
places in the more rural suburbs where this Pipit nests.
Nothing nearly so fastidious in its choice of a haunt as
the Tree Pipit, it may be found breeding in all suitable
spots within the Metropolitan area, but perhaps nowhere
within four or five miles from the centre of our radius.
As previously remarked, the bird is more ubiquitous in
autumn and winter, and then resorts to places where it
is never found at other times of the year. This seems
to be specially the case with respect to the Epping
area.
The Meadow Pipit is more of a ground bird than the
Tree Pipit, and it specially delights in land of a marshy
or wet character. It is active enough on the ground,
running and walking to and fro, but seldom resorts to
trees or bushes. In the early spring the male resumes
130
THE MEADOW PIPIT
his short yet pleasing song. This is usually uttered in the
air, the bird at intervals rising from the ground in silence
for fifty feet or more, then returning to the earth, singing
as he comes, on outspread wings and tail. Except in the
actual nesting season this Pipit is more or less sociable, or
even gregarious, and even in summer numbers may be
found breeding within a small area of suitable ground.
After the young are reared parties and small flocks
wander far and wide in quest of feeding-grounds, and in
autumn especially these frequent many of the cabbage-
and turnip- fields in suburban London. Here they may be
flushed from the growing crops, rising and taking short
flights from one part of the cover to another, uttering a
singularly plaintive feep as they do so. In severe weather
they often resort to manure-heaps, farmsteads, and the
exposed banks of any open water. Snowstorms are often
fatal to them. With the advance of spring the parties
break up and scatter over their breeding-places. The
food of this Pipit consists of insects, small worms, snails,
grubs, tiny seeds, and even occasionally grain. The
breeding season commences in April, and the nest is always
placed on the ground, sheltered by a small stone, a bush,
a tuft of grass, or rushes, and frequently amongst heather,
bilberry wires, or long herbage on a bank. It is loosely
made, cup-shaped, of dry grass, moss, and bits of surround-
ing herbage, lined with fine grass and hair. The four,
five, or six eggs are white suffused with brown, or pale
green mottled, spotted, and speckled with brown of
various shades.
The adult Meadow Pipit has the upper parts olive-
brown, the feathers having darker centres, except on the
rump and upper tail-coverts ; the under parts are greyish
white, suffused with olive on the flanks ; the neck, breast,
and flanks streaked with blackish brown ; some of the
wing-coverts are marked with dull white, and the outer
tail-feathers are also marked obliquely with white. Bill
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
dark brown above, paler below ; tarsi and toes pale
brown, the hind claw being very elongated, longer than
the toe ; irides brown. Length 6 inches. The nestlings
do not have the colours so bright, and the under parts
are more spotted.
132
THE SKYLARK
ALAUDA AR7ENSIS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A common and widely
distributed resident, its numbers enormously increased
in autumn by migrants from Continental Europe.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : Remarkable as the fact may seem to be, the
Skylark is one of London's most widely distributed and
commonest birds. Harting records that a nest of this
species was found on Primrose Hill. The occurrence was
exceptional, perhaps, but there are not a few localities a
mile or so outside that radius where this sweet-voiced
bird habitually rears its young. During autumn and
winter the Skylark visits many of London's open spaces
which it shuns at other seasons. I have heard it singing
on warm, open days in midwinter over Battersea Park,
Clapham Common, Wormwood Scrubbs, and in various
spots between Kensal Rise and Willesden Green. Its
breeding-zone may be said to commence with the more
rural suburbs, say from the six-mile radius outwards,
becoming more thickly populated as we reach the open
country, and more especially the higher-lying districts.
It is more abundant in the Metropolitan area in winter
than in summer, then becoming to a great extent gre-
garious. Flocks frequent many of the fields, market-
gardens, and allotments wherever suitable food can be
obtained. It still breeds sparingly within a mile of
Kensal Rise, in many places in the Willesden district,
and this very summer (1908) I heard it repeatedly in song
above the grounds of the Franco-British Exhibition at
Shepherd's Bush. Many of these birds frequent the
fields adjoining Wormwood Scrubbs, and breed in them.
Similar remarks apply to many other suburban districts.
133
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
The " Sky " Lark, notwithstanding its trivial name,
spends most of its time upon the ground, where it is very
active, both running and walking, although it never seems
to hop. It loves to frequent the bare, open fields, hay-
meadows, growing grain until the ears have burst, stubbles,
and weedy pastures. During the autumn and winter it
chiefly lives in flocks, and at these seasons it is exceptional
for the males to indulge in soaring flights or in song.
The Skylark resumes his song with the very first days of
spring, and continues in voice from then onwards to the
moulting season. The loud, glad carol of this bird needs
no description here. It is one of the most familiar
sounds of the countryside, filling the sky often when the
tiny brown singer is almost lost in the spacious heights
above. During the mating season the male often soars
for a little way above the female, singing loudly ; and
sometimes he may be observed to warble whilst standing
on some clod of earth, or even running along the ground.
The food of this Lark consists of worms, grubs, small seeds,
and grain, with an occasional insect. The Skylark is an
early breeder, eggs for the first brood being laid in April,
for the second as late even as July. The nest is always
made upon the ground, and the favourite situation in the
London area is amongst the meadow-grass or growing
crops, but occasionally in the coarser vegetation and
heather of the commons. It is placed in a shallow
depression, and made outwardly of dry grass, twitch, and
bits of moss, and lined with finer grass, roots, and horse-
hair. The four or five eggs are greyish white, or olive-
white mottled and freckled with olive-brown and grey.
Like all ground-building birds, the hen is a close sitter,
and usually remains brooding on the nest until almost
under the feet of the passer-by. In autumn the various
broods unite into flocks for the winter.
The adult Skylark is brown above, the feathers^having
darker centres ; the under parts are buffish white, most
134
THE SKYLARK
pronounced on the chest and flanks, which are spotted and
marked with dusky brown ; the outer tail-feather is white,
except on the outer web, and the next is marked with
white on the outer web. Bill dark brown, paler below ;
tarsi and toes yellowish brown ; irides brown. Length
7 inches. The nestling is spotted above with black and
buff, and the under surface is much more profusely
spotted than in the adult.
135
THE WOOD LARK
ALAUDA ARBOREA
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A local resident in
England, especially in the southern and midland counties ;
very rare in Scotland, and exceptionally local in Ireland.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : There is much evidence to suggest that the
Wood Lark was a by no means rare bird within the Metro-
politan area years ago. Unfortunately the bird-catcher
and the builder have both done their best to exterminate
it, and it is doubtful if there are any localities at all close to
London which the Wood Lark frequents. It is sometimes
met with at Wimbledon, and was found breeding at
Kingston upwards of twenty years ago. It formerly
frequented the Epping area, but seems to be extinct or
nearly so there now, thanks entirely, very likely, to the
persecution of bird-catchers. There are many likely
haunts for the Wood Lark in Surrey within our limits, and
where the dry, sandy soil which the species seems every-
where to desire is eminently suited to it, but I know of
no place where the bird is at all common. It is excessively
local nowadays everywhere in the Metropolitan area,
but is of more frequent occurrence during autumn and
winter, when the species is more addicted to wandering
from its usual haunts.
The habits of a species so rare within our limits require
but little detailed notice in the present volume. There
is much in the ways of the Wood Lark (which may be
readily recognised in the air by its short tail) resembling
the habits of the Tree Pipit. The Wood Lark is by no
means a bird of the open fields, but loves to resort to
spots where trees are abundant, the well-timbered parks
and pastures, the borders of woods and plantations.
THE WOOD LARK
During the breeding season, which continues from March
to June, the male may constantly be seen about the trees,
from which he starts to sing whilst soaring in the air or
passing from one tree to another. Less frequently the song
is uttered on the ground. The voice of the Wood Lark
by some is considered to be even better than that of the
Skylark, and if greater continuance and richness of tone
are taken as points in its favour their judgment cannot
be questioned. The usual call-note is a liquid double cry,
very similar to that of the Skylark. It subsists upon much
the same food. The nest is placed upon the ground,
usually well concealed under a tuft of grass or a small
bush, and is made externally of dry grass and moss, lined
with finer grass and a little horsehair. The four or five
eggs are white tinged with buff or olive in ground colour,
spotted and freckled with reddish brown and grey. After
the breeding season the male, like his mate, becomes
more terrestrial, and the broods often keep together
during the winter. Odd Wood Larks may sometimes be
met with in flocks of Skylarks.
The adult Wood Lark is brown above, the feathers with
dark centres, except on the rump and upper tail-coverts ;
the wing-coverts are tipped with white, and the pale buff
eye-stripe is conspicuous ; the tail-feathers are brownish
black, marked with white at the end, the outer ones paler,
with a darker mark on the inner web. The under parts
are white, suffused with buff on the breast and abdomen
and with brown on the flanks ; the throat, neck, breast, and
flanks are spotted with blackish brown. Bill dark brown,
paler below ; tarsi and toes pale brown ; irides brown.
Length 5i inches. The nestling is spotted above with
black and buff, and the nearly yellow under surface is
more profusely marked than in the adult.
137
THE COMMON BUNTING
EMBERIZA MILIARIA
LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " Bunting Lark "
(Essex).
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A widely but somewhat
locally distributed resident, rarer in the north.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Common Bunting by no means deserves its
name anywhere within the Metropolitan area. It must
be classed as one of our most local London birds, and one
that in a good many districts has become rarer of late
years, doubtless owing to the fact that so much open
ground has been built on, enclosed, or devoted to public
uses. I can record this species from the Wembley and
Horsenden districts, from Wimbledon and Richmond,
from Croydon, Epsom, the Grays, and Epping, in all of
which it possibly nests sparingly. It has been recorded as
a nesting species from Mitcham and Surbiton. To the
inner portions of our area the Common Bunting must be a
very irregular visitor. I have no records from the urban
parks, but these localities, of course, present few if any
attractions to such an open-country bird. This Bunting
becomes much commoner beyond our western limits in
Bucks and Berks, from which counties flocks are recorded,
especially in autumn.
We have here another species upon whose habits we
need not dwell at any great length. The Common or
Corn Bunting cannot easily be overlooked if it is present
in any locality, because the song of the male is very charac-
teristic and persistent, and the birds are fond of ex-
hibiting themselves on the tops of tall weeds, bushes, and
on telegraph wires. The song is a poor one. One or two
long-drawn notes seem to be full of promise, but these
invariably end in a hurried splutter, and all is over. This
138
THE~COMMON BUNTING
is repeated over and over again with irritating monotony
as the bird sits on some exposed spot, or even whilst he is
fluttering lazily with legs hanging down from one perch
to another. The call-note is long-drawn and harsh.
The food of this species consists chiefly of grain and seeds
in winter, but in summer large quantities of insects and
larvae are sought. Like most of its kind it is social and
gregarious during the non-breeding season, and then is
often seen on stubbles and in the vicinity of stacks and
farm-buildings. The Corn Bunting breeds in May and
June, making a slovenly nest upon the ground, usually
amongst grass and growing crops. It is formed of dry
grass, moss, roots, twitch, and dead leaves, lined with
similar but finer material and horsehair. The five or six
eggs are white, tinged with grey, bufT, or purple, spotted,
blotched, and streaked in profusion with various shades
of brown and violet-grey. The scribbled lines and
scratches on the eggs often lend them a very handsome
appearance.
The adult Common Bunting has the upper parts brown,
marked with darker brown ; the wing- coverts and inner
secondaries have pale brown margins ; the wings and tail
are dark brown, with similar pale margins ; the under parts
are dirty white, with triangular spots of dark brown on
the sides of the neck and the breast, and with streaks of
the same on the flanks. Bill dark brown, paler below ;
tarsi and toes pale brown ; irides brown. Length 7-5-
inches. The nestling is more rufous in general colour,
and is more profusely spotted on the under surface.
139
THE YELLOW BUNTING
EMBERIZA CITRINELLA
LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " Writing Lark "
(Essex, Surrey).
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A common and widely
distributed resident, its numbers perceptibly increased
in autumn.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Yellow Bunting cannot be classed with those
many species that are more or less familiar in the central
portions of the Metropolitan area. We must take prac-
tically the seven-mile radius before we can reasonably
expect to meet with this bird in even tolerable numbers,
and then it is certainly a local species, becoming increas-
ingly frequent as the outer ring of suburban London is
reached. Between the seven- and nine-mile radius I can
record the Yellow Bunting from the Wimbledon and
Richmond districts, from Twyford, Park Royal, and
Wembley, from Kingsbury, from Hendon, Barnet, and
Enfield, from Epping, Wanstead, Blackheath, Bromley,
and Morden. Beyond these limits it becomes scarcely
necessary to specify the districts, for the Yellow Bunting
becomes more and more widely distributed and general
in its occurrence. In winter this Bunting occasionally
mixes with flocks of House Sparrows about hay- and corn-
ricks, and I have often met with it in the hedges by the
wayside about Streatham and Dulwich. On the whole
it seems to be scarcer in the immediate southern suburbs
than the others.
Showy plumage and a habit of perching conspicuously
on the tops of hedges and bushes render the Yellow
Bunting little likely to be overlooked. The song of the
male is one of the first to greet the ear in spring, and
his voice, commencing in February, is one of the most
140
i. Twite. 2. Siskin. 3. Brambling. 4. House Sparrow. 5. Tree Sparrow.
6. Snow Bunting. 7. Hawfinch. 8. Cirl Bunting. 9. Yellow Bunting.
10. Corn Bunting.
THE YELLOW BUNTING
persistent. It consists of a series of monotonous notes on
an ascending scale, concluding with, a harsh, prolonged
double one, which country-folk say resemble the sentence
" A little bit of bread and no cheese." The call-note of
this Bunting is a harsh cburrze, sometimes prolonged into
several notes. The song continues well into the autumn.
Like the preceding species, its food consists chiefly of seeds
and grain in winter, of insects and larvae in summer, and
on these its young are mostly reared. In autumn the
Yellow Bunting becomes more or less gregarious, and
flocks during hard weather often resort to ricks and farm-
yards. They often consort with Sparrows and other
hard-billed birds. As this Bunting rears several broods
during the season its nest may be found at any time
between April and August. Its favourite nesting-places
are in fields and lanes, by the hedgerows, on gorse- and
bramble-covered ground. The nest is usually made
amongst the herbage on a bank, but sometimes a low
bush or thicket is selected. It is made of dry grass, roots,
withered stalks, and bits of moss, lined with finer grass
and roots and horsehair. The four or five eggs are greyish
or purplish white, spotted, streaked, and lined with dark
liver-brown, paler brown, and grey. It is the peculiar
scratchy character of these markings, so characteristic
of the eggs of Buntings, that has led to the bird's local
name of " Writing Lark," which, I may add, is by no means
peculiar to Essex or Surrey, but is widely prevalent in
many other counties.
The adult male Yellow Bunting has the crown lemon-
yellow, sparingly streaked with brown, a yellow eye-
stripe, the rest of the upper parts chestnut, streaked with
blackish brown on the back and scapulars ; the wings
are dark brown margined with yellow, the tail dark brown,
the central feathers with reddish brown margins, the rest
narrow yellow ones, and the two outermost with a patch
of white on the inner web. The under parts are yellow,
141
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
shading into olive on the breast, streaked on the cheeks,
breast and flanks with reddish brown, the latter suffused
with chestnut-brown. Bill brown, paler below; tarsi
and toes pale brown ; irides brown. Length 7 inches.
The female is duller in colour than the male, has little or
no trace of yellow on the head, and the under parts are
more streaked. The nestling closely resembles the female
in general coloration.
142
THE GIRL BUNTING
EMBER1ZA CIRLUS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties r
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A sparingly distributed
and local resident in the southern and midland counties
of England and in Wales.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : Although the Cirl Bunting has been known to
breed within the nine-mile limit, it must be classed as one
of the rarest and most local of London birds. I have no
records of the species in the inner districts, from none of
the urban parks, and so forth, although the evidence, of
course, is only negative. That it may occasionally wander
to such places is by no means impossible, looking to the
fact of its suburban distribution. Perhaps other observers
may have been more fortunate. The Cirl Bunting has
been reported nesting at Wimbledon and the adjoining
district of Coombe Wood, also near Wembley Park, which
is a very suitable locality for the species. In Essex there
are at present, I believe, no nesting records, and the bird
is certainly a rare one in the east. In the more remote
portions of the Metropolitan area I may mention Croydon
and Epsom as localities for this species, which seems to
prefer fairly well-timbered country, tall hedgerows, and
fields with plenty of trees in them. It can nowhere be
regarded as a plentiful species.
The Cirl Bunting was first discovered to be a British
bird in Devonshire, by Montagu, more than a hundred
years ago. I have seen a good deal of this species in its
Devonshire haunts, where it is quite common, and my
observations lead me to describe it as a Tree Bunting.
It is by far the most arboreal of the indigenous British
Buntings,~and possibly this peculiarity causes it to be
much overlooked. A bird that spends so much of its
H3
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
time in tall trees may easily escape notice. The song of
this Bunting commences in March, and continues well
into the autumn. It closely resembles that of the
Yellow Bunting in its opening stage, but ends even more
abruptly, the final long-drawn note being omitted. One
may aptly compare it to that of a Yellow Bunting suddenly
interrupted. Apart from its habit of frequenting trees,
the Cirl Bunting very closely resembles the commoner
species in its economy. It feeds on similar objects, is
more or less gregarious in winter, consorts with Sparrows
and other Finches, has the same dipping flight, similar
call-notes, and nests in much the same situations. Pre-
parations for the first brood commence in late April, and
the breeding season continues until July. The nest is
perhaps more frequently placed in a low bush — a gorse
for preference — than upon the ground amongst herbage.
It is made externally of dry grass, roots, dead leaves,
moss, and twitch, and lined with finer roots and horse-
hair. The four or five eggs are bluish white in ground
colour, blotched and streaked, and pencilled in the true
Bunting style with intensely dark brown, paler brown, and
grey.
In the colour of the upper parts the Cirl Bunting very
closely resembles the Yellow Bunting, but the yellow
crown is wanting, the head, rump, and upper tail-coverts
being olive-green, streaked with black on the former and
dusky brown on the two latter. A yellow streak reaches
over the eye ; another similar in colour extends below it.
The wings and tail resemble those of the preceding species,
but the smaller wing-coverts are olive instead of rich brown.
The throat is black, followed by a broad patch of yellow ;
across the breast is an olive-green band, merging into
chestnut ; the remainder of the under surface is yellow,
with a darker shade on the flanks, which are streaked with
brown. Bill brown, paler below; tarsi and toes pale
brown ; irides brown. Length about /inches. The female
144
THE CIRL BUNTING
is much more dingy in general coloration, and wants the
black and yellow markings on the head, and may readily
be distinguished from the female Yellow Bunting, which
she much resembles, by the olive rump and upper tail-
coverts. The nestling resembles the female, but is even
more dull in coloration. The Cirl Bunting may, in any
plumage, always be recognised by the olive-green rump
and wing and upper tail-coverts.
THE REED BUNTING
EMBERIZA SCHCENICLUS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " Reed Bunting,"
" Black-headed Bunting " (Essex).
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A widely if somewhat
locally distributed resident, subject to considerable in-
ternal migration.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : There are few if any quite suitable localities
for the Reed Bunting within the most central portions of
the Metropolitan area. It is a riverside species, but the
banks of the waters must offer suitable cover and food to
tempt it to sojourn upon them. Otherwise in the more
rural districts the bird is by no means a scarce one, and
I find it recorded from all or most of them. As the
Thames begins to assume a country aspect we may expect
to meet with the Reed Bunting, say, from Richmond on-
wards. It also frequents the banks of the Mole, the
Wandle, the Beverley, the Lea, and many other less
important streams, besides the banks of canals, ponds, and
even ditches and marshy places. During autumn and
winter its aquatic tastes are nothing like so strongly
developed, and then it roams about a good deal in com-
pany with other seed-eating birds, frequenting hedges,
stack-yards, and fields, especially stubble. It is possible
that this Bunting may then approach the city within the
four- or five-mile radius, but I have no records from any
of the urban parks. It is a species of the outer suburbs,
becoming commoner and more widely dispersed at all
seasons as we get out into the comparatively open areas.
The marked contrast in the black and white of its
plumage, especially during flight, renders the Reed Bunt-
ing one of the most conspicuous and easily identified
of the smaller birds by the waterside. During spring
146
THE REED BUNTING
and summer especially, when this Bunting lives in pairs,
each seems to annex for its own particular use some
special length of the stream, and here the birds may be
seen flitting in a dipping course from one bush to another,
or clinging to some tall rush or bending reed stem, then
returning by a detour across the water to their favoured
haunt. They are wary enough, but not exactly shy, and
show little inclination to conceal themselves. At intervals
the male indulges in a monotonous and unmusical sort of
song, typically Bunting-like in character, and from time
to time one bird calls to the other in a harsh seeze. The
food of this Bunting consists of seeds and grain, insects
and larvae, the latter especially of an aquatic nature.
During the non-breeding season much of this food is
sought upon stubbles and reed-grown pastures, ricks,
and in farmyards. It shows some social tendencies, and
often consorts with other grain and seed-eating birds.
The breeding season of the Reed Bunting begins in April,
and continues until June, or even July, two broods being
reared. The nest is usually made upon or close to the
ground, often sheltered by a tuft of rushes, or amongst the
rank vegetation on the banks of the water. It is made of
dry grass and other scraps of dead vegetation, and lined
with fine grass, hair, and the flowers of the reeds. The
five or six eggs range from pale olive to buff in ground
colour, streaked and spottedwith rich brown, paler brown,
and grey.
The adult male Reed Bunting is a very pretty little bird,
having the head and throat coal-black, with a white collar
and cheeks ; the rest of the upper parts is chestnut,
shading into grey on the rump and upper tail-coverts,
each feather having a rusty black centre ; the wings are
dark brown, with chestnut margins ; the tail is similar
in colour, but the two centre feathers are like the back,
and the two outermost on each side are marked with
white on the outer webs. The under parts are white,
H7
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
shaded with pearl-grey on the breast and streaked with
pale brown on the flanks. Bill black, paler below;
tarsi and toes brown ; irides brown. Length 6 inches.
The female lacks the black head and throat, the former
being brown, each feather with a paler margin. The
eye-stripe is pale buff ; the throat is dirty white, and
the breast and flanks are streaked with brown. The
nestling resembles the female in colour. After the
autumn moult much of the conspicuous beauty of the
male is concealed by the margin of pale brown that fringes
all the black feathers.
THE SNOW BUNTING
EMBERIZA NIFALIS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A resident, and breeds
very sparingly in Scotland, but chiefly known as a local
winter visitor to littoral and low-lying districts.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : To include the present species in an account of
the birds of London seems to be rather an anomaly, and I
only do so because it is undoubtedly a rare visitor to the
Metropolitan area, but one that is probably frequently
overlooked. The Snow Bunting has been shot so often
within our radius that a record of its occurrences is not
necessary here. I have no information relating to its
appearance in any of the more urban districts, but on one
solitary occasion I saw a single example on the extreme
western side of Wormwood Scrubbs. This was five years
ago. I believe the bird has been frequently shot at Epping,
and the extreme eastern suburbs are the most likely to be
favoured by its nomadic and uncertain visits.
The Snow Bunting is very erratic in its movements,
appearing at irregular intervals and in varying numbers.
From October onwards to the following early spring this
bird, if it comes at all, may be expected in the London
area. Odd birds frequently attach themselves to flocks
of other Buntings and Finches at this season, and I have
seen individuals massed with Skylarks. In the breeding
season — June and July — the male has a pleasing musical
song, uttered both when at rest or fluttering in the air ;
the notes are a shrill whit, and the usual long-drawn,
Bunting-like peezh. The former only is heard in England,
as a rule. The food of this species consists of seeds,
grain, small fruits, insects, and larvae. It spends a good
deal of time upon the ground, running and hopping about
149
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
in quest of food, but does not refrain from perching in
trees, as some writers have suggested. The nest is made
in a crevice of rocks, and well concealed. It is more com-
pactly made than that of most Buntings, formed externally
of dry grass, roots, and scraps of moss, and lined with
finer roots, hair, wool, and feathers. The five or six eggs,
sometimes one or two more, are greyish white or very pale
blue in ground colour, spotted and blotched — less fre-
quently pencilled — with reddish brown. But one brood
is reared in the year
In breeding plumage the adult male Snow Bunting is
mostly black and white ; but in autumn and winter, when
it visits us, most of this is concealed by the long fringes
of rufous brown that gradually wear away before the
summer. Then the head, the wing-coverts, the bases of
the primaries, the outer tail-feathers, and the whole of
the under parts are white, the remaining plumage black.
Bill black ; tarsi and toes black ; irides^brown. Length
7 inches. The female is not so brilliant in coloration,
and is more mottled with brown, even in summer. The
nestling has all the smaller feathers greyish brown, with
dark centres, except the under tail-coverts and abdomen.
150
THE CHAFFINCH
FRINGILLA CALEBS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " Karfinch "
(Kent).
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A common resident in
all suitable districts, its numbers increased in autumn
by migrants.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Chaffinch is another well-known and widely
distributed species within the Metropolitan area. It
breeds more or less regularly as near to the central districts
as Regent's Park (certainly in the Botanical Gardens, and
probably in the Zoological Gardens) and Battersea Park,
but closer in it can only be classed as an irregular winter
visitor. As the suburbs become more rural the Chaf-
finch, of course, becomes increasingly common. It is a
common bird in the Streatham, Wimbledon, Richmond,
and Bushey districts, and thence passing northwards it
is of general occurrence about Hounslow, Kew, Chis-
wick, Gunnersbury, Ealing, Osterley, Hanwell, Twyford,
Wembley, Harlesden, Cricklewood, Willesden, Kilburn,
Hampstead, Highgate, Wanstead, southwards to Green-
wich, Brockley, Dulwich, and Norwood. Throughout
the radius of the more outlying suburbs the Chaffinch is,
if anything, still more numerous and generally dispersed.
In winter its numbers seem to be perceptibly increased
in some districts by migrants, and at this season it visits
various parts of the more central area. I have seen this
species in winter as close to St. Paul's as Lincoln's Inn,
and very probably it occasionally visits many of the larger
squares. I can also record it then from St. James's Park,
the Green Park, Hyde Park, Buckingham Palace grounds,
Holland Park, Peckham Rye, Clapham Common, and
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
near to Kennington Park. Doubtless other observers
can add very extensively to this list.
The Chaffinch is entitled to be included in the special
list of London's commonest birds. Its cheery call-note
and bright and spirited song give life and animation to
many a suburban spot otherwise songless and almost
void of bird-life. In suburban London there are many
gardens, shrubberies, pleasure-grounds, and so forth that
offer this sprightly bird a safe asylum, and here from
February onwards to the summer the short, emphatic
song of the Chaffinch may be heard, even in the busy
streets near by, in the lulls of traffic noise. The well-
known call of pink-pink is often heard during autumn
and winter in places where the bird never stays to nest,
but its transient visits are none the less welcome for that.
The food of this species is composed of small seeds,
grain, and, in summer especially, insects and larvae, the
young being practically reared on the latter fare. In early
spring the flocks that have been massed since the previous
autumn break up into pairs, and the resumption of song
by the male heralds the breeding season. At this time,
too, the sharply uttered u-whit of the male is heard
very frequently. The nests for the first broods are
commenced in April, for later ones in June or July.
For neatness and beauty the dainty, cup-like nest of the
Chaffinch is almost without an equal. It is placed in
some triangular fork of the branches of a fruit or other
tree, or less frequently in a bush or hedgerow, sometimes
supported on a thin branch close to the trunk of a big tree,
to which it is also partially attached. The outer materials
of moss, dry grass, roots, lichens, and wool are all finely
felted together with cobwebs, cocoons, and vegetable
down, and finally lined with hair, feathers, wool, and
down. The outside is made to resemble the surroundings
as closely as possible, so that nests vary a good deal in
appearance. One was found in Hyde Park built to a
152
THE CHAFFINCH
great extent of discarded wax vestas and bits of thread
and silk, the sides garnished with paper from cigarette-
ends. Nearly a fortnight is occupied in its construction.
The five or six eggs are pale bluish green in ground colour,
spotted, speckled, and occasionally streaked with dark
purplish brown, suffused with paler brown, many of
the dark round spots being surrounded by paler washes.
The parents become very noisy and demonstrative when
disturbed at the nest. After the breeding season Chaf-
finches flock, and often associate with Greenfinches,
Sparrows, and other seed-eating species, then frequenting
stubbles, ricks, farmyards, and even the roads.
The male Chaffinch is a very handsome bird, some of
the upper parts being slate-grey, merging into black on
the forehead, chestnut on the mantle, and green on the
rump ; the wings are dark brown margined with yellow,
the coverts black and white, showing out very boldly as a
bar during flight ; the tail is brownish black, the central
feathers grey, the two outermost having a wedge-shaped
mark of white. The under parts are pale chestnut, with
a pronounced pinkish flush on the breast and abdomen,
and shading into white on the vent and under tail-coverts.
Bill black ; tarsi and toes black ; irides brown. Length
7 inches. The female has the same patterns of colour as
the male, but her plumage is not so brilliant, and the head
is nearly uniform with the back ; the under surface is
rufous brown, and shows no vinaceous tint. In the nest-
ling the wings and tail are similar to those of the adult,
but the small body-feathers are greyish brown, with
obscure dark centres, except to those on the abdomen
and under tail-coverts.
153
THE BRAMBLING
FRINGILLA MONTIFRINGILLA
LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " Bramble-Finch "
(Essex).
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A somewhat local and
capricious winter visitor, yet a common and widely
distributed one.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Brambling is by no means an uncommon
visitor to the Metropolitan area up to (and possibly nearer
to the central districts) the four-mile radius. I have
records of it from Battersea Park, Kensington Gardens,
Regent's Park, Clapham, Dulwich, and Peckham. North
of London it is an irregular visitor to Hampstead, and
has been observed at Highgate. In the more outlying
districts its appearance, of course, becomes less note-
worthy. I have met with this species in the Willesden,
Wembley, and Twyford districts, about Ealing, Han-
well, and Osterley. It is also of tolerable frequency,
but not every winter, in the Hounslow, Bushey, Rich-
mond, Wimbledon, and Streatham areas. To these
localities Ij have evidence of its occurrence to add from
Merton, Mitcham, Croydon, Sydenham, Bromley, the
Grays, Wanstead, and Epping. It is just as capricious
and irregular in its appearance round London as elsewhere,
and in some winters scarcely an example will be reported
from districts where in other years it had been numerous.
Although outside our limits, I may add that Burnham
Beeches is a favourite resort of this Finch. In some
parts of Kent also, within easy reach of London — Groom-
bridge, for instance — it frequently occurs in large numbers.
During its sojourn in our country the Brambling lives
chiefly in flocks of varying size, which take up their
quarters in suitable spots, and usually remain in their
154
THE BRAMBLING
vicinity throughout the winter. These flocks make their
appearance in November, and remain for about four
months. They particularly affect beech- woods where
mast is plentiful, and upon which they largely subsist as
long as the supply continues. I have noticed that Bram-
blings return each year to certain spots, which may be
regarded as winter rendezvous, and where they roost,
spreading over the neighbouring country during the
daytime to feed. Their favourite roosting-places are
shrubberies or woods where evergreens are common.
From these centres flocks frequently visit the stubbles and
fields that are being manured, for the Brambling seems
always to prefer an animal diet far more than its ally
the Chaffinch does at this season. Of course the bird is
songless during its stay with us, but at its breeding-
grounds indulges in a low, musical, warbling performance.
In winter the flocks twitter incessantly as they rest on
the trees, especially towards nightfall. The food of this
species consists of grain, mast, insects and larvae, and small
worms, manure-heaps being visited for the latter during
hard weather. Its nearest breeding-places are in Scan-
dinavia. The nest is usually made in a fir- or a larch-
tree, from fifteen to twenty feet from the ground, and is
nothing nearly so neat as that of the Chaffinch. It is
made of moss, lichens, strips of bark, mixed with cobwebs
and vegetable down, and lined with fine dry grass, down,
and feathers. The half-dozen eggs closely resemble those
of the Chaffinch, but are greener in ground colour, and
the markings are not so prominent, and more washy in
appearance. After the nesting season the habits of this
Finch are very similar to those of the Chaffinch.
The adult male Brambling in summer has the upper
parts, including the head, blue-black, but the centre of
the rump is white ; the smaller wing-coverts are pale
chestnut, the median ones white, the greater ones tipped
with white, which, with the white bases to the inner
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
primaries, forms a conspicuous wing-bar. The under parts
are pale chestnut, shading into white on the abdomen,
and the flanks are spotted with black. Bill black ; tarsi
and toes rufous brown ; irides brown. Length about
6} inches. The female is duller and browner than the
male in colour. The nestling closely resembles the adult
in general colour.* In autumn the bird is very different
in appearance, owing to the pale chestnut fringes that
conceal most of the black plumage, and the white parts
are suffused with buff, while the margins to the quill-
feathers are broader and yellower. The bill also is yellow
at this season, and during the winter.
THE HOUSE SPARROW
PASSER DOMESTICUS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A common and^widely
distributed resident, but scarce and local in uncultivated
districts.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The House Sparrow enjoys the unique position
of being the commonest and by far the most abundant
of London's birds. From the great cathedral, which we
have taken as the centre of our radius, and on which the
House Sparrow congregates and breeds in abundance, to
the outermost and most rural of the suburbs of the
Metropolis — a vast area thirty miles across — this species
abounds. There is scarcely a street, however mean or
grimy or crowded, there is scarcely a building, however
humble or palatial, that does not afford it a refuge or
upon which it may not be seen. It stuffs its untidy
nests into the crevices of every kind of building, or amongst
the carvings of statuary, the effigies of royalty being shown
no more respect than the stone or plaster equivalents of
less exalted personages. London may be described as a
huge colony of House Sparrows, possibly numbering mil-
lions, and in certain spots, such as in the grain docks, in
some of the public parks — Hyde Park, for instance — and
at the Zoological Gardens, their numbers are literally
enormous. There is a perceptible exodus in summer to
the outlying districts, where grain-fields are an attrac-
tion, but otherwise the Sparrow is ever in evidence.
Changed conditions of life have produced many note-
worthy characteristics in the House Sparrow during, say,
the past Jive hundred years or more. Not the least
interesting of these is its gregarious habits. It is the only
British Finch that lives in colonies throughout the year.
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
All others separate into pairs for the breeding season. In
London the Sparrow breeds almost all the year through,
or at all events endeavours to do so. To a large extent the
artificial economy of the House Sparrow may be studied
from almost every window in the Metropolis ; there is
not an open space where its actions may not be observed
during all the hours of daylight. Fearlessly it searches
for food in the busiest thoroughfares, its meals interrupted
a thousand times a day by the ceaseless traffic, its life
in jeopardy at almost every moment. The nature of its
food must also have changed to an amazing extent, so
much so that the bird can now, and does, subsist upon
almost everything eatable. Its cheery chirp remains the
same in town and country alike ; but its social tendencies
seem to have increased. For instance, the gathering
of these birds towards evening in a certain tree,
especially in autumn, where they keep up a twittering
babel until darkness disperses them to their roosting-
places, seems to be peculiar to London. It speaks well
for the Sparrow's fertility and adaptability to so many
varied conditions of life as the vast Metropolis presents
that it should be able to maintain its numbers. Enemies
and fatal contingencies surround it. Not the least
serious of these are cats and rats, and in one or two places
owls. Almost any day in summer on the banks of the
outlet to the Serpentine in Hyde Park you may stand
and watch the rats prey upon the young Sparrows that are
attracted by the crumbs thrown to them by the park
loungers. I have here seen half a dozen young Sparrows
seized and carried off by rats, scarcely an arm's-length
away from where I was standing, in the course of half an
hour. The rats come out of the beds of plants and seize
the unsuspecting birds in the most impudent manner.
London's cats are also great destroyers of this bird, as
they are of many other more interesting species, especially
in the parks, and I for one should like to see them banished
THE HOUSE SPARROW
for ever from such places. Bird-life then would be in com-
parative peace, and the number of species frequenting
these places considerably increased. During summer
the London Sparrow does an incalculable amount of good
in ridding vegetation of injurious insects, especially
aphides, and upon these its young are chiefly reared. The
House Sparrow, as previously stated, breeds at least during
nine months of the year. Its nest is made almost every-
where, and is of several types — domed when in trees and
bushes or amongst statuary, cup-shaped when in holes
of trees or buildings. The materials are of infinite
variety. The four or five eggs vary a good deal in colour,
but the ground is white, with a more or less grey or
brown tinge, marked to a varying extent with different
shades of brown and grey.
Except in autumn, just after the moult, the London
Sparrow is so grimy and disreputable that one can scarcely
gain a correct idea of his actual coloration. He needs
but the briefest description here. The adult male has a
dark grey crown, encircled by chestnut, the upper back
chestnut streaked with black, the lower back and rump
ash-brown ; the feathers under the eye are black, a spot
behind the eye white, the ear-coverts and cheeks dirty
white ; the wings and tail are brown, the former with
a white bar ; the throat and fore-neck are black, the
remainder of the under surface greyish white, suffused with
brown on the flanks and under tail-coverts. Bill black;
tarsi and toes brown ; irides brown. Length 6 inches.
The female is not so showy as the male, wants the black
throat, the grey and chestnut on the head, the white
wing-bar and cheeks. The nestling resembles the female,
but is a little paler.
'59
THE TREE SPARROW
P4SSER MONT4NUS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A comparatively rare
and local resident, although widely and irregularly dis-
persed, its numbers increased in autumn by migrants,
which visit areas in winter where the species is seldom
or never known to breed.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : It is a rather remarkable fact that the Tree
Sparrow in England shows an antipathy to towns, whilst
on the Continent in many places it is quite as familiar in
them as the House Sparrow. I am unable to say whether
the Tree Sparrow ever visits the central parts of the
Metropolitan area ; I have never observed it in the urban
parks or in any of the open spaces, although I am always
on the watch for it. That it draws nearer to the city
limits during winter seems certain ; it has been recorded
from Tooting at that season, and I have met with it then
in the Wembley and Kingsbury districts. It breeds and
is a resident in the Epping area, but is excessively local. I
know of no breeding-places in Middlesex, but in Surrey
it certainly nests in the Richmond district, and has also
been found doing so at Wimbledon. The species is
probably confused a good deal with the House Sparrow,
and its distribution within the London limits requires
careful investigation. The available evidence all tends
to show that the bird is very local, and that it is most
frequently detected near London during winter.
Due allowance being made for difference of haunt and
conditions of existence, the habits of the Tree Sparrow
closely resemble those of the preceding species. It may
readily be distinguished from its commoner ally by its
uniform chestnut head and black ear-coverts, and as the
1 60
THE TREE SPARROW
sexes are alike in colour the identification is made all the
more easily. The Tree Sparrow, especially in winter, is
often found in company with the House Sparrow, notably
when hard weather brings it near to houses. Its ordi-
nary call-note is a trifle shriller, and during the breeding
season its voice is more musical, although it cannot be
called a song. At all times it is shyer and warier than its
congener. Its food consists of seeds and grain, insects
and larvae, and on the latter its young are reared. It is
probable that the Tree Sparrow pairs for life, and uses the
same nesting-spot for years in succession. It rears several
broods in the year, eggs for the first being laid in April,
for others as late as July. A hole in a tree or wall, or in a
quarry, or even in the deserted nest of a Crow or Magpie,
are the favourite sites. The nest may be domed or open,
according to the situation in which it is built. It is made
of dry grass, straws, and roots, and lined with feathers,
wool, and hair. The five or six eggs vary a good deal in
colour, but on an average are smaller and darker than
those of the House Sparrow, greyish or bluish white in
ground colour, spotted and speckled with chocolate-
brown, paler brown, and grey. It is not social during
the nesting period, but is more or less gregarious during
autumn and winter.
The adult Tree Sparrow is smaller than the House
Sparrow. It has the head and nape uniform chestnut-
brown, the back brown streaked with black, the rump
and upper tail-coverts buffish brown, the ear-coverts black,
surrounded with white, and a double white bar across the
wings ; the throat and fore-neck are black, the under
parts ash-colour. Bill black ; tarsi and toes brown ; irides
brown. Length about 54 inches. The female resembles
the male in colour, and the nestling is much the same,
but a trifle duller.
161
THE HAWFINCH
COCCOTHR4USTES FULGARIS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A local resident, spar-
ingly distributed over England and Wales, but only an
accidental visitor to Scotland and Ireland.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The comparative abundance of the Hawfinch
within the Metropolitan area is probably due to the bird's
shy and secretive habits. Perhaps it is nowhere quite
so common as in the Epping district, although there
are parts of Kent — in the Grays, for instance — that
might run that area close for the distinction. Passing
north, we find the bird resident in the Muswell Hill, En-
field, and Hampstead districts, also in those of Barnet,
Harrow, Wembley, Twyford, Ealing, Chiswick, and Oster-
ley. On the " Surrey side " it is found as a resident in
the vicinity of Richmond, Coombe Wood, Wimbledon,
Burgh Common, Mortlake, Ewell, and Croydon, besides,
of course, various intervening localities. How close to
the central portions of our radius the Hawfinch actually
breeds it is difficult to say, but it has been recorded as
having done so at Dulwich, which comes within the
five-mile circle. There are private grounds where this
Finch might breed and be overlooked even nearer to the
city than that. In winter the bird often wanders into
localities where it does not breed. It has been seen at
Streatham, and I can record it from the Willesden,
Twyford, and Wembley areas.
The Hawfinch is one of the most secretive of our native
birds, and its presence in a district is very often quite
unsuspected, except ascertained by chance or the most
careful and persistent observation. Then, again, the
bird-catcher is responsible for its decreasing numbers, or
162
THE HAWFINCH
even entire absence, from areas where, if left unmolested,
it would be fairly numerous. Gardeners also never lose
an opportunity for its destruction, because of its inroads
on fruit and other produce. The favourite haunts of the
Hawfinch in Greater London are orchards, large gardens,
shrubberies, plantations and fields where tall hedges and
trees are abundant. Skulking and shy as a Warbler, only
transient glimpses of the big, ungainly-looking bird are
obtained as it flits about the dense vegetation or crosses a
more open spot from one tree or bush to another ; and it
will be remarked that this Finch has a habit of flying up
into the branches instead of dropping into them, as most
other birds do. The food of the Hawfinch consists of
insects and larvae to some extent in summer, and upon
these its young are reared ; but at all times seeds, nuts^
berries, fruits, and peas perhaps form its staple support.
The bird is very fond of the kernels of such fruits as cherries
and plums, which its powerful beak enables it to crack
with ease ; the stones of haws, beech-mast, and the seeds
of the hornbeam are also eaten ; whilst the young when
they have left the nest consume large quantities of peas.
The Hawfinch is not much of a songster, but in the breed-
ing season the male utters a few chattering notes. The
call-notes resemble those of the Greenfinch, and a party of
birds frequently twitter amongst themselves after the
manner of the Brambling, the Linnet, and other Finches.
During autumn and winter the Hawfinch spends a gipsy
sort of existence, wandering about the countryside in
parties, or even small flocks, but in spring these disband,
and in pairs seek out their nesting-places. The nest is
made towards the end of April, the eggs usually being
laid in May. It is often placed in a fruit-tree, a dense
evergreen or thorn-bush, or on the top of a pollard horn-
beam, at a height of a few feet or fifty. It is made of
twigs, roots, stalks of various plants, and bits of lichen,
lined with fine grass and roots and hair. It is a flat,
163
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
bulky structure, and fairly well made. The five or six
eggs range from pale olive or bluish green to brownish
buff, streaked and slightly spotted with dark olive-brown,
pale greyish brown, and violet grey. The pencillings are
almost as intricate as those on the eggs of the Buntings.
Throughout the nesting season the old birds are even
more secretive and shy than at other times. But one
brood is reared in the year ; and it is not unusual to find
several pairs breeding in the same vicinity.
The adult male Hawfinch has the head reddish brown,
except the lores and the feathers at the base of the bill,
which are black, like the throat ; the nape is ashy grey ;
the back and scapulars are chestnut-brown, paler on the
rump, and yellowish brown on the upper tail-coverts ;
the wings are black shot with blue, except the median
wing-coverts, which are white, and the outermost
primaries, which have a large white patch on the inner
web ; there is also some amount of greyish white on the
others. A marked peculiarity is the truncated form of
some of the secondaries, the ends of which are shaped
like a billhook. The tail is black, the four outer feathers
having a terminal white spot on the inner web, the four
centre ones narrowly tipped with white. The under
parts are brown suffused with yellow, shading into white
on the under tail-coverts. Bill black (in winter it changes
to pinkish brown) ; tarsi and toes pale brown ; irides
greyish white. Length 7 inches. The female some-
what closely resembles the male in colour, but is duller.
The nestling resembles the adult in the wings and tail ;
there is no black on the throat and head, nor grey on the
nape, the breast and flanks are barred with brown, and
the head and upper parts are suffused with yellow.
164
THE GREENFINCH
LIGURINUS CHLORIS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " Green Linnet "
(Essex).
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A common and widely
distributed resident throughout well -cultivated and
timbered districts, its numbers increased in autumn by
migrants.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Greenfinch may fairly be described as a
common resident in every part of the Metropolitan area
at all suited to its requirements. It nests regularly in
many of the urban parks, from Regent's Park and Battersea
Park outwards, and there are few private grounds con-
taining evergreens throughout the inner suburbs to which
it does not resort. As the surroundings become more
rural the bird becomes increasingly common as a nesting
species. In winter it is even more widely dispersed, and
may then be seen in still more central districts. I have
records of this Finch from the Green Park, St. James's
Park, Victoria Park, Russell Square, and Lincoln's Inn.
In the more outlying suburbs flocks are often observed,
and the bird frequently associates with Sparrows and
other seed-eating species. Possibly some of the straggling
individuals may be migrants, and many of the flocks seem
undoubtedly to be so. The Greenfinch, I may add,
haunts several of the great cemeteries in London. I
have seen it in those of Kensal Green, Brompton, and
Highgate.
The tremulous, twittering song of the Greenfinch is a
by no means uncommon sound close to inner London
during April and May. It may lack the sweetness and
variety of other homely species, but when several birds
are warbling in concert the effect is very pleasing.
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
More familiar still is die long-drawn note of peezb
that may be heard with great persistency in the haunts
affected by this species. During autumn and winter the
Greenfinch is more or less gregarious, and even in spring
and summer is very social, and several pairs may frequently
be found nesting in close proximity. These flocks resort to
fields of mowing-grass, to the growing corn, and later to
the stubbles. In sowing-time they visit the newly tilled
land, and in hard weather may often be seen with
Sparrows near ricks, in farmyards, and occasionally at
our thresholds. They love to roost in shrubberies and
evergreens at this season. The food of this Finch is
composed, according to season, of insects and larvae, seeds,
grain, and various berries. The young seem to be reared
exclusively on an animal diet. The bird is very fond of
the seeds of the sunflower. This bird flies well, and is as
much addicted to the trees as the hedges ; it also obtains
much of its food on the ground. Several broods are
reared in the year, the breeding season lasting from April
to August. An evergreen of some kind or a dense hedge-
row are the favourite sites for the nest, although many
other spots are chosen, sometimes high up a tree, fifty or
more feet from the ground. The nest is made of moss,
dry grass, roots, and scraps of wool, bound together,
especially round the rim, with a few slender twigs, and
lined with finer roots, hair, wool, and feathers. The five
or six eggs are white (sometimes with a tinge of blue or
green), sparsely spotted and speckled with reddish brown
and paler brown. The old birds become quiet and
secretive during the nesting period, the hen sitting very
closely.
The adult male Greenfinch has the general colour of
the upper parts yellowish green, suffused on the head,
neck, throat, and breast with grey ; the wings are brown,
the outer webs o the primaries yellow, and the secondaries
margined and tipped with grey. The two central tail-
166
THE GREENFINCH
feathers and the terminal half of the others are blackish
brown, edged with grey, the remaining portion yellow.
The under parts are yellow, washed with grey on the
flanks, merging into nearly white on the abdomen and
under tail-coverts. Bill flesh-colour ; tarsi and toes
pale brown ; irides brown. Length 6 inches. The
female is more dull in colour than the male, and browner,
but the yellow pattern on the wings and tail is much
the same. The nestling somewhat closely resembles the
female, and the flanks, breast, and throat are streaked with
dusky brown.
167
THE GOLDFINCH
CARDUELIS ELEGANS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : An increasingly local
resident throughout England, Wales, and Ireland, becom-
ing more so, and scarcer in Scotland. Its numbers are
increased in autumn by migrants.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : As a nesting species the Goldfinch is decidedly a
scarce and local bird, having been more or less exterminated
in most localities. From all parts the reports of its rarity
or decreasing numbers are made. This to a very large
extent is due to the persecution of bird-catchers, and it is
to be hoped that the more stringent enforcement of the
Wild Birds Protection Acts in the Metropolitan area will
result in a much-to-be-desired increase in the number of
Goldfinches. It is as a winter visitor that this Finch is best
known within the more central portions of our radius.
At that season it has, during recent years, been observed
so close to the city as Kensington Gardens and Dulwich,
whilst it is more frequently seen at Wimbledon, Norwood,
Richmond, and Tooting. In the winter of 1904 1 observed
three Goldfinches amongst some withered docks and thistles
on waste ground near Wormwood Scrubbs. They were
quite close to the road, fluttering unconcernedly from stem
to stem, and were being enviously admired by a couple of
passing working men, who volunteered the information that
they were " Finches," a name by which the Goldfinch is
commonly known amongst fanciers and catchers. In some
parts of Middlesex the species is said to be increasing.
There is only one locality within the limits of Greater
London, and that is on the north, known to me where the
Goldfinch nests in any numbers. It would not be desirable
to give greater details, beyond saying that in the year 1907
1 68
THE GOLDFINCH
some half-dozen nests came under my notice. That the
Goldfinch must have been very common near London
" once upon a time " seems proved by the fact recorded
by Mr. Sharpe that twelve dozen had been netted in a
single morning on the spot where Paddington Station
now stands ! The builder has done almost as much
as the bird-catcher in exterminating the Goldfinch in
London ; but the bird still persists in its visits during
winter, and the most likely places to meet with it are the
rough bits of dock- and thistle-grown land, the last relics
left of what was once open country. Like so many others
of its kind, this Finch is more or less gregarious and social
during winter, and it roams about a great deal in quest of
its food. This chiefly consists in summer of insects and
larvae, but at other times seeds of many kinds, especially
of noxious weeds, are the favourite fare. It is an active,
restless bird when feeding, and is incessantly twittering
to its companions as it flits from tree to tree or from one
tall weed to another. The call-note, by which the species
may be readily identified, is a very musical twee-et ;
whilst its song in the nesting season is a by no means
unmusical one, something like that of the Linnet. The
Goldfinch is a rather late breeder, the nesting season
commencing in May, and being prolonged into July in
instances where a second brood is reared. So far as
London is concerned I have found the favourite nesting-
sites of the Goldfinch to be close, low hedges in the vicinity
of orchards and gardens, but a universally favourite spot
is a fruit-tree of some kind. The cup-shaped nest, neatly
made and exquisitely rounded, is formed of moss, down,
roots, and dry grass stems, garnished with lichens and
bound together with spiders' webs, the whole lined with
feathers, vegetable down, and hair. The four or five eggs
are greyish or greenish white, spotted with reddish or
purplish brown and grey. The broods often remain in
company through the winter.
169
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
The adult male Goldfinch has the general colour
of the upper parts chestnut-brown, shading into white
on the upper tail-coverts and into greyish white on the
nape ; the crown and a band round the ear-coverts
are black ; the forehead is crimson ; the feathers at the
base of the bill and the lores are also black ; the wings
are black, barred with yellow and tipped with white ;
the tail is black, the outer feathers with a white spot
on the inner web, the rest tipped with white ; the
throat is crimson, the remainder of the under parts
white, shading into brown on the flanks. Bill flesh-
colour, darkest at the tip ; tarsi and toes pinkish brown ;
irides brown. Length 53- inches. The female is a trifle
duller in colour than the male. The nestling lacks the
black and red on the head, the under parts are browner,
and the breast is faintly spotted.
170
THE SISKIN
CHRTSOMITRIS SPINUS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " Barley Bird "
(Essex).
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : Resident. Breeds very
locally in England and Ireland ; more widely dispersed
over the conifer area in Scotland. It becomes more
commonly distributed in winter.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Siskin, so far as I know, does not breed in any
part of the Metropolitan area, to which it is an irregular
and local autumn and winter visitor only. As a straggler
it may probably visit some of the more central localities,
although I have no reliable records of the fact. In the
rural suburbs, however, it is of more or less frequent
occurrence, especially by the margins of streams and rivers
where alder-trees are common. Amongst the localities
where it may probably be met with I can mention Ealing,
Hanwell, Southall, Twyford, Wembley, Harrow, Hendon,
Hampstead, Elstree, Epping, and Wanstead. On the
Surrey side of the Thames the districts of the Grays,
Croydon, Sydenham, Dulwich, Streatham, Wimbledon,
and Richmond may be given. The Siskin is much sought
after by the bird-catcher, as it is a highly prized cage-
bird, hardy and docile in captivity. To this fact must be
attributed its scarcity in many places. Fortunately it
breeds in districts remote from towns.
During its possible sojourn within London limits the
habits of the Siskin very closely resemble those of the Tits.
During autumn and winter it leads a roving kind of exis-
tence, chiefly confining itself to trees, especially alders
and birches, the minute seeds of Jwhich it regards as a
delicacy. In obtaining these seeds the Siskin clings to
the slender drooping branches, swinging to and fro and
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
assuming a variety of grotesque attitudes, the twittering
call-notes being uttered at intervals. The food of this
species, in addition to small seeds, consists of buds and
insects and larvae, the latter forming the staple sustenance
of the young. During the non-breeding season the bird
lives more or less in flocks, and their appearance in any
locality is very erratic. The Siskin is reported as having
bred in the counties of Kent, Surrey, and Middlesex,
so that a look-out for it should be kept within the London
radius. Eggs for the first broods are laid in April, for
the second in June. Its favourite nesting-place is a fir-
tree, some thirty or forty feet from the ground. The nest
is made of fine twigs, grass stalks, and roots, lined with
moss, hair, down, and less frequently feathers, and is
similar to that of the Greenfinch, but smaller. The
five or six eggs are very pale bluish green, spotted and
speckled with dark reddish brown and pale grey, occa-
sionally streaked with even darker brown. I may add
that during the breeding season the male has a short,
twittering, yet musical and pleasing little song.
The adult male Siskin has the head and throat black,
the back yellowish green streaked with dusky black, the
rump yellower ; the under parts below the throat are
yellow, palest on the abdomen and darkest on the flanks,
which are streaked with black ; the wings and tail are
black marked with yellow. Bill brown, paler at the base ;
tarsi and toes pale brown ; irides brown. Length 4^-
inches. The female is similar to the male in general
coloration, but is rather duller, and wants the black on
the head and throat, a characteristic also of the nestling.
172
THE LESSER REDPOLE
L^NOTA RUFESCENS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : Resident, breeding but
locally in the south of England ; increasingly abundant
northwards and in Scotland. It is commonest in summer
in the north of Ireland, rarer in the south of that
country. It is much more widely distributed in autumn
and winter.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : It is only very exceptionally that the Lesser
Redpole breeds anywhere within the Metropolitan area.
It is recorded as having done so at Wimbledon. In
autumn and winter, however, it is by no means uncommon,
although irregular in appearance and somewhat local. I
have seen this bird in St. James's Park ; and I well re-
member a small flock which the late Henry Seebohm
and myself stood and watched for some time as we were
crossing the Green Park one morning in the late autumn
of 1 88 1. He told me that the bird was frequently seen at
Dulwich, where he then resided. I have also records from
Battersea Park, Clapham, Peckham, Kensington Gardens,
Regent's Park, and Kilburn. The bird also visits the
districts of Hampstead, Highgate, Kingsbury, Wembley,
Twyford, Wormwood Scrubbs, Ealing, Acton, Osterley,
Kew, Chiswick, Richmond, Wimbledon, Tooting, Dul-
wich, Greenwich, Wanstead, and Epping. It is scarcely
necessary to mention the extreme outlying suburbs, to
which the bird is a more numerous visitor still.
Like the Siskin, the Lesser Redpole lives in flocks during
autumn and winter, and it is then that this small Finch
is met with in the area of London. Its habits closely
resemble those of the Siskin, but the bird shows more
partiality for the ground, and may frequently be seen
173
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
on weedy pastures and clover stubbles in quest of the
many small seeds that form its food. It also loves the
alder- and birch-trees, resorting to them for their seeds.
It is a tame and confiding little bird, and assumes many
Tit-like attitudes in quest of food. In summer it also
eats many insects and larvae, and these form the prin-
cipal food of its young. The Lesser Redpole, like so
many other Finches, is constantly uttering a twitter-
ing call-note, both during flight and whilst on the trees,
bushes, or ground. In spring the male utters a short,
trilling song, which, however, becomes much less frequent
after the young are hatched. But one brood generally is
reared in the year, and preparations for this are com-
menced in May or June. The tiny nest is very often
made in a crotch in some dense low hedge, and is a
beautifully rounded cup, formed outwardly of twigs,
roots, moss, and dry grass, lined with feathers, vegetable
down, hair, and sometimes wool. The five or six eggs
are greenish blue, spotted and speckled with purplish
brown and pale brown, and occasionally streaked with
darker brown. The young and their parents remain in
company during the autumn and winter.
The adult male Redpole has the upper parts rufous
brown streaked with dark brown, the wings and tail
blackish brown, with pale brown margins ; the middle and
greater wing-coverts are broadly tipped and the inner-
most secondaries broadly margined with rufous brown ;
the crown is crimson, the rump strongly suffused with the
same ; the chin and upper throat are dark brown, the
remainder of the under parts bufnsh, darkest on the flanks,
which are marked with brown, and suffused with crimson
on the breast. Bill yellow, darker at the tip ; tarsi and
toes brownish black ; irides brown. Length 4! inches.
The female has no crimson on the upper parts, and the
flush on the breast is barely visible ; the under parts are
more streaked, as is still more the case with the nestling,
THE LESSER REDPOLE
which also lacks the crimson. After the autumn moult
the crimson on the adult male is partially concealed by
the long pale fringes to the feathers, which gradually
wear off as spring comes on ; but at this season the ruddy
colour increases in intensity also.
J75
THE LINNET
LINOTA CANNABINA
LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " Red Linnet "
(male) (Essex).
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A common and widely
distributed resident, especially in winter, when its num-
bers are swelled by migrants from Continental areas.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : Of the small Finches the Linnet is by far the
commonest and best known throughout the Metropolitan
area. It breeds in many parts of it, although some-
what locally, doubtless because suitable ground is want-
ing in certain districts. I have records of it nesting on
Wimbledon and Tooting Commons, and various gorse-
covered spots in Surrey and Kent well within the eight-
mile radius. It is also tolerably common at Epping, and
may be found breeding at Hampstead, and in the Wembley,
Osterley, and Hounslow districts. It also nests at Harrow
and Stanmore, and in many other suitable spots in the
more rural suburbs. The places mentioned serve chiefly
as guides ; haunts of the Linnet may be found in many of
the intervening localities. In winter the bird is not so
local, and flocks may be met with much nearer the central
districts. I have often seen it on waste lands and brick-
fields adjoining Wormwood Scrubbs ; it is also a visitor
to some of the more urban parks, and to many of
the private grounds and gardens with which suburban
London abounds. On April 26, 1905, I watched a
female Linnet for some time hopping about the grass
and the beds of tulips in the ornamental gardens of the
Victoria Memorial opposite to Buckingham Palace, and
the bird has been recorded from Kensington Gardens
During the summer the favourite haunts of the Linnet
are gorse-coverts, and here it nests in scattered pairs ;
176
THE LINNET
but in autumn and winter it assembles into flocks and a
more cosmopolitan existence is passed. Like the Redpole
it obtains much of its food at these seasons upon the
ground, resorting to rough wastes and weed-grown fields
where an abundance of small seeds can be obtained. A
marked characteristic of these bands of Linnets is their
garrulousness, and often some tree-top literally jingles
with a concert of twittering cries, the combined musical
effect of which is very pleasing. In addition to numerous
small seeds, this species in summer subsists largely on
insects and larvae. Early in spring the flocks break up
into pairs and scatter over the nesting-areas, and then the
males may be seen sitting on the exposed sprays of the
gorse and other bushes warbling their sweet little love-
song. At this season the Linnet looks his best, and he is
fond of displaying his charms on any bare twig, evincing
little fear of man. This species usually rears two broods
in the season, eggs for the first being laid in April, for the
second in June. The bird pairs annually, and the favourite
site for the nest is amongst gorse and broom. The nest
is made of dead sprays of the gorse, fine twigs, dry grass,
and moss, and neatly lined with hair, wool, vegetable
down, and feathers. In this beautifully rounded cup
the hen lays five or six eggs, pale bluish green, spotted
and speckled, mostly in a zone round the larger end, with
dark reddish brown and paler brown and grey. The
male often betrays the vicinity of the nest by his persistent
habit of singing close to it.
The adult male Linnet has a crimson patch on the fore-
head extending to the crown ; the remainder of the head,
as well as the nape and the sides of the neck, are dingy
grey ; the back is reddish brown, paler on the rump, and
streaked with dull black ; the wings are dark brown
margined with dull white, the wing-coverts and innermost
secondaries with darker centres ; the upper tail-coverts
and tail are black, the latter with white margins, broadest
M 177
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
on the outermost feathers ; the under parts are buff,
much darker on the flanks, nearly white on the abdomen
and under tail-coverts, and flushed with carmine on the
breast. Bill slate-grey ; tarsi and toes brown ; irides
brown. Length 51 inches. The female is more dingy
in colour than the male and wants the crimson on the
head and breast, and is streaked with dark brown on the
under parts. The nestling resembles the female in colour.
After the autumn moult much of the male's crimson flush
is concealed by the fringes to the feathers, but as spring
advances these disappear, and the colours also intensify.
The rosy tints of the male Linnet disappear in captivity.
THE TWITE
LINOTA
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A local resident, and Jar
more widely dispersed in winter than in summer ; com-
monest, perhaps, during the latter season in the west of
Scotland. It is generally distributed over, heath-lands
and moors in England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, in
winter resorting to more cultivated districts.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Twite is one of the rarest and most local of
London's bird visitors. I know of no record of this species
breeding anywhere within the Metropolitan area, and it
can only be classed as an irregular and scarce autumn and
winter wanderer. Information respecting its distribu-
tion within our limits is singularly meagre, a fact which
confirms the rarity of the species therein. It may, of
course, be overlooked to a very considerable extent, for it
is given to much wandering during the non-breeding
season. There are many localities in which one might
reasonably expect to find it occasionally, but I have
searched most of them in vain, and although I have had
a long and varied experience of the bird in its normal
haunts I have never yet had the pleasure of meeting with
it in or near the Metropolis. I have spoken to many
bird-catchers in and about the suburbs, but the Twite,
it is very evident, is practically unknown to them.
It is unnecessary in the present work to dwell at any
length upon the habits of the Twite. These closely
resemble during winter those of the Linnet ; and, indeed,
the Twite is not unfrequently found consorting with
that species. Its food is similar, it has the same simple
twitter of a song, and its call-note — a long-drawn twa-ite —
gives the species its English name. It nests on the moors
179
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
in May and June, usually making its home amongst the
heather. This nest is composed externally of twigs, dry
grass stems, moss, and roots, lined with vegetable down,
feathers, and wool. The five or six eggs are pale bluish
green, spotted, speckled, and frequently streaked with
reddish brown and grey.
The adult male Twite is very similar in general colora-
tion to the Linnet, but its longer tail gives it a slightly
larger and more slender appearance. It has, however, no
crimson on the head or breast, but the rump is suffused
with crimson, as in the Redpole ; the breast and flanks are
streaked, and the white in the tail is represented by pale
brown margins. Bill yellow in summer, grey in winter ;
tarsi and toes dark brown ; irides brown. Length 5
inches. The female has no crimson tinge on the rump,
and the nestling resembles her in general coloration.
1 80
THE BULLFINCH
PTRRHULA 7ULGARIS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A fairly common and
widely distributed resident in all wooded and cultivated
districts.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : All the available evidence tends to show that the
Bullfinch is commoner in the southern suburbs than in
the northern ones, the proximity of the Kentish and
Surrey orchards possibly being the reason. Whether the
Bullfinch breeds in Battersea Park I am unable to say
but there is a possibility of it. It is known to do so,
however, at Dulwich, Streatham, and Wimbledon, and
probably in Kew Gardens. It is certainly rare and local
at Richmond, and the same remarks apply to all or nearly
all of the Middlesex suburbs. I can record the species
in summer from the Wembley, Willesden, and Hamp-
stead areas, and the bird is certainly a local and scarce
resident in the Epping and Wanstead districts. Across
the river it may be recorded from Greenwich, Eltham,
Beckenham, and Sydenham ; whilst further out still it
becomes increasingly numerous in the Grays and the
Croydon and Banstead districts. During the non-breed-
ing season the bird wanders a good deal, and may then be
observed in the more central areas, gardens and private
grounds especially. I have records from Clapham, Peck-
ham, Tooting, Kensington Gardens, and Regent's Park.
The species, however, is very erratic in its appearance.
The Bullfinch may casually visit any suitable spot in
Greater London during autumn and winter, but in
summer it is local as a resident, and its retiring ways at
that time greatly assist in its being overlooked. After
the nesting season the bird seems for ever on the wander,
181
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
and it is nothing nearly so social as other Finches, usually
roaming in pairs. The broods keep company for some
time with their parents, however, and early in spring,
about the mating period, an assembly may occasionally
be met with. The flight of the Bullfinch is rather slow
and deliberate, and follows a dipping direction, the
white rump of the bird enabling the eye readily to
follow its course. It is a somewhat shy and secretive
species at all times, and is fond of hiding in the cover,
where a transient glimpse or the characteristic piping
call-note of dyu-dyu are all that betray its whereabouts.
Sometimes in spring its actions may be more readily
observed as it moves about the fruit-trees eating the buds.
It feeds chiefly on seeds, buds, and berries of various
kinds, and in summer on insects and larvae, upon which its
young are reared. The low, twittering song of the male is
heard most frequently in the laying season, which is in
April to June, or even later. The nest, often made in a
fir or other evergreen in a shrubbery, or in a dense hedge-
row or thicket, is largely composed outside of slender
twigs, which support the cup, made of roots and hair,
with an occasional feather or tuft of wool. The four or five
(or even six) eggs are bluish green, spotted with purplish
brown and grey, and sometimes sparingly streaked with
darker brown. Two broods are reared in the season.
The adult male Bullfinch has the head, tail, and wings
glossy black, a spot of dull red on the innermost secondary,
and spots of grey on the wing-coverts ; the back is clear
bluish grey, the rump white ; the chin is black, the re-
mainder of the under parts brick-red, save the under tail-
coverts and ventral region, which are white. Bill black ;
tarsi and toes dark blackish brown ; irides brown. Length
6 inches. The female resembles the male in the general
colour pattern of her plumage, but the red and grey parts
are brown, palest on the abdomen. The nestling also
resembles the female, but has no black on the head.
182
THE CROSSBILL
LOXIA CURFIROSTRA
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A rather rare and local
resident, breeding in many districts, especially in Scotland,
but best known as an irregular wanderer in winter in
small flocks.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : Of all the species that pay casual visits to the
Metropolitan area the Crossbill is one of the most erratic
and irregular. It has been known to breed in at least
three of the Metropolitan counties — Surrey, Kent, and
Essex — but I am not aware of any reliable instance within
the fifteen-mile radius. It is only as an autumn and winter
visitor that the Crossbill, at uncertain intervals, is ob-
served within the suburbs of the Metropolis. It has then
been recorded from Norwood, Dulwich, and Wimbledon,
south of the Thames, and from Epping, Hampstead, and
the Harrow district north of that river. The Crossbill
is a bird that cannot easily be mistaken or overlooked ;
consequently we must attribute the paucity of records
to its scarcity. It may appear any season, and in unusual
numbers, like the Waxwing, and its absence hitherto
from a locality cannot be taken as an indication that
the bird is not likely to visit it.
The bird-lover fortunate enough to meet with the
Crossbill within the London area will experience no
difficulty in identifying it by its crossed mandibles. It is
also by no means shy during its winter sojourn in our
southern counties, over which it roams in parties, or
larger flocks. Indeed, at all times this species seems
more or less gregarious, and even in summer parties of
male birds have frequently been observed. In their
actions on the trees they closely resemble Tits or Siskins,
183
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
their acrobatic movements being due to their eagerness
and desire to obtain berries and other seeds, the finest
of which often grow at the extremities of the slender
branches. Their flight is undulating ; and their twitter-
ing call-notes resemble those of the Linnet and other
Finches, with which they often consort. In the breeding
season the male has a sweet little song, uttered in a sub-
dued tone. The food of the Crossbill consists of the seeds
of conifers, the cones of which are easily broken by the
powerful crossed bill, various berries and small fruits,
the pips of apples and pears, and in summer insects and
larvae. The Crossbill has been found nesting as near to
London as Kent and Surrey, but it is very unlikely that
the student of London birds will ever be fortunate enough
to meet with its home. It is a very early breeder, and
retires chiefly to conifer woods and plantations for repro-
duction. The eggs are usually laid between February
and April. The nest, placed at various heights from the
ground in a fir- or spruce-tree, often on a flat branch some
distance from the trunk, is made of slender twigs, roots,
and dry grass, lined with wool, hair, and a few feathers,
closely resembling that of the Greenfinch. The four or
five eggs are so like those of that species that a further
description is unnecessary. Several nests are often found
quite close together in the same belt of timber. The old
birds are very secretive during the breeding season, and
he hen sits closely.
The adult male Crossbill has most of the small feathers
of the body scarlet, most brilliant on the rump, and with a
brownish suffusion on the back; the wings and tail are
brown, the centre of the abdomen pale grey. Bill brown ;
tarsi and toes brown ; irides dark brown. Length 6
inches. The female is greenish yellow, with the wings
and tail similar in colour to those of the male. The
nestling is brown, palest on the abdomen, and streaked
above and below with darker brown. After their first
THETCROSSBILL
moult they attain the sexual colours of the adult, with
this exception, that the young males are intermediate in
tint between adult males and adult females. In cap-
tivity the adult male appears to lose his scarlet dress after
the first moult, and to retain a plumage similar to that of
the female, as is the case with the Linnet.
185
THE SPOTTED FLYCATCHER
MUSC1CAPA GR1SOLA
LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " Wall-bird "
(Essex).
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A summer visitor to all
suitable localities.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : Although so closely associated with the country,
the Spotted Flycatcher is a regular and fairly common
summer visitor to many spots even in the central districts
of the Metropolitan area. I have seen this species in St.
James's Park, and it may possibly breed in the grounds
of Buckingham Palace. It nests regularly in Hyde Park
and Kensington Gardens — in Rotten Row in the former
and near the Tea Pavilion in the latter — and I have also
records from Regent's Park during the breeding season.
I am not aware of its breeding in Battersea Park, although
it may very possibly do so, but it nests regularly at
Dulwich, Tooting, and Balham. In the western and
northern suburbs Barnes, Chiswick, Dollis Hill, Hamp-
stead, and Highgate may be mentioned. In the more
rural suburbs the bird of course becomes commoner,
and I can include Tooting, Wimbledon, Richmond, Kew,
Osterley, Hanwell, Acton, Ealing, Horsenden, Twyford,
Wembley, Kingsbury, Finchley, Hendon, Barnet, Enfield,
Epping, Wanstead, Ilford, Greenwich, Dartford, Bromley,
Croydon, Mitcham, Merton, and Kingston as regular
haunts. Beyond these limits it becomes unnecessary to
specify.
A stroll in Hyde Park or Kensington Gardens during
the summer will be sufficient to make the acquaintance
of this sombre little bird. It is a late migrant, not reach-
ing its English haunts before the first week in May, leav-
ing them again in September. The Spotted Flycatcher
186
i. Waxwing. 2. Wood Lark. 3. Pied Flycatcher. 4. Common Creeper.
5. Spotted Flycatcher. 6. Common Crossbill. 7. Red -backed Shrike.
THE SPOTTED FLYCATCHER
seems much attached to its haunts, and wanders little
during its sojourn in them. Like the Tree Pipit it usually
selects some spot where there are a few isolated trees,
some fences, or other coign of vantage upon which it can
perch, and from which it can make repeated sallies into
the air in chase of its prey. It will be seen quietly sitting
on some paling or bare branch, giving its tail a beat at
intervals, and from time to time uttering a sharp double
call-note, resembling chee-tic — chee-tic — cbee-tic-tic-tic.
Suddenly some passing insect is noticed, and the little
brown bird starts fluttering in pursuit, and the sharp
snap of the mandibles as they close over the fly is audible
some distance away. The bird returns to the same perch,
or to another close by, and the performance is repeated
at intervals. The male occasionally utters a low, rambling
song, something like that of the Whinchat. The food of
this species is composed of insects of many kinds. It is
said occasionally to eat berries, and possibly does consume
small fruits, as so many other insect-eating birds habi-
tually do. A few weeks after its arrival it commences
nest-building, and the eggs are laid at the end of May or
early in June. The nest is built in a crevice of the bark,
in a knot-hole, or on a horizontal branch of a fruit-tree
against a wall, amongst trelliswork in similar situations,
or even on a beam in a shed, supported on one side at
least, and is made of dry grass and moss, bound together
with cobwebs and wing-cases of insects, and lined with
roots, hair, and feathers. The eggs, four to six, range
from bluish white to clear pea-green, blotched, freckled,
and spotted with reddish brown of various shades. This
bird is not at all social during the breeding season, each
pair keeping to certain haunts. The brood and their
parents remain in company after the former leave the
nest,
The adult Spotted Flycatcher has the general colour
of the upper parts greyish brown, the feathers on the
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
crown having dark centres ; the wings and tail are dark
brown ; the under parts are greyish white, darkest on the
flanks and breast, the latter streaked with brown. Bill
dark brown ; tarsi and toes black ; irides brown. Length
nearly 5f inches. The nestling is profusely spotted on the
upper parts with buff, but otherwise resembles its parents.
188
THE PIED FLYCATCHER
MUSCICAPA ATRICAPILLA
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A local summer visitor,
chiefly to Wales, the north of England, and the south of
Scotland.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : Nearly a hundred years ago Graves records
that the Pied Flycatcher nested at Peckham, and in our
own time it has been found doing so at Tooting, in
Highgate Woods, and at Epping. It has been frequently
observed in woods at Hampstead, and even noticed in
Kensington Gardens, during migration. Little more can
be said of the distribution of the Pied Flycatcher in the
Metropolitan area. It is a species that often wanders
out of its usual course during spring and autumn passage,
and at those periods may occasionally stray into districts
near London. A bird that casually visits such a central
locality as Kensington Gardens may in the course of its
errantry be observed almost anywhere, so that we need
not dwell at greater length upon its local distribution
here.
The habits of the Pied Flycatcher very closely resemble
those of the preceding species. It arrives earlier, during
the last half of April, leaving in September. In our
islands this bird shows a preference for the wilder districts,
the birch coppices and open woodlands where streams and
pools abound, but in other lands it is equally partial to
gardens and orchards. Its food chiefly consists of insects,
which are mostly chased and captured in the air, but small
fruits are also eaten. The short and low-toned song of
the male bears some resemblance to that of the Redstart.
The Pied Flycatcher breeds in May, and the nest is always
made in a hole of some kind, in a tree or wall for preference.
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
Although not exactly a social bird, several pairs frequently
nest in the near vicinity of each other. The nest is a
simple one, loosely put together, cup-shaped, and formed
of dry grass, dead leaves, and moss, lined with roots,
horsehair, wool, and less frequently feathers. The six
or eight eggs are pale blue.
The adult male Pied Flycatcher has the general colour
of the upper parts black, palest on the rump, and there is a
white patch on the forehead ; the wings are brown, the
central coverts white, and the inner secondaries margined
with white ; the under parts are white. Bill black ;
tarsi and toes black; irides brown. Length 5^ inches.
The female is brown where the male is black, and the
under parts are not quite so pure a white. The nestling
is profusely spotted with buff on the upper parts, and the
under parts are irregularly marked with dark brownish
black.
190
THE RED-BACKED SHRIKE
LANIUS COLLURIO
LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " Butcher-
bird " (Essex).
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A local summer visitor
to England and Wales, from Derbyshire southwards ; of
only accidental occurrence in Scotland and Ireland,
although it has been recorded as having bred in the
former country.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : I have no records of this bird from the more
central districts, and its distribution normally does not
commence until the four- or five-mile radius is reached.
It is a fairly numerous summer visitor to suitable spots,
breeding in the south from Dulwich, Barnes, Putney,
Wimbledon, and Richmond outwards ; in the west from
Osterley, Hanwell, Sudbury, Pinner, Perivale, Wembley,
Harrow, Stanmore, and Elstree ; in the north from
Hendon, Barnet, Enfield, Waltham, and Epping ; in the
east from Ilford and Dagenham ; and in the south from
Dartford, the Grays, Bromley, Croydon, Banstead, Merton,
Ewell, and Epsom. As might naturally be expected, the
bird becomes commoner in the! remoter and more rural
suburbs, although I have remarked its persistent attach-
ment to certain haunts after they have been considerably
encroached upon by the builder. It has a habit of re-
turning year by year to one particular spot to nest, and
may be seen, like the Tree Pipit, summer after summer in
certain trees and bushes.
There are many ideal haunts for the Red-backed
Shrike in suburban London — high hedges and well-
timbered fields, open country with plenty of cover, in
which the bird delights. It is one of the latest of our
summer migrants, reaching England early in May, and
191
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
retiring south in September. The bird is fond of sitting
on some tall hedge or isolated bush, on a telegraph wire,
or any other elevated spot from which a good look-out
is possible, and from this perch it darts at intervals
in quest of food. This chiefly consists of beetles, bees,
wasps, grasshoppers, cockchafers, small birds, mice, and
lizards. Many of these when captured are conveyed to
some thorn-bush and impaled, where they are left for
future use, or the sharp thorn is used as a skewer whilst
the object is torn to pieces and eaten. The ordinary call-
note of this Shrike is a harsh chirp, but when alarmed
it utters a grating cback, something like the note of the
Fieldfare. Its song is short, and not very loud or musical.
It flies in an undulating way from tree to tree, but may
often be seen hovering Kestrel-like above the ground, as if
searching the grass for prey. The Red-backed Shrike
nests in May and June, and so far as Greater London is
concerned the favourite haunts are hedges and thickets.
The nests vary a good deal in size, materials, and work-
manship, some being very slovenly and loosely put
together, others compact and bulky. The usual nest is
made of dry grass stalks and the stems of plants, roots, moss,
and wool, and finally lined with hair. Other nests are
made of dry plants with flowers attached, moss, and wool,
with a strengthening girdle of twigs. The four to six
eggs vary a good deal in colour and style of markings.
The ground colour may be pale blue or green, pale bufT,
pink, or even white, spotted, freckled, and blotched with
various shades of olive-brown and grey, the markings
mostly in an irregular band round the laiger end of the
egg. Throughout the period of incubation the male,
sentinel-like, is seldom far from the nest. The young are
fed and tended for some time after they can fly, and during
this period the old Shrikes destroy many small birds.
The adult male Red-backed Shrike has the head and
nape, the upper back, rump, and upper tail-coverts
192
THE RED-BACKED SHRIKE
slate-grey ; the back and scapulars chestnut ; the wings
black, margined with chestnut ; the wing-coverts black,
broadly margined with chestnut. The two centre tail-
feathers are black ; the remainder have the terminal
half black, tipped with white, the basal half white. A
broad black band passes through the eye and meets across
the forehead. The under parts are greyish white, with
a rosy flush. Bill black ; tarsi and toes black ; irides
dark brown. Length 7! inches. The female is nothing
nearly so showy. There is no black on the head, and the
upper parts are nearly uniform reddish brown ; over
the eye is a pale buff streak ; the under parts are buffish
white, more or less barred with brown. The nestling
resembles the female, but is also barred on the upper
surface.
N 193
THE WAXWING
AMPELIS GARRULUS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : An irregular and no-
madic winter migrant. It is most frequently met with
in the eastern counties, and rarest in Ireland.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : A special local interest attaches to the Waxwing,
for a specimen shot at Camberwell in 1803 was the sub-
ject for the figure given by Graves in his British Ornitho-
logy, which contained a coloured representation of every
then known species of British bird. Since those days
the Waxwing has continued to pay irregular and un-
certain visits to the Metropolis, where it has been shot
or noticed in a great many districts. It is one of those
species of which little need be said concerning its
abnormal distribution within the Metropolitan area.
Winters may pass and not an example may be observed ;
then may come a season when the erratic bird may visit
us in extraordinary numbers, as was the case in 1830-31,
1834-35, 1849-50, 1866-67, 1872. During the latter
visitation London was exceptionally visited. Localities
are no more favoured, and the Waxwing may quite unex-
pectedly appear in almost any part of the Metropolis
sufficiently wooded to afford it a resting-place.
This is another species the habits of which do not
require to be dealt with in much detail here. The
Waxwing is everywhere a wandering, erratic species, and
seldom breeds in the same localities for two successive
years. Its habits are by no means perfectly known. It
is more or less gregarious and social, even during summer,
and its actions are lively and engaging. Its food con-
sists of berries, small fruits, and insects. Its notes are
described as similar to the call of the Blue Titmouse,
194
THE WAXWING
sometimes uttered in a kind of trill. The bird appears to
breed in large isolated colonies in woods. The nest is a
bulky structure made of twigs, tree-moss, scraps of bark
and dry grass, lined with feathers. The five or six eggs
are greenish or lilac-grey in ground colour, blotched,
spotted, and speckled with blackish brown and grey.
The adult male Waxwing has the general colour of the
upper parts, including a long full crest, vinaceous brown,
merging into chestnut on the forehead and slate-grey on
the rump and upper tail-coverts ; a band of black extends
from the forehead over the lores and behind the eye ;
the wings and tail are brownish black, the primaries
tipped with white, and yellow near the end of the outer
web ; the shafts of the secondaries are prolonged and
flattened into scarlet wax-like appendages ; the tail has a
broad yellow band across the end, and in some cases the
shafts are prolonged into similar wax-like processes. The
under parts are vinaceous brown, shading into white on
the abdomen and chestnut on the cheeks and under tail-
coverts ; there is a white streak from the base of the
lower mandible ; and the chin and throat are black.
Bill black ; tarsi and toes black ; irides brown. Length
7J inches. The female somewhat closely resembles the
male in colour, but her crest is smaller and the wax-like
appendages on the wings are fewer, and absent altogether
from the tail. The nestling is olive-brown above, marked
with greyish brown ; there is no black on the throat,
the under parts are yellowish white, with fulvous streaks,
and the wax-like processes are barely indicated.
'95
THE STARLING
STURNUS VULGARIS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A common and widely
distributed resident, more local in Scotland (where it has
increased its range enormously within the past century),
and especially so in Ireland, where it is most numerous in
winter. The resident Starlings are increased in numbers
in autumn by vast migratory hordes.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : Next to the House Sparrow the Starling is the
most familiar bird of the Metropolis. It would perhaps
be difficult to say exactly how near to St. Paul's the bird
actually breeds, but certainly a mile or so would be a
fairly correct estimate. From that limit the Starling
may be found almost everywhere as a breeding species
wherever it can find a suitable lodging. It is nowhere
so abundant as the House Sparrow, but there are many
places well within our limits where the bird congregates
in late summer and in autumn in vast multitudes. It is
a familiar bird in all the large parks and public grounds,
as well as on the lawns of private houses. It becomes
increasingly common in the suburbs, and very often large
flocks may be seen winging their way across the sky to
certain roosting-places. In many places it is certainly
increasing in numbers.
The Starling is the commonest large bird of the suburbs,
and there are few villas that do not accomodate a pair or
more. This handsome, lively bird readily accomodates
itself to circumstances, and its cheery song lends life to
many an otherwise desolate wilderness of bricks and
mortar. The parks and open spaces are made all the
more attrative by the big black birds running about the
sward or chattering noisily in the surrounding trees. The
196
i. Jackdaw. 2. Barn Swallow. 3. Starling. 4. Common Jay. 5. Magpie.
THE STARLING
Starling is almost a perennial songster. His music may
be heard at intervals through the winter, and as the
earliest signs of spring appear he becomes still more tune-
ful, as he sits with drooping wings and bristling plumage
on the chimneys and trees pumping out his laboured,
chattering song. The bird is more or less gregarious
through the year, but after the breeding season the
scattered broods gather up into enormous flocks, passing
the day on the grass and resorting at nightfall to certain
roosting-places which have been used for time out of mind.
The aerial movements of these flocks previous to settling
down for the night are very imposing and interesting,
and the noise becomes deafening until darkness has quite
fallen. The bird, especially in summer, may often be
seen coursing about the air almost like a Swallow, in
quest of insects or for mere enjoyment. The food of the
Starling consists of grubs, worms, beetles, grain, seeds,
and many kinds of small fruits and berries. In London
elderberries are always a great attraction. The call-note
of this species is a prolonged musical whistle ; the alarm -
notes are harsh and discordant, almost as much so as those
of the Missel-Thrush. The nestlings are also very noisy,
especially each time one of the parents arrives with food.
The Starling begins breeding early in April, and in some
cases at least rears two broods in the season. The nest is
usually made under eaves, or in any convenient hole
amongst masonry or brickwork, as well as in holes of trees.
It is an untidy structure, made of straws, dry grass, and
roots, with sometimes a few feathers by way of lining.
The five to seven eggs are pale greenish blue, and some-
what glossy. As soon as they can fly the young resort to
the grass and are soon able to provide for themselves.
The adult male Starling in breeding plumage is black
glossed with metallic purple and green ; the wings and
tail are brown, with broad, glossy black margins ; the
under tail-coverts are margined with pale buff,, bill
197
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
lemon-yellow, which changes to dark brown in autumn ;
tarsi and toes reddish brown ; irides brown. Length
8 inches. The female is more spotted with buff and grey
than the male, and the long, hackle-like feathers on the
throat are not so developed. Bill yellow, tipped with
brown in summer ; brown in winter. The nestling is
almost uniform smoke-brown, palest on the under parts,
which are more or less streaked. After the autumn
moult the adult Starling has much of its pristine beauty
concealed by buff tips to the feathers, which gradually
abradeTas spring advances. The metallic colours also
intensify.
1 08
THE RAVEN
CORPUS CORAX
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A very local resident on
the sea-coasts of England and Wales, becoming com-
moner and more generally dispersed in Scotland and
Ireland. It wanders into many districts in autumn and
winter.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Raven must formerly have been a tolerably
common bird within the Metropolitan area, for it once
nested regularly in Hyde Park, and imagination pictures
the sable bird frequenting the various gibbets that in the
good old days stood in various parts of the London suburbs.
In more recent times we have the record of its nesting
at Enfield, and there are many localities in Greater London
where the big bird found a congenial haunt. London's
Ravens, however, have now all passed away, and for many
a long year the species has ceased to nest near the Metro-
polis. It is everywhere a rare visitor, its distribution
calling for no further notice here. If the bird ever wan-
ders to London's area the event can be of local interest
only. It is said that the bird used to breed in Windsor
Park, which is beyond our radius ; and there is no haunt
in the vicinity of London from which wandering indivi-
duals might possibly come. If the Raven is ever observed
in town nowadays the probability is that it has escaped
from captivity.
One must go far afield nowadays to study the habits of
the Raven in a wild state. Persecution has done its work
only too well and banished the bird from most inland
districts. Apart from this there is nothing which might
have prevented the Raven from being one of London's
birds to-day. The Carrion Crow still lives amongst us,
199
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
the Rook is quite familiar, and the Jackdaw rears its
young scarcely a stone's-throw from some of our busiest
thoroughfares. The Raven is a solitary bird, seldom more
than a pair being seen together ; more frequently it is
met with quite alone, but occasionally a party assembles
in some spot where food chances to be exceptionally
abundant. There are few more prying birds ; it roams
its haunts in all directions in quest of food, and its guttural
cry of pruck-pruck heard before dawn and after dusk tells
that it is abroad early and late in the quest. A pair of
Ravens often frequent one particular district for time out
of mind, driving off all intruders, and even their own
young. The food of the Raven is varied to an astonishing
degree. The bird will eat anything and everything,
live birds and animals equally with carrion of all sorts,
eggs, grain, acorns, marine creatures, fish, and so forth.
Its flight is steady and powerful, performed by regular
and deliberate wing-beats, and, in the pairing season
especially, the bird often indulges in various aerial gambols.
The breeding season of the Raven begins with March,
the eggs being laid during that and the following month,
according to circumstances. The huge nest used formerly
to be very often built in a tree, but at the present time
the majority of British Ravens resort to cliffs. The nest
is made of sticks, mixed with turf and warmly lined
with roots, wool, fur, and hair. Some nests are much
larger than others, being the accumulation of years.
The average clutch of eggs is five. They vary from
bluish green to olive-brown in ground colour, spotted,
splashed, and freckled with various shades of olive and
grey. Occasionally a few very dark brownish specks
are seen. The old birds are wary and watchful enough
at the nest, and ever ready to beat off any but human
intruders.
The adult Raven is entirely black, glossed with blue
200
THE RAVEN
and purple, and the feathers on the throat are elongated
into hackles. Bill black ; tarsi and ; toes black ; irides
brown. Length 24 inches. The nestling lacks the
metallic sheen so characteristic of the male, and to a
lesser extent of the female.
20 1
THE CARRION CROW
CORFUS CORONE
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A common and widely
distributed resident, rarer in some parts of Scotland, and
more so in Ireland. Its numbers are increased in autumn
by arrivals from the Continent.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Carrion Crow, although nowhere common,
is generally distributed over the Metropolitan area, and
may frequently be observed in some of the more central
districts, such as Hyde Park, St. James's Park, the Green
Park, and Regent's Park. Doubtless it pays passing
visits to many of the intervening squares and open spaces,
where it is usually mistaken for the Rook. It has been
known to breed in Battersea Park, and also occasionally
visits that attractive spot, and at least a pair were nesting
in the spring of 1905 in the gardens of Gray's Inn. It
also nests in Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. In
the more rural suburbs it becomes commoner, and I have
records from most of the open spaces in these parts of the
London area, from Clapham, Peckham, Streatham, and
Wimbledon in the south ; from Cricklewood, Willesden,
Kilburn, Highgate, Hampstead, Tottenham, and Wal-
thamstow in the north ; from Epping and Ilford in the
east ; and from Chiswick, Acton, Wormwood Scrubbs, and
Twyford in the west. It is said to breed in the Wimble-
don and Bushey districts, around Hanwell, Wembley,
Harrow, Barnet, Waltham, Epping, Victoria Park and
Wanstead, near Dartford, in the Crays, Croydon, Banstead
and Epsom, as well as in various intervening localities.
Like the Raven the Carrion Crow is comparatively a
solitary bird, but occasionally it associates in flocks where
food chances to be exceptionally abundant. It has also
202
i. Hooded Crow. 2. Carrion Crow. 3. Raven. 4. Rook.
THE CARRION CROW
been known to take up its abode with a colony of Rooks in
Gray's Inn, and I have noticed similar instances in country
districts. It is a most predaceous bird, preying upon
anything it can capture or carry away, but otherwise
its general movements and appearance are^very similar
to those of the better-known Rook. It is practically
omnivorous in its diet, like the Raven, and its depreda-
tions on farms and in game-preserves bring down upon
it only too well-merited retribution. By disposition shy
and wary in the extreme, it is interesting to remark how
these traits have become modified in the Crows that live
in London. The note of this bird is quite sufficient to
distinguish the species from the Rook. It is harsh and
croaking, and very different in tone from the compara-
tively cheerful and peaceful caw of that bird. In the
breeding season especially this note is modulated in various
ways, especially when the bird is toying in the air with its
mate or beating off a rival. The Carrion Crow may often
be seen on the grass in the London parks, feeding either
by itself or in the company of Rooks and Starlings and
Ring-Doves. It walks about in the same sedate way as
the Rook, feeds like that species, from which it may
readily be distinguished by the green rather than purple
sheen on its plumage, and by its completely feathered
throat and forehead. The Carrion Crows breeding in
the vicinity of London always make their nests in trees,
but in many localities a ledge on a cliff is preferred, or is
the only situation available. The nest is a bulky one, made
outwardly of sticks and turf, lined with roots, wool, dry
leaves, moss, fur, and hair, and occasionally feathers. The
eggs, usually five, are green of various shades, blotched,
clouded, spotted, and freckled with olive-brown and grey.
The old birds are excessively wary during the nesting
period, and as soon as the young can shift for themselves
they are deserted by their parents.
The adult Carrion Crow is uniform black shot with
203
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
purple and green, the feathers on the throat somewhat
lanceolate in shape. Bill black ; tarsi and toes black ;
irides brown. Length 19 inches. The female resembles
the male in colour. The nestlings are similar to their
parents, but there is little or no metallic sheen on the
plumage.
204
THE HOODED CROW
CORPUS CORNIX
LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " Grey Crow,"
" Grey-back," " Hoody," " Dun Crow " (Essex).
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A common and widely
distributed resident in Scotland and Ireland, but a winter
visitor only to England and Wales, instances of its breed-
ing being most exceptional. Vast numbers visit our islands
in autumn from the Continent.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION wiTniN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : A century ago the Hooded Crow is said to have
been a very common bird near London. It is like a good
many other species that once were common here but now
only remain as traditions, such as the Kite, for instance,
which in the days of long ago performed much of the
scavengering of the streets. It is difficult to assign any
reason for the comparative scarcity nowadays of the Hooded
Crow within the Metropolitan area. Whether the species
ever bred regularly near the Metropolis appears to be
unknown. Certainly it never does nest now, and can
only be regarded as a rare winter visitor, occurring at odd
times and places, stragglers, apparently, from further north
and east, where the bird is a commoner one at that season.
It is said to be observed almost every winter on Wimbledon
Common, and is also a regular if scarce wanderer to the
Epping district. I have no records of this species from any
of the urban parks or squares, although it is by no means
improbable that the bird occasionally visits these spots.
The traveller by rail on any of the north-bound trains
from the Metropolis is sure to see the Hooded Crow here
and there in the fields an hour or so's run from town,
between the months of November and February. These
birds are winter migrants, part of the vast hordes of
Hooded Crows that cross the North Sea every autumn
201;
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
from the Continent, and the wonder is that they do not
more frequently visit the fields and open spaces of Greater
London. In Scotland the bird is a familiar one all the
year round, and in many localities replaces the Carrion
Crow. Its habits are much the same, only the bird is a
much more gregarious one, in this respect resembling the
Rook. It is equally omnivorous, seeking its food on the
fields or the sea-shore, preying upon any living thing it
can capture, any carrion it can find, or on any grain,
potatoes, turnips, and so forth that come its way. It
has the usual steady, prolonged flight of its kind, and in
spring often indulges in aerial gambols. Its note is a
harsh kra or krah, modulated at times into guttural
chuckles. The Hooded Crow breeds rather late, the
eggs being laid in April and May. Sometimes a tree is
selected for the nest, but more frequently in our islands
a ledge of rock on some cliff, or even the ground amongst
long heather. Many pairs frequently breed in the same
locality, although not exactly in colonies like Rooks.
The big nest is made outwardly of sticks and turf, lined
with wool, moss, hair, feathers, and fur. The eggs are
usually five, green of various tints in ground colour,
blotched and spotted with olive-brown and grey of
several shades. The birds evince the usual Crow-like
wariness during the breeding season, and after the young
are reared social tendencies are again more pronounced.
The adult Hooded Crow has the head, wings, tail,
lanceolate throat feathers, and upper breast black, shot
with green and slightly with purple ; the remainder of
the plumage is grey. Bill black ; tarsi and toes black ;
irides dark brown. Length 17-18 inches. The female
is similar to the male in colour, as are the nestlings, but
the latter lack all metallic lustre, and the feathers on the
throat are less pointed. It has long been known that the
Hooded Crow interbreeds with the Carrion Crow in
certain localities where the two species occur.
206
THE ROOK
CORFUS FRUGILEGUS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A common and widely
distributed resident in England, Wales, and Ireland,
becoming more local in Scotland, although extending its
range there. Its numbers are increased in autumn by
Continental migrants.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : There is a flourishing rookery within a thousand
yards of St. Paul's Cathedral at the present time (1908),
in the historic precincts of Gray's Inn ; whilst in many
other parts of the Metropolis the Rook is a familiar bird.
A year or so ago quite a cluster of nests were built in the
plane-trees at Gray's Inn overhanging Theobald's Road,
but now the majority of the twenty-five nests are in the
quieter portions of the enclosure. Other rookeries are
studded about the more central parts of the Metropolitan
area ; one containing ten nests this spring is situated in
Connaught Square, within a hundred yards or so of the
Marble Arch. As we reach the more rural suburbs the
colonies become more numerous and extensive, the bird
being found breeding in every direction. It is quite a
familiar species in all or most of the parks, although it
has vanished as a breeding bird from certain localities, as,
for instance, near Curzon Street, Mayfair. It also "varies
a good deal in numbers in the more central localities.
There are few birds that display a greater and more
persistent attachment to their breeding stations than the
Rook. Time works its vast changes in a district, and
country becomes town, the old nest-trees gradually
become surrounded by houses, yet the ancestral line of
Rooks remain in their old homes as year by year the green
fields and the feeding-grounds become more and more
207
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
remote. The earliest settlers in some of these London
rookeries found their food in the fields below the trees ;
their latest descendants have to fly miles to and fro for
every morsel they eat or on which they nourish their
broods. Not only so, but these town Rooks seem to be
born with an inherited love for the Metropolis, and
actually found new colonies wherever a suitable spot
occurs. One of the most interesting examples of this
fact known to me, and, indeed, one of the most interesting
rookeries in London, is situated in the gardens between
Calcott Road and Torbay Road, at Brondesbury. Up-
wards of a dozen nests occupy some low trees of an age
about the same as the houses near them. The most
amazing thing is that the Rooks should have settled in
such a pent-up spot when plenty of better sites exist in
the neighbourhood. Pages of interesting matter could be
filled relating to the idiosyncrasies of the Rook, but we
must now pass on to a brief review of its habits. The
bird is by far the most social and gregarious of the British
Crows, and lives in societies throughout the year For
the most part the Rooks breeding in London leave the
nest-trees as soon as the young can fly, only resorting to
them for nesting purposes, and passing the remainder
of the year on the fields and open spaces, roosting in
certain spots regularly. The Rook flies powerfully with a
measured beat of wing, but sometimes performs various
aerial evolutions, notably one called " shooting," or
descending quickly from a great height almost per-
pendicularly to the ground or trees below. Country
people say this portends wind. The note of the Rook is
too well known to require description here, the familiar
caw being by no means an unpleasing sound. The food
of this bird consists chiefly of worms, grubs, grain, acorns,
and any carrion that may chance to fall in the bird's
way. It is a bird of great use to the farmer and gardener,
and deserves every encouragement from man. The Rook
208
THE ROOK
is an early breeder, Its eggs being laid in March or
April. By the end of February the big nests are being
repaired and others are being made. Yearly the same
trees and the same nests are used, so that in some cases
the latter are very bulky, being added to each season.
They are made of sticks, cemented with mud and
turf, and lined with moss, wool, dry leaves, straws, and
sometimes a few feathers ; the cavity is rather flat,
but the lining smooth, and the whole structure is very
substantial. I have often stood on a Rook's nest in
perfect safety. The three to five eggs range from pale
blue through various shades of green, blotched, spotted,
and clouded with olive-brown and grey. The bustle
and din of a rookery whilst nesting is in progress is too
well known to need detailed description. Both parents
incubate, and one brings food to the other whilst doing so.
When the young are hatched they are fed assiduously by
both parents, and it is now that the Rooks in many
London rookeries must have a hard time of it, flying many
miles over the houses and streets to grass-lands and other
places in quest of food. As soon as the young Rooks leave
the nest they resort to the fields and parks with the old
birds, and during summer and autumn often wander far
out into the country to feed and to roost.
The adult Rook is entirely black, with a metallic sheen
of purple, specially on the upper parts ; the throat and
space round the base of the bill is bare of feathers and
covered with a grey, warty skin. Bill black ; tarsi and
toes black ; irides brown. Length 17 inches. The
nestling is dull black, with little or no metallic sheen, and
the face and throat are covered with feathers. This bare-
ness is gradually assumed, and usually completed after
the autumn moult, but is sometimes partially deferred
until the following spring. Young Rooks may be distin-
guished from Carrion Crows by the concealed grey bases to
the body feathers, those of the latter being white.
o 209
THE JACKDAW
CORPUS MONEDULA
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A common and widely
distributed resident, its numbers increased in autumn by
foreign arrivals.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Jackdaw is another tolerably familiar bird
within the more central portions of the Metropolitan
area, becoming more numerous and widely dispersed, of
course, in the outlying and rural districts. The bird
breeds in Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens ; may be
frequently seen in St. James's Park, the Green Park, and
in some of the more central squares, the Inns, and the
Temple Gardens. It visits Battersea Park, Clapham
Common, Peckham Rye, Regent's Park, and other similar
open spaces, and probably breeds in all suitable spots from
the six-mile radius to the most outermost limits. It is
found breeding in many places where old timber furnishes
the requisite nesting-holes, but also resorts to buildings ;
Epping and Richmond Park are good examples of the
former, the towers of various churches and holes and
chimneys in large houses of the latter. Like the Rook the
Jackdaw varies in numbers a good deal in the more central
districts, where the two species usually consort with each
other. Just beyond our limits Windsor Castle and Eton
College are famous resorts of the Jackdaw ; as is Harrow
within them.
The Jackdaw is another eminently gregarious species,
living in colonies like the Rook, although in some cases
conditions are such that it can only breed in more or less
scattered pairs, especially in many parts of London where
suitable sites are few. Its habits are very similar to those
of its congeners. The bird resorts to fields and open spaces
210
THE JACKDAW
to feed, mingling freely with Rooks, Starlings, and Ring-
Doves. It is wary enough in some districts, but in
London especially may often be closely approached and
watched. Its flight, however, is not so powerful as that
of its larger allies, or perhaps it would be more correct to
say it is performed by more rapid wing-beats, and is not so
deliberate. The birds often wheel and circle in the air
in a noisy crowd, especially before retiring to rest. The
note of this species is a cackling cry, which, although harsh,
is by no means unpleasing, and certainly the most musical
of any of the British Crows. This note is subject to
much modification, especially in spring, and when a flock
unites in chorus the effect is impressive. The food of the
Jackdaw consists of worms, grubs, insects, grain, fruit,
acorns, beech-mast and even carrion, whilst in London
and other cities the bird picks up scraps of bread and
other trifles. The Jackdaw pairs for life, and uses the
same nesting-place year after year. It is rather late to
breed, commencing in April, and eggs may be found
through that and the following month. It will make its
nest in almost any hole or crevice, but in London holes
in trees and buildings, church towers, amongst stone
carving, and in chimneys are the usual places. The nest
varies much in size, some structures being vast heaps of
sticks when situated in spots that allow of repeated addi-
tion. If a small hole is used but little nest is made. The
usual materials are sticks, and the cavity is lined with
dry grass, moss, straws, and leaves, finally lined with fur,
wool, and feathers. Usually five eggs are laid, ranging
from pale blue to bluish green in ground colour, spotted
and blotched with dark brown, olive-biown, and grey.
They are much less heavily spotted and generally paler
than those of the Rook or the Crow. But one brood is
reared, and as soon as the young can fly they resort with
their parents to the pastures, joining into flocks for the
remainder of the year, although it should be remarked
211
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
that odd birds may always be met with in the Metro-
polis.
The adult Jackdaw has the crown glossy black, the
nape, sides of the head, and neck grey, the remainder of
the upper parts black shot with violet and green ; the
under parts are lustreless black. Bill black ; tarsi and
toes black ; irides greyish white. Length 13 inches. The
female resembles the male in colour and the nestling is
nearly uniform black, with no gloss, and no grey on the
neck.
212
THE MAGPIE
PICA CAUDATA
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A common and widely
distributed resident in all woodland localities, but decreas-
ing in many places owing to persecution.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : Although the Magpie has greatly decreased in
numbers, it is still sparingly distributed over the more
rural portions of the Metropolitan area as a breeding
species, and occasionally wanders to the central districts.
I have records of it from St. James's Park (where it
breeds regularly), the Green Park (where it is nesting this
spring, 1909), Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park, Battersea
Park, Peckham Rye, Clapham Common, Dulwich, Toot-
ing, Willesden, Hampstead, Highgate, and Greenwich.
If we take the above exceptions and that of the Wanstead
district, the Magpie does not appear to nest anywhere else
within the eight-mile radius. Beyond that limit the bird
breeds, or very recently did so, in the districts of Wembley,
Osterley, Hendon, Brockley Hill, Pinner, Ruislip, Southall,
Bushey, Kingston, Epsom, Banstead, Croydon, Down, the
Kentish Grays, Dartford, Epping, Waltham, and Barnet.
During the non-breeding season odd Magpies frequently
wander into the more central areas. In the winter of
1903-4 I saw three Magpies in Kilburn, and I have on
several occasions in spring met with pairs of them at
Neasden. I have also seen the Magpie in what was
formerly the show-grounds at Park Royal, as well as
at Twyford, Chiswick, and Ealing.
There is no brighter or more effective bird-ornament
to the woodlands and fields than the Magpie, and its
presence should be encouraged in every suitable part of
suburban London. With proper care the bird could
213
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
possibly be established in all the big parks, where its
strongly contrasted plumage and interesting ways could
not fail to prove an increased attraction. For the most
part the Magpie is a somewhat solitary bird, seldom more
than a pair being seen in company, and as likely as not
odd individuals. But there are times when more social
tendencies are displayed. In spring and autumn small
parties assemble occasionally, and in winter especially
certain roosting-places are common to numbers. The
Magpie seeks most of its food on the ground ; otherwise
it loves the trees, and may often be seen — a fluttering
mixture of black and white — passing from one isolated
tree to another, usually flying up into the branches in
preference to descending into them. It is shy and wary
at most times, but in the breeding season often displays
more trustfulness. Its food chiefly consists of worms,
insects, and grubs, fruit, acorns, beech-mast, and any
carrion it may meet with. It is also an inveterate egg-
stealer, despoiling many nests, and will frequently carry
off a young chick. Its note is a harsh chatter, heard
most frequently at nightfall, and in the breeding season
modulated in a variety of ways. The Magpie pairs for
life, and yearly frequents the same nest, or builds another
in the vicinity. This is usually made in a tree or lofty
hedge, but sometimes an isolated bush is selected ; and
very often a site is chosen quite close to a house. It is a
massive, well-built structure formed outwardly of sticks
— thorns by preference — cemented together with large
quantities of clay or mud, which material forms the inner
cup. At this stage an intricate roof of sticks is added, a
passage through them being left on one side near the rim ;
and finally a thick lining of roots is added. The eggs,
from six to nine in number, range from cream to bluish
green, densely blotched and freckled over most of the
surface with olive-brown, and occasionally streaked with
darker brown. During incubation the sitting bird slips
214
THE MAGPIE
off very quietly, but when the young are hatched the old
Magpies are often very demonstrative. The brood and
their parents remain in company for some time. The
eggs are laid in March and April.
The adult Magpie has the head, neck, back, and breast
black shot with green and copper ; the lower back and
rump are greyish white ; the wings are black shot with
green, each quill marked with white on the inner web,
and the scapulars are entirely white, as are the shoulders ;
the under parts below the breast are white ; the tail-
coverts and the long, graduated, fan-like tail are black,
the latter on the upper surface richly loricated with
metallic bronze, green, and purple. Bill black ; tarsi
and toes black ; irides brown. Length 16 inches. The
nestling resembles its parents, but the colours are not
quite so brilliant nor the plumage so loricated.
215
THE JAY
GARRULUS GLANDARIUS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " Jay-bird "
(Essex).
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : Still a fairly common
and widely distributed resident in most woodland districts,
but becoming more local and rarer in Scotland and Ire-
land. Its numbers are increased in autumn by arrivals
from Continental areas.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Jay is another gradually decreasing species,
yet still sparingly distributed over the Metropolitan area.
I have no records of this bird from the central districts,
from none of the parks and open spaces within the four-
miles radius. It is recorded as a breeding species from
Dulwich and Norwood, Richmond and Wimbledon ; to
which in Middlesex may be added Osterley, Wembley,
Harrow, Pinner, Ruislip Woods, Mill Hill,Stanmore, Kings-
bury, Enfield, and Elstree ; in Essex may be given Waltham
and Epping; in Kent,Dartford, the Grays, and Beckenham.
To the Surrey localities I can also add the Croydon,
Banstead, Epsom, and Esher areas. In autumn the Jay fre-
quently wanders far from its usual haunts. I have seen
it near Tooting Bee Common, to which it was doubtless
attracted by an unusually large crop of acorns ; whilst I
have met with it occasionally at Neasden, stragglers prob-
ably from Wembley or Hendon. It also haunts the
grounds at Muswell 'Hill ; and is frequently seen near
Rainham and Dagenham.
The Jay, another of our prettiest birds, should also be
protected and encouraged in all parts of the London area ;
indeed, efforts should be made to introduce this beauti-
ful species into the large parks which contain suitable
cover. There is nothing to prevent it becoming a denizen
216
THE JAY
of these, where its handsome plumage would prove an
additional charm. The Jay is the most arboreal of the
British Crows, and delights in woods and plantations where
there is plenty of undergrowth. A good belt of thicket is
absolutely essential to its needs. It is a most shy and
seclusion-loving species, a brief glimpse of its parti-
coloured plumage or its harsh scream of rark as it hurries
off amongst the green branches usually being all that is
seen or heard of it. It is the least social of the Crows,
seldom more than a pair being seen in company, save in
summer, when the broods and their parents keep together
for some little time after the former have left the nest.
It obtains most of its food upon the ground, although it
is seldow seen there. This chiefly consists of worms,
grubs, insects, fruit, grain, peas, acorns> beech-mast and
even small birds, chicks, and carrion. The bird is partial
to eggs, and robs many nests. A poisoned egg is one of
the most fatal lures for this species. The flight of the
Jay is singularly drooping, the wing-beats rapid, and
sometimes the bird descends very rapidly from a great
height almost perpendicularly like a plummet into the
cover below. Its note is an oft-repeated rark — rark, and
is heard most frequently in early spring and towards
evening, but during the breeding season the bird is
remarkably silent. It probably pairs for life, and its eggs
are laid in April and May. The nest, placed at no great
height from the ground in a tall evergreen or other bush,
or in some sapling amongst the dense underwood, is a
cup-shaped structure formed externally of twigs and a
little mud, and copiously lined with roots. The five to
seven eggs vary from greyish green to bluish green, mottled
and freckled all over with olive-brown, and in some cases
sparingly scratched with dark brown. The young are
fed and tended for some time after leaving the nest, and
the woodlands can offer few prettier sights than a troop
of these restless birds.
217
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
The adult Jay has the prevailing colour of its plumage
vinous brown, palest below, except the lower back and
upper tail-coverts, which are white ; the bushy crest is
greyish brown streaked with brownish black ; the wings
are black margined with white, and the secondaries have
a white patch at the base, the innermost one chest-
nut tipped with black ; the wing-coverts are black on
the inner web, barred on the outer web with black,
white, and cobalt-blue in succession ; the tail is black,
faintly barred on the basal half with blue, the under
tail-coverts white ; from the gape a broad stripe of black
extends down each side of the throat, which is greyish
white. Bill black ; tarsi and toes brown ; irides pale
blue. Length 13 inches. The sexes are alike in colour,
and the nestling resembles its parents.
218
THE SWALLOW
HIRUNDO RUSTICS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A common and widely
distributed summer visitor, of almost universal occurrence.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Swallow is a common summer visitor to all
suitable parts of the Metropolitan area. There can be no
doubt that years ago the bird nested very much nearer to
St. Paul's than it does now. There are spots to which
it yearly resorts to nest within the four-mile radius, but
these are few. It is recorded as having bred in 1884 on
St. Luke's Church at Battersea, and undoubtedly does so
in the Dulwich and Hampstead districts. It is more
commonly dispersed in the outlying suburbs, and breeds
from a radius which includes Tooting, Streatham, Barnes,
Chiswick, Acton, Willesden, Highgate, Hornsey, Wood
Green, Leyton, Stratford, Wanstead, Greenwich, and
Sydenham to the extreme boundaries of the Metropolis.
During spring and autumn the Swallow often visits the
more central localities. I have seen it flying over the
City, and it frequently resorts to the urban parks. I have
watched it hawking for insects above the Serpentine,
the lake in St. James's Park, the ornamental water in
Regent's Park, and the Thames between Battersea and
Westminster. Years ago it might often be seen flitting
above the filtering-beds near Battersea Park Station, and
may be now.
If the atmosphere of inner London could be made
purer and better adapted for insect life there can be little
doubt that the Swallow would return to many long-
deserted haunts and rear its young within them. All
other conditions are suitable, for there are many towns
in England where the Swallow may be seen threading
219
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
the streets all day long, and in its winter home in Africa
it is a common dweller in the towns. The Swallow
arrives in the London area towards the middle of April,
and leaves it again in late September or early October,
although it is not very unusual to see odd birds passing
over even in November. I have seen Swallows at Rich-
mond as late as the middle of that month. The bird
spends most of its waking moments in the air, in tireless
quest of food, flying hither and thither on rapid wing,
now in the higher atmosphere, anon just above the ground,
wherever its insect prey chances to be most abundant.
It is social during summer, and in autumn, as the time of
its departure draws near, it assembles in large companies,
which often roost amongst rushes or in osier-beds. Its
ordinary call-note is a shrill whet, often repeated as a
twitter, and throughout its stay the male, in the breeding
season especially, has a delightfully pleasing song, uttered
not only on the wing, when it sounds particularly joyous,
but whilst the bird is at rest on some building, bare
branch, or telegraph wire. In autumn the young males
make their first attempt at song. The food of the
Swallow is entirely composed of insects. Some of these
are picked up on the ground, others secured whilst they
are resting on the surface of water. The Swallow pairs
for life, and annually returns to its accustomed nesting-
place. The eggs for the first broods are laid in May, for
the second in July. In the London district the nest is
usually made in a shed or out-building of some kind, in a
church tower or a disused chimney, or some convenient
ledge, beam, or projection. It is a shallow, saucer-shaped
structure, made of pellets of mud mixed with bits of
straw, and lined with dry grass and feathers. The five
or six eggs are pure white, freckled, spotted, and blotched
with various shades of coffee-brown and violet-grey.
The young are tended for some time after leaving the
nest, and are fed whilst in the air or whilst sitting on some
220
THE SWALLOW
building or tree. The Swallow becomes increasingly
interesting in autumn, when its gregarious instincts are
most developed. Many pass the Metropolis on migra-
tion.
The adult Swallow, readily distinguished from the
Swift and the two species of British Martins by its uniform
steel-blue upper parts and long, slender outermost tail-
feathers, has the forehead and throat chestnut, the upper
parts and a broad pectoral band blue shot with purple ;
the wings and tail are black shot with green, the latter
long and acutely forked ; across the tail is a row of circular
white spots ; the under parts are white slightly suffused
with buff. Bill black ; tarsi and toes black ; irides brown.
Length 8-£ inches (of which the long slender outermost
tail-feathers measure nearly 5 inches). The nestling has
the chestnut paler, the white spots on the tail pale chest-
nut, and the outermost feathers are much shorter.
221
THE HOUSE MARTIN
CHELIDON URBICA
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A common and widely
distributed summer visitor of almost universal occurrence.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The House Martin seems ever to have shown a
partiality for the Metropolis. In Gilbert White's time
the bird nested in the Borough, in Fleet Street, and in the
Strand. It has deserted these places now, but within
recent years nests have been recorded in St. James's Street,
Porchester Place, and Upper Seymour Street, the first-
named being well inside the two-mile radius. There are
many spots in the central portions of the Metropolitan
area where the House Martin breeds every year, and it is
generally dispersed over the more rural suburbs, com-
monest, of course, in the outlying districts. Small
colonies of this Martin may be seen in some of our busy
suburban thoroughfares ; at Hadesden, for instance, near
the High Street, and on some tall buildings opposite the
police station. There are also many scattered nests in
the quieter by-streets, and the numbers would un-
questionably increase were it not for the molestation of
the Sparrows, and the antipathy of householders, who in
many cases strip down the mud-built home above their
windows. The House Martin may also occasionally be
seen hawking over the Thames between bridges, and
visits the lakes in the urban parks, the canals, and so forth.
The House Martin returns to its summer haunts in
the south of England about the middle of April, and
returns to its winter home in September and October.
With regard to its appearance in Greater London, I have
invariably remarked that in many localities the birds are
not seen at their actual nesting-sites for weeks after they
222
i. House Martin. 2. Sand Martin. 3. Red-necked Nightjar.
4. Great Spotted Woodpecker. 5, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker.
6. Common Swift. 7. Wryneck.
THE HOUSE MARTIN
reach this country. This is a very interesting and curious
fact, which I have not seen recorded in any account of the
habits of the House Martin. The birds apparently only
resort to their nests in many London thoroughfares just
at the time they are going to use them. This species
closely resembles the Swallow in many of its habits. It
passes the same aerial existence, flitting to and fro for the
livelong day in quest of food. Occasionally it may be seen
sitting on some roof, bare branch, or telegraph wire, and
sometimes alights upon the roads. When at rest in these
places its movements are awkward and assisted by the
half-open wings, for its legs are too short to allow it to
walk or hop in any comfort. Its food is composed of
insects, chiefly caught on the wing. It has a delightful
little song, uttered in a low, warbling strain, but is not
heard so frequently as the Swallow ; its call-note is a
shrill, spluttering cry. Like the Swallow, the House
Martin returns unerringly every year to its old haunts,
and the same nests are occupied season after season, when
left untenanted by Sparrows. These birds harras the
Martins incessantly and often cause them to desert a
breeding-place altogether. This Martin pairs for life,
and generally rears two broods each season, the eggs for
the first being laid in May, for the second in July. In
London the nest is usually made under eaves, in the corner
of windows, or below plinths and carved stone-work ;
but in many localities it is attached to cliffs, bridges and so
forth. It is shaped something like half a cone, sometimes
more globular, and is made externally of little pellets of
mud, which the birds pick up from the roads or any
convenient place. I have seen numbers of Martins
gathering mud after a water-cart had passed along a
suburban road. A small hole at the top admits the
parents. This shell is lined with dry grass and feathers.
The four or five eggs are white and spotless. After
the young are reared the House Martin becomes still
223
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
more gregarious. Numbers of nests may be built side
by side, but the colonies are never in proportion to the
vast gatherings that assemble in autumn before the
migration south. Their ways at this season are full of
interest, their daily flights and their evening gatherings
at osier- and reed-beds, where they roost, being very
characteristic.
The adult House Martin has the general colour of
the upper part glossy steel-blue ; the rump and some of
the upper tail-coverts are white ; the wings and tail are
brownish black, the latter considerably forked ; the under
parts are white. Bill black ; tarsi and toes covered with
tiny white plumes ; irides brown. Length about 5^
inches. The nestling is brownish black above, without
gloss ; the rump is white, as are the under parts, but
the wings are margined with white, the secondaries
tipped with the same.
224
THE SAND MARTIN
COTTLE RIPARIA
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A common yet some-
what local summer visitor of almost universal distribution.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : Gilbert White tells us that in his time the Sand
Martin resorted to the dirty pools of Whitechapel, and
he thought that they nested in scaffold holes in some
buildings near by. The bird has long deserted the city
precincts, although it is an occasional visitor to the
Thames near Westminster and Lambeth, to the sheets
of water in St. James's Park, Hyde Park, Regent's
Park, Battersea Park, the tank in the Stadium, and so forth.
The Sand Martin is recorded as breeding at Hampstead
and Pinner. It certainly does so near Wormwood Scrubbs.
There are many breeding colonies along the banks of the
Thames in the outlying portions of the Metropolitan area ;
another at Coombe Warren ; others wherever suitable con-
ditions are presented in the Surrey and Kentish suburbs ;
whilst the same remarks apply to Essex. In autumn espe-
cially large gatherings of the Sand Martin congregate over
such large sheets of water as the Welsh Harp, Kingsbury
Reservoir, Elstree, Hampstead Ponds, the lake in Wimble-
don Park, the Penn Ponds in Richmond Park, and many
of the reaches of the Thames, notably near Hampton
Court. These birds in many instances appear to roost
in osier- and reed-beds, and often consort with Swallows
and House Martins.
The Sand Martin is the first of the " Swallows " to
reach us in spring, often being seen in London towards
the end of March, and in greater numbers early in April.
Its uniform dull plumage will readily distinguish it from
its allies. The general actions of this species are very
p 225
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
similar to those of the preceding Swallows, but the flight
is not so powerful, more hesitating and fluttering. It is
rarely heard to sing, and its call is a harsh, twittering cry.
It is always interesting to remark how readily birds avail
themselves of any little advantage. For many years I knew
that the Sand Martin frequented the brickfields between
Wood Lane and the waste ground which the late Franco-
British Exhibition occupied. But these fields are done
away with now, and are being rapidly filled in. The
large sheet of water in the Stadium at the exhibition,
however, provided a haunt for several pairs of Sand
Martins, and the birds frequented this place all through
the Olympic Games. They nest in other brickfields to
the west of the exhibition site. The Sand Martin feeds
exclusively on insects. It is just as gregarious and social
as its allies, breeds in colonies, and returns year by year
to its old nesting-places. It also frequently rears two
broods in the summer, laying in May and July. Unlike
the House Martin, however, it makes its nest in a hole
in a bank, boring a tunnel into the soft gravel or clay for
several feet, and making a slight nest at the end of it, of
dry grass and straws, lined with feathers. The four or
five eggs are spotless white. A colony of Sand Martins
is very interesting. Birds may be seen flying to and
fro before the face of the bank or cliff in which the
nest-holes are bored ; others at intervals enter the tunnels,
or leave them to join the flitting throng outside. When
the young are reared the birds assemble into large flocks,
which appear to have certain rendezvous, water of some
kind, and here the scene is most animated. They are
preparing for departure ; each day the crowds increase,
and roost at night in some reed- or osier-bed. The
migration south begins in September, and continues into
October. Odd birds even occur near London during
November. I have seen this Martin as late as the middle
of that month at Richmond.
226
THE SAND MARTIN
The adult Sand Martin has the general colour of the
upper parts mouse-brown, with a slight purple sheen ;
the wings and tail are blackish brown, the latter slightly
forked ; there is a broad band of brown across the breast,
and the remainder of the under parts is white ; there is a
tiny bunch of feathers at the back of the tarsus. Bill
black ; tarsi and toes dark brown ; irides brown. Length
about 4f inches. The nestling closely resembles its
parents in general coloration, but most of the feathers
of the upper parts are margined with pale buff, and the
white under surface is suffused with the same.
227
THE SWIFT
CTPSELUS^PUS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " Shriek Owl,"
" Deviling," " Tommy Devil " (Essex),
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A common and widely
distributed summer visitor.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : vThe Swift is another bird that formerly bred in
the very heart of the city, on the Tower, and in the towers
of some of the churches in the Borough. I have seen
the Swift in such central spots as Battersea, \Kensington,
Lord's cricket ground, and Regent's Park ; further afield
at Clapham, Dulwich, Peckham, Greenwich, and Victoria
Park, but do not know whether it breeds in any of them.
Of the more rural suburbs, however, in which it regularly
does so, I may mention Willesden (in the tower of the old
parish church), Harlesden, Kilburn, Putney, Wimble-
don, Tooting, Streatham, Sydenham, El tham, Woolwich,
Wanstead, Epping, Enfield, Hendon, and Wembley. It
is also a regular visitor to the Harrow, Hanwell, Southall,
Hounslow, Richmond, Kingston, Merton, and Banstead
districts. In fact, there are few if any of the more rural
suburbs that the Swift does not visit occasionally, if it
does not regularly nest in them, and as we get into the
outlying areas its presence calls for no special record.
Taking into consideration the facts of its Metropolitan
distribution the bird must migrate regularly over the
very central parts of London. I have seen small parties
obviously on passage over Paddington, St. John's Wood,
and above the Stadium.
Although popularly classed as one of the Swallows,
the Swift is but remotely related to them, its nearest
allies being, perhaps, the Humming Birds of the New
World. The Swift is one of the latest summer migrants,
228
THE SWIFT
not reaching its London haunts before the beginning of
May, or in early seasons the last few days of April. Its
stay is brief, and it leaves again during the first ten
days or so of August. I saw a single Swift, however, at
Twickenham on August 23, 1905 — a remarkably late
record ; whilst on the same date two years later many
were passing down the Brent Valley near Stonebridge
(close to Wembley Park) in company with Martins. I
may add that this valley is a marked migration route for
Swallows and Martins, flocks often passing in late autumn
in countless numbers for days in succession. The Swift is
one of the most aerial of birds ; it is rarely seen to alight
anywhere, beyond dashing into its nesting-place and out
again. It is easily recognised by its dark plumage, long,
scythe-shaped wings, and short, forked tail. It has no song,
but its shrill, screaming note, often uttered with much
persistency in early June and shortly before departure
in August, is very characteristic. The bird becomes
particularly active and noisy towards evening, careering
about the air often at a great height, or in dull, cloudy
weather nearer to the earth. It feeds exclusively on
insects. Throughout its stay it is more or less gregarious,
breeding in colonies of varying size, and in autumn
especially assembles into flocks to migrate. The Swift
pairs for life, and returns to breed in one particular spot.
Its eggs are laid towards the end of May or early in June.
Its favourite nesting-place is a hole in a building, beneath
the eaves, or in a church tower. The simple nest con-
sists merely of a few straws or bits of dry grass, lined
with feathers, and often bound together with the bird's
viscid saliva, accidentally accumulated as the old birds
arrange the scanty materials. The eggs are two, as a
rule, but in rare cases three or four are found. They are
much elongated, white and spotless. The young are fed
occasionally for some time after they leave the nest, and
only one brood is reared during the summer.
^29
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
The adult Swift has the general colour of the plumage
blackish brown, merging into greyish white on the throat,
and the upper parts possess a bronze-like sheen. The
tail has only ten feathers. Bill black ; tarsi covered with
dark brown plumes ; toes dark brown ; irides brown.
Length about J% inches. The nestling has the white
patch, on , the throat purer in tint, and most of the
feathers of the upper parts have greyish margins.
230
THE GREEN WOODPECKER
GECINUS VIRIDIS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " Whetile,"
" Yaffle," " Rain Bird," " Heigh-ho " (Essex).
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A locally dispersed
resident in England, chiefly south of Yorkshire ; almost
unknown in Scotland and Ireland.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : Haunts of the Green Woodpecker may still
possibly be found at Highgate and Hampstead well within
the five-mile radius, but elsewhere in a similar limit the
bird can only be regarded as an occasional wanderer, if
it occurs at all. I have no records of this Woodpecker
from any of the large urban parks. Coming to the more
rural suburbs, the bird is found in the Dulwich, Wim-
bledon, and Richmond districts ; at Bushey, Hounslow,
Twyford, Harrow, Wembley, Pinner, Ruislip, Stanmore,
Brockley Hill, Mill Hill, Edgware, Barnet, Enfield,
Waltham, Epping, Hornchurch, Dagenham, Dartford, the
Grays, Croydon, Banstead, Epsom, and Bushey. Again, it
may be remarked that these localities only indicate the
general distribution of the Green Woodpecker ; there are
many intervening ones where the bird may be met with. It
is, however, a somewhat local and thinly dispersed species.
Slightly beyond our radius the bird is exceptionally nume-
rous in Windsor Park, at Cookham, Farnham (where I
have taken many nests), and in the vicinity of Ditton.
There still remain, it will be seen, many ideal haunts
for the Green Woodpecker in Greater London. The
grand old parks and grounds, containing so much mag-
nificent timber, admirably meet this bird's requirements,
and the only wonder is that it occurs in such comparatively
small numbers. Its natural shyness and love of seclu-
sion may be the predominating cause. It is for the most
231
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
part a solitary bird, and although paired for life the sexes
do not appear to keep very close company except during
the breeding season. There are few warier species, and
even when feeding it is watchful enough, and always
endeavours to pursue its search on the side of the trunk
or branch furthest away from an observer. If approached
too closely it departs in a dipping flight to another tree,
often uttering a shrill and loud hi-hi-hi as it goes. This
note, however, is chiefly heard during the breeding season.
It by no means confines itself to the trunks and big limbs
of trees, upon which much of its food is sought, but
readily perches on the slender branches near the top. It
may be observed to alight on some massive tree-trunk
close to the ground, and then in a more or less zigzag
course work its way up to the summit, creeping about the
bark, supported by its stiff tail-feathers, and occasionally
running out for some distance above or below the larger
limbs, every now and then the lusty tapping of its stout
bill being heard as it dislodges some lurking insect.
Occasionally it may be flushed from the ground, to which
it resorts in quest of ants and their larvae. The food of
this Woodpecker largely consists of insects, occasionally
acorns and hazel-nuts, and I have repeatedly seen the
bird eating haws. Its breeding season commences in
April or early May, the nest being made in a hole of a
tree, less frequently in a cliff. This hole is dug out by
the old birds, the hard, powerful, chisel-shaped bill being
admirably adapted for the purpose. Sometimes the wood
is rotten or partly so, and then the work is easy ; at others
it is sound, involving much more labour. For a little
way the hole is more or less horizontal, then it takes a
downward turn for about a foot, and at the bottom, in an
enlarged chamber, the eggs are laid on no other nest but
the powdered wood or a few chips. An occupied nest is
generally indicated by a number of these chips lying on
the ground below. The eggs, from five to eight, are
232
THE GREEN WOODPECKER
white and highly polished. But one brood is reared in
the year.
The adult male Green Woodpecker has the general
colour of the upper parts olive-green, merging into bright
yellow on the rump ; the lores, cheeks, and ear-coverts
are black, the cheeks speckled with scarlet ; the crown
and nape are grey, marked with scarlet ; the wings and
tail are dark brown, the outer webs of the primaries barred
with greyish white, the same webs of the secondaries
olive-green with pale bars ; the tail is also barred ; the
under parts are pale greyish green. Bill dark grey ; tarsi
and toes grey; irides greyish white. Length 13 inches.
The female has no traces of scarlet on the cheeks. The
nestling is barred above and below, there is no black on
the lores and ear-coverts, and the black on the cheeks is
spotted with brown in young females, with scarlet in
young males.
233
THE GREAT SPOTTED
WOODPECKER
PICUS MAJOR
LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " French Mag-
pie " (Essex).
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A widely distributed if
local resident in the woodlands of England and Wales,
becoming rarer north of Yorkshire. It is not known to
breed in Scotland, and is absent from Ireland. Its
numbers are increased to a certain extent in autumn by
migrants.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : This Woodpecker seems everywhere to be less
common than the preceding, and in many localities where
its larger ally is comparatively numerous this species is
rare, or absent altogether. It is a resident in Epping
Forest and Wanstead, but is very local, and the same
may be said regarding the Wembley district. So far as I
know these three localities probably represent the only
nesting ones within the immediate vicinity of London.
It is said to breed occasionally in Richmond Park, but
competent observers remark upon its rarity in that place.
I have few records from any of the more central parks,
but the bird is certainly a casual visitor to Kensington
Gardens. On the other hand, there are many districts
in the rural suburbs which this species probably visits
occasionally, and is overlooked. There are many wood-
lands in these localities, full of grand old timber, and quite
secluded enough to offer it a congenial refuge. Beyond
our radius Windsor Park, Ditton Park, Taplow, Eton,
and Burnham may be mentioned as localities for this
species.
The Great Spotted Woodpecker is perhaps more fre-
234
THE GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER
quently seen in the tops of trees, and does not visit the
ground so much as the Green Woodpecker ; otherwise
the habits of the two species have much in common.
I ought to add that the bird is also more commonly seen
in orchards and wooded private grounds than its larger
ally, often taking up its residence in them for weeks, but
invariably disappearing as the breeding season comes
round. It is just as shy and secretive, just as solitary,
and obtains its food in much the same way. It searches
trunks and' branches, usually commencing at the foot of a
tree and working upwards in erratic course, ever and anon
pausing to hammer away at the bark, supporting itself
by its long and rigid tail. Like the Green Woodpecker it
generally contrives to pursue this search on the further side
of the timber, at intervals peering round the trunk or
limb, just its head visible, and then disappearing again.
Its tapping may be heard for a long distance through the
silent woodlands, and sometimes the blows follow each
other so rapidly that they sound as if the tree or branch
were being torn asunder ; this has been thought to
be a signal between the sexes, as it becomes specially
frequent during the breeding season. Its usual call-note
is a shrill whit. The food of the Great Spotted Wood-
pecker consists of insects and larvae, berries of various
kinds, stone-fruits, nuts, and acorns. It breeds in May
and June, apparently pairs for life, and frequently uses
the same site year by year. The nest is a hole excavated
in some tree-trunk or large branch, but sometimes one
already made is utilised. It is the usual shaft, enlarged
at the bottom, and here the eggs are deposited with no
other provision. These are from five to eight, white,
with a faint suffusion of yellow, and considerably polished.
But one brood is reared each year. During winter this
Woodpecker wanders about a good deal, and occasionally
visits places where trees are small or absolutely wanting.
The adult male Great Spotted Woodpecker has the
235
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
general colour of the upper parts bright black ; the fore-
head is buff, the nape scarlet ; the lores and ear-coverts
are white, the cheeks black, the latter colour extending
to the sides of the neck, whilst a black streak runs from
the nape to the sides of the neck ; the wings are barred
with white, and the scapulars are white ; the tail is black,
the outermost feathers barred with white ; the under
parts are very pale buff, shading into scarlet on the abdo-
men andtunder tail-coverts. Bill black ; tarsi and toes
dark brown ; irides crimson. Length 9! inches. The
female resembles the male in general coloration, but has
no scarlet on the nape. The nestling has the scarlet on the
under parts much less brilliant, and absent entirely from
the nape, but has a scarlet crown and forehead, most
developed in the young male.
236
THE LESSER SPOTTED
WOODPECKER
PICUS MINOR
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A widely distributed
resident in the wooded districts of England and Wales,
becoming rarer north of Yorkshire, and absent from
Scotland and Ireland.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : This is by far the most plentiful and generally
dispersed of the Woodpeckers in the Metropolitan area.
I can give no records of it from any of the central districts,
although it is quite possible that such a tiny species has
been overlooked. The Lesser Spotted Woodpecker is
fairly common in the Dulwich, Wimbledon, Richmond,
Bushey, and Hanwell districts. Thence it may be found at
Horsenden, Sudbury, Wembley, Brentford, Kew, Ealing,
and Hampstead. It is also a local resident at Elstree,
Harrow, Pinner, Ruislip, Stanmore, Kingsbury, Mill Hill,
Barnet, Enfield, Waltham, Muswell Hill, Epping, Wan-
stead, and Dagenham. On the Kentish side of the river
among the localities frequented may be mentioned
Woolwich, Dartford, the Grays, Bromley, and Farn-
borough ; whilst in Surrey, again, to complete our radius,
we may add Croydon, Banstead, Sutton, Cheam, Merton,
Esher, and Epsom. Beyond the radius, but within easy
reach of the Metropolis, I may add that Eton, Windsor,
Ditton, and Burnham are favourite resorts of this Wood-
pecker.
The Lesser Spotted Woodpecker is just as shy and
retiring in its ways of life as its larger allies, and its small
size renders it even more likely to escape notice. It
frequents similar situations, but shows perhaps more
237
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
partiality for smaller timber, for gardens and orchards.
Like all its allies it may often be seen in isolated trees in
fields and hedgerows. Its habits and actions resemble
those of its kindred. It explores the crevices of the bark
on trunk and branches, running hither and thither in a
very fly-like way, pausing at intervals to tap the wood
and dig out some lurking insect. It is just as active,
has the same peculiar undulating flight, and like the pre-
ceding species is often observed in the tops of the trees.
Its usual note is a shrill whit, and the bird has the same
peculiar way of signalling to its mate, especially in the
breeding season, by a series of rapid taps on the timber.
It is just as solitary, too, but in winter it is sometimes
seen in the company of Tits and Creepers, perhaps more
from the accident of meeting than from any social
inclination. Its food is chiefly composed of insects,
especially larvae of various kinds. It is a slightly earlier
breeder, the eggs being laid towards the end of April and
during May. Like its congeners it probably pairs for
life, often returning to nest in the same spot. The nest-
hole in a tree is usually excavated by the birds themselves,
but in rare instances one is selected ready made. It is of
the usual character, dug out by both birds, from six to
twelve inches in depth, slightly enlarged at the bottom.
Here the female deposits on the bare wood and dust from
five to eight glossy white eggs. Like most hole-building
birds, this Woodpecker sits closely, and often allows itself
to be taken rather than leave its eggs or young. As a rule
but one brood is reared each season.
The Lesser Spotted Woodpecker so closely resembles
its larger congener that a detailed description is un-
necessary. The back and rump, however, are barred
with white, and the white on the innermost secondaries
is greater in extent ; the ear-coverts are suffused with
brown, and not separated by any black line from the
white on the sides of the neck; whilst the flanks
238
THE LESSER SPOTTED WOODPECKER
and the breast are streaked with brown. There is
no scarlet on the under parts, this being confined to
the crown of the adult male ; in the female the crown
is white. Length about 5^ inches. The nestling closely
resembles the parents in general colour.
239
THE WRYNECK
ITNX TORQUILLA
LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " Snake-Bird,"
" Cuckoo's Mate " (Essex) ; " Pay-Pay " (Surrey).
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A local summer
visitor, commonest in the southern and eastern counties
of England, rarer in the northern and western ones
and in Wales and Scotland. It has been obtained
once in Ireland, straying there on passage occasion-
ally.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Wryneck visits much more central districts
than the Woodpeckers, and has been recorded from areas
no more remote than Highgate, Hampstead, Kensington
Gardens, Barnes, and Battersea Park. Its regular breed-
ing haunts may be said to commence between the six- and
seven-mile radius, which includes Sydenham, Tooting,
Dulwich, Wimbledon, Dollis Hill, Hornsey, Plaistow, and
Lewisham. Beyond this limit, in the more rural suburbs,
the following localities (as well as various intervening ones)
may be mentioned as haunts of the Wryneck : Richmond,
Bushey, Kew Gardens, Chiswick, Brentford, Osterley,
Hanwell, Ealing, Twyford, Sudbury, Wembley, Harrow,
Kingsbury, Pinner, Ruislip, Mill Hill, Barnet, Enfield,
Waltham, Epping, Wanstead, Romford, Dagenham, Rain-
ham, Dartford, the Grays, Bromley, Croydon, Merton,
Banstead, Epsom, Esher, and Kingston. The Wryneck,
from the evidence available, appears to be rarer and more
local in Essex than elsewhere.
This beautiful little bird reaches its London haunts
towards the end of March. I have seen it in Richmond
Park as early as the 23rd of that month. Although closely
allied to the Woodpeckers, the Wryneck does not possess
rigid tail-feathers ; neither does it climb trees in the same
240
THE WRYNECK
way as its kindred. It is also much more frequently seen
in isolated trees, in gardens and orchards, and shows a
decided preference for open yet well-timbered ground
rather than woods. Its shrill, loud, far-sounding cry of
heel-heel-heel soon proclaims its presence in spring ; and
although it is not so secretive as the Woodpeckers it is
very apt to be overlooked. It is by no means sociable, and
although probably paired for life the sexes do not keep
very close company except during the breeding season.
It obtains a good deal of its food from the timber, but
never climbs about the trunks in quest of it, perching
across the bark, and very often alighting in the slender
branches. It often visits the ground, hopping like a
Woodpecker, and frequents ant-hills to prey upon the
insects and their larvae. If disturbed it hurries away in
undulating flight to the nearest trees. Many insects are
also picked from the leaves and slender twigs ; others are
actually chased in the air. Although it lives almost
exclusively on small insects and their larvae, it is said
occasionally to eat elderberries ; and it never seems to
bore into the bark or decayed wood in quest of food like
its allies, although its bill is quite strong enough to do
so. The Wryneck breeds in May and June, and by the
end of the latter month it has ceased to call, and remains
silent until its departure. Unlike the Woodpeckers, this
bird does not excavate a nest-hole, but seeks one amongst
the timber already made. This hole may be in a tree
of some kind, or even in a dead stump. Sometimes
it may be slightly enlarged or altered. At the bottom of
this hole, on the powdered wood alone, the female lays
from six to ten shining white eggs. The Wryneck rears
but one brood in the season, but if the first eggs are
removed others will be laid. The parent sits closely,
allowing itself to be removed, when it often hisses and
shams death, or contorts itself in the most ridiculous
manner. The young are tended for some time after
Q 241
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
leaving the nest. The southern migration of this bird
takes place in September.
The adult Wryneck has the general ground colour
of the upper parts pale grey, delicately pencilled and
vermiculated, mottled and barred with darker grey and
various shades of brown ; the wings are brown, barred with
pale chestnut on the outer webs of the quills ; the tail is
similarly coloured to the rest of the upper parts ; the
under parts are buff marked with narrow bars and spots
of dark brown. Bill brown ; tarsi and toes brown ;
irides dark brown. Length 7 inches. The nestling does
not differ in colour to any marked degree from its
parents, but it possesses a peculiar heel-pad (conf . Ibis,
1891, p. 149).
242
THE CUCKOO
CUCULUS CANORUS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A common and widely
distributed summer visitor.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : I scarcely like to hazard a statement as to how
near to Wren's masterpiece the voice of the Cuckoo has
been heard. I have met people who stoutly maintained
the early morning presence of the Cuckoo in the Temple
Gardens, and in St. James's Park, a little further west.
Without in any way wishing to cast doubt upon the
observation, I can state that the bird has frequently been
detected in Hyde Park, in Kensington Gardens, Holland
Park, Battersea Park, Regent's Park, and Victoria Park.
A little outside these limits the Cuckoo is still oftener
heard in such places as Peckham, Clapham, Brompton,
Shepherd's Bush, Kensal Rise, Kilburn, Haverstock Hill,
Highbury, Stoke Newington, and Clapton. Beyond the
six-mile radius the Cuckoo is of increasingly common
occurrence, and there is no rural suburb of the Metropolis
that at one time or another, in April, May, and June, does
not echo its cheerful voice. How close it actually breeds
to the central districts is another difficult problem to solve,
but it probably does so in any locality where it can find a
suitable nest in which to place its alien egg. The breed-
ing range would then be pratically coincident with the
distribution of the many small insectivorous birds that
breed within the Metropolitan suburbs.
The Cuckoo reaches London about the middle of
April. For weeks before this there are usually many
records in the newspapers to the effect that the bird
has been heard in this locality or that, but they are all
untrustworthy, and notwithstanding all that may be said
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
to the contrary I flatly refuse to believe that the Cuckoo
has ever reached England in March unless a specimen be
actually shot and identified by some competent authority.
Every year, like the sea-serpent and the big gooseberry,
the Cuckoo question becomes acute for a week or so, until
April brings the dear little stranger without further doubt
or controversy. Fortunately he begins his song almost at
once, and as the birds wander about a good deal upon their
arrival the welcome note is frequently heard in most
unlikely spots. The note is too well known to require
uescription here, but I may say that it is unquestionably
dttered by the male alone, often during flight, is con-
tinued with great persistency through May, begins to fall
off in June, and finally ceases in July. Towards the end
of the singing period the cry very often consists of three
notes, the'first syllable being repeated. The note of the
female is a peculiar sound, something like that made by
water bubbling from a bottle. The Cuckoo is seldom
seen in company except during the laying season, and only
occasionally visits the ground, spending most of its time
in the trees. It may sometimes be seen flying from one
tree to another across the open fields or along the hedge-
sides, and it will be noted that the flight is rapid and
buoyant, the wings beating rapidly and the long tail closed
and held horizontally. After alighting the bird frequently
expands its fan-shaped tail, dips its body, and utters a
chattering cry. Upon the ground its short legs render its
movements awkward, and it progresses in short leaps or
hops. The food of the Cuckoo consists chiefly of insects
and larvae, many of which it obtains amongst the foliage ;
the larvae of the Dunker Moth and the Oak-egger are
much sought. The young are fed on insects, worms,
and grubs, the food of their foster-parents. There is
much in the economy of the Cuckoo of profound interest,
and -bearing on some of the most puzzling of biological
questions, which, however, it is impossible to deal with
244
THE CUCKOO
in a volume like the present. I have written much on
the Cuckoo, for its life-history has always had a special
interest for me, and I would refer readers to my several
books, where much of the^bird's economy 'has been dis-
cussed. The eggs of this species, I need scarcely repeat,
are laid in the nests of some small insect-feeding bird,
that acts the part of foster-parent, hatching them and
tending the young Cuckoo until it can forage for itself.
The eggs are laid during the latter half of May and the
beginning of June, the birds pairing in due course. It is
still an undecided question how many eggs each female
lays during the season, possibly from five to eight, each
being deposited on the ground first and then carried in
the mouth and placed in the selected nest. They vary a
good deal in colour, and are remarkably small for the size
of the parent. They often, but by no means invariably,
resemble those in the nest of the selected species. The
most frequent type is greyish or greenish white, spotted,
speckled, and blotched with various shades of reddish
and olive brown, intermingled with a few specks of dark
brown. The Cuckoo leaves us in August and September.
The adult Cuckoo has the general colour of the upper
parts slate-grey ; the wings are brown, barred on the
inner webs with white ; the tail is dull black, tipped with
white and obscurely barred with the same ; the throat and
breast are pale grey, the remainder of the under parts
greyish white barred with brown. Bill black, yellow at
the edges ; tarsi and toes yellow ; orbits and irides yellow.
Length 14 inches. The nestling has the upper parts
brown barred with rufous and spotted with white, the
under parts pale brown barred with darker brown. It is
nearly two years before the fully adult dress is assumed,
but a description of the intermediate phases, which are
very complicated, would require more space than can
be assigned here.
245
THE KINGFISHER
ALCEDO ISP1DA
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A widely distributed
if local resident, but has been more or less exterminated
-in many localities.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Kingfisher is occasionally seen on the Thames
from Battersea upwards, and it also frequents the Wandle,
Beverley, Brent, Colne, and Lea, as well as the Paddington
Canal, at no great distance from the central portions of
our radius, besides paying irregular visits to various minor
streams, watercress-beds, sewage-farms, and open sheets
of water, even as centrally situated as Kensington Gar-
dens. - An odd example was once captured at Camden
Town. It is, however, a very local species, nowhere
numerous, and its breeding-places are few and far be-
tween. In some localities the bird has almost been
exterminated, or is rapidly decreasing in numbers ; in
others, I am pleased to record, it is certainly on the
increase, and a strict enforcement of the law which gives
it protection in the London suburbs should enable it to
become a yet commoner bird. It seems a pity even to
indicate the approximate breeding range of the King-
fisher round London, even so far as it is known to myself
and several valued correspondents, so I refrain from
doing so. I know only too well how the bird is hunted
near London, and quite recently an instance of this came
to my knowledge from the Brent district, near Wembley,
where a nest was wantonly destroyed, and the birds have
quite deserted the place. There are still Kingfishers close
to London City ; greater publicity would only tend to
disturb them.
The Kingfisher, the most brightly coloured British
246
i. Lapwing. 2. Common Kingfisher. 3. Golden Plover. 4. Green Woodpecker.
5. Cuckoo.
THE KINGFISHER
bird, should be one of the most cherished species inhabit-
ing the London area, an interesting ornament to many
a quiet pool and waterway in the Metropolis, but unless
sentiment can be invoked for its protection Acts of Parlia-
ment are useless, and this beautiful gem of the feathered
world will sooner or later become extinct therein. All
it asks is to be let alone ; and then we can imagine a
time when even the grimy barges lying high and dry on
the black mud between bridges will become a resting-
place for this charming bird ! Somehow the appearance
of the Kingfisher seems always to come unexpectedly,
and in the nature of a surprise. Generally a transient
glimpse is obtained of the bird as it darts like an indistinct
patch of blue down the stream, we know not from
where ; less frequently we start it from its resting-place
above the water, where it has been intently watching our
approach, escaping notice until well on the wing. It is
wary enough ; and though so brightly clad its small size
and habit of sitting so perfectly still assist it in eluding
discovery, until, with a feeble cry of -peep-fee^, it darts
hurriedly away. The Kingfisher is solitary enough, each
bird having some particular haunt, but sometimes an
abundance of food will attract several individuals to the
same spot. The food of this species consists of small
fishes — notably the fry of many fresh-water species — the
larvae of various aquatic insects, shrimps and other small
crustaceans, all the indigestible parts being cast, mostly
in the roosting- or nesting-place. Much of this food is
obtained by the bird plunging into the water and seizing
it with the long bill. Patiently and silently the bird sits
on some perching-place above the water, waiting and
watching for prey, and there are few prettier sights, if
one can only be fortunate enough to observe the pro-
cess, than to see the Kingfisher obtaining a meal. The
breeding season of the Kingfisher is rather irregular, and
although but one brood is reared in the year the eggs may
247
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
be found during April, May, and June. Its nest is seldom
far from the waterside, and is made usually in a hole in
the bank. In some cases this is dug out by the old birds,
in others a disused rat-hole is utilised. At a distance often
of several feet, in a small chamber, and on fish-bones and
other food refuse, the hen lays from six to ten polished
white eggs. The young are tended for some time after
they leave the nest, but finally disappear from the
locality.
The adult Kingfisher has the general colour of the
upper parts, including the cheeks, emerald-green, the back
and upper tail-coverts cobalt-blue, the head, cheeks, and
wing-coverts spotted profusely with the latter colour ;
the under parts are bright chestnut, shading into buffish
white on the throat ; the sides of the neck below the
crest are buffish white. Bill black ; tarsi and toes red ;
irides dark brown. Length 73- inches. The nestling
resembles the parents in general colour, but the under
parts are browner and marked with greenish grey ; the
bill, tarsi, and toes are brown.
248
THE NIGHTJAR
CAPRIMULGUS EUROP.EUS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " Night Hawk "
(Essex).
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A common and widely
distributed summer visitor to all districts suited to its
needs ; less numerous in Scotland and Ireland.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : There are many suitable haunts for the Night-
jar within the Metropolitan area, and the bird takes such
an advantage of them that it is quite common in some
parts of it. Probably the nearest haunt of the Nightjar
to St. Paul's is Hampstead. Then amongst the more
central suburbs I may mention as haunts Dulwich, Streat-
ham and Tooting Bee Commons, Ealing, Twyford, and
Wembley. The bird is very common in Richmond Park,
also at Wimbledon, Coombe Wood, Bushey, Barnes
Common, and the Kew, Osterley, and Hanwell districts.
It becomes more local in the northern and eastern suburbs,
but I can mention Elstree, Enfield, and Epping as haunts.
There are many haunts of the Nightjar in Kent, amongst
the Crays and elsewhere, and the bird again becomes
exceptionally common in the Croydon area, especially in
such spots as Shirley Heath. Continuing our way across
Surrey again, the bird is common, and universally dis-
tributed throughout the open woodlands, commons, and
heaths to Banstead, Epsom, and Esher.
The Nightjar is another late migrant, not reaching
its London haunts until about the middle of May
(although Mr. W. B. Tegetmier records its arrival at
Finchley on April 28, 1906 — an exceptional occurrence)
leaving them again in September. As the Nightjar is
only abroad at dusk and during the hours of night, its
actions are not very easily observed. Skulking during
249
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
the daytime amongst ferns and on heaps of stones, or
perched motionless lengthwise, not across, some broad
branch, where its mottled plumage makes it resemble a
patch of lichen or dead moss, it remains inactive until
sunset, when it sallies forth in quest of food. Its soft
plumage renders its flight Owl-like and noiseless, and in a
ghost-like way it beats to and fro along the wood-sides or
over the open heaths and fern-brakes, under the trees,
and round about feeding cattle, in quest of the moths,
beetles, and other night-flying insects upon which it
subsists. During the earlier months of its stay the
Goatsucker is a somewhat garrulous bird, and at intervals
utters a very singular cry whilst flying, resembling the
syllables co-ic, co-ic, and when sitting a churring note, or
loud purring, which rises and falls in cadence and may be
heard for some distance. Sometimes the birds may be
seen chasing and buffeting each other in the gloom, and
often fly right overhead or just above the bracken, the
sharp snap of the bill at intervals telling when an insect
has been secured. Very rarely the Nightjar is seen
abroad during daylight, usually when it has been dis-
turbed, and then it seems only anxious to settle into
cover again. The short legs of this bird render its pro-
gress upon the ground slow and awkward. It probably
pairs for life, resorting to the same places yearly to breed,
and although by no means gregarious several " nests "
may frequently be found within a small area. The
Nightjar, however, does not make a nest, as the term is
understood, but lays its two eggs on the bare ground, on a
fallen tree-trunk, or on a stone-heap. They are very
beautiful objects, elongated in form and nearly oval,
varying from white to pale cream in ground colour,
mottled, blotched, streaked, and veined with various
shades of brown and violet grey. Only one brood is
reared in the season.
The adult male Nightjar has the general colour of the
250
THE NIGHTJAR
plumage greyish white and buff, charmingly vermiculated
with darker grey and black, and barred and spotted, espe-
cially on the crown and under parts ; the sides of the neck
and the cheeks are marked with a white spot ; the two
outside tail-feathers are broadly tipped with white, and
there is a large white spot near the centre of the first
three primaries. Bill brownish black ; tarsi and toes
brown ; irides brown. Length ioi inches. The female
closely resembles the male in general colour, but the white
patches on the wings and the white tips to the tail-feathers
are absent, whilst the spots on the neck and cheeks are pale
buff. The nestling is without the white spots on the wings
and tail, the former being marked with chestnut-buff
bar-like spots on the inner webs, and spots of the same
colour on the outer margin of the outer web. The tail is
barred with light and dark brown ; the smaller wing-
coverts are nearly black, mottled with rusty brown. The
claw of the middle toe is curiously serrated or toothed,
not only in the adults, but in the young.
251
THE RING DOVE
COLUMBA PALUMBUS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " Ring Dow "
(Essex).
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A universally distributed
and common resident in all woodland districts, its num-
bers largely increased in autumn by migrants from the
Continent.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Ring Dove is rapidly becoming one of the
most familiar birds in the central parts of the Metropolis,
and a convincing object-lesson of the tameness of wild
creatures when left unmolested by man. The increase
and dispersal of the Ring Dove in London during the
past twenty years is one of the most remarkable facts in
the ornithology of the Metropolis. Many years ago it
was known that a few pairs of this Dove nested in the
grounds of Buckingham Palace. It is apparently from
this centre that the bird has dispersed over London, and it
may at the present time be found nesting not only in all
the large urban parks, but in many of the squares and
open spaces right up almost to the walls of the Cathedral.
There were several pairs of Ring Doves nesting last spring
in Gray's Inn ; several more in New Court and other parts
of the Temple ; others in Lincoln's Inn, and a pair in
Upper Thames Street. From these central districts
the Ring Dove may be found nesting in many parts of
London even in the most busy thoroughfares. I have
seen nests on the Embankment, in Leicester Square, in the
plane-trees along the Euston Road (there is a nest just
outside Baker Street Station), near the Royal Oak,
Paddington, in the grounds of the Lock Hospital, in
Connaught and Berkeley Squares, as well as many other
places. The bird.is also common and widely dispersed over
252
i. Turtle Dove. 2. Stock Dove. 3. Ring Dove.
THE RING DOVE
the rural and outlying suburbs, but in some of the western
districts seems more abundant in winter than in summer.
Although not so common as Sparrows and Starlings,
the Ring Dove has now become one of the most familiar
of London's birds, and in at least several cases has
interbred with the ordinary dove-cote Pigeons of the
Metropolis. There is scarcely a park, a square, or a
public garden in London where this bird may not be
seen, either clumsily waddling about the grass or sitting,
all unmindful of the din of the traffic, in the plane and
other trees that relieve the dreary monotony of the
streets. As a dweller in the country I knew the Ring
Dove as one of the shyest and wariest of birds ; in London
I was simply amazed to see it so tame and confiding,
walking about the parks, picking up bread scattered by
passers-by, and almost remaining to be kicked out of the
way. Although at all times socially inclined, the Ring
Dove, even in London, does not yet breed in colonies, and
in autumn it congregates into flocks. Its flight is direct
and powerful, and in the air it may readily be recognised
by the white neck-patches, which are very conspicuous.
Its note is a full, rounded coo, variously modulated,
especially during the love season, which may be said to
begin in March. Its food consists of all kinds of grain,
beans, peas, fruits, and berries, acorns, beech-mast, and
tender shoots of clover. In London it will eat almost
anything of a vegetable nature. The Ring Dove pairs
for life, and commences nesting duties as early as March,
continuing to rear brood after brood until the autumn.
In the London area the nest is usually made in a^tree or
tall bush, and is a slight, flat platform of interlaced twigs.
The two eggs are white. I have often remarked that in
autumn a very considerable reduction in its numbers in
London takes place, and continues through the winter,
the birds apparently retiring to the country districts, as so
many Sparrows do in autumn.
253
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
The adult Ring Dove has the general colour of the
upper parts pale slate-grey, with a metallic sheen of purple
and green on the neck ; on each side of the neck is a scaly
patch of yellowish white feathers ; the mantle, scapulars
and innermost secondaries are greyish brown ; the outer
web of some of the wing-coverts is white ; the wings are
dark brown margined with white ; the tail is dark brown,
with a broad sub-terminal band of grey ; the throat is
lavender-grey, the breast lilac-grey, the abdomen, flanks,
and under tail-coverts lavender-grey. Bill reddish orange
at the base, yellow at the tip ; tarsi and toes pinkish red ;
irides pale yellow. Length 16 inches. The first plumage
somewhat closely resembles the adult, but is browner, and
the white patches on the neck are absent. The nestling
is slate-grey, covered with straw-coloured hairy down.
THE STOCK DOVE
COLUMBA &NAS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " Wild Blue
Rock Pigeon " (Essex).
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A local but widely dis-
tributed resident in all suitable parts of England and
Wales, but only breeds sparingly in Scotland and Ireland.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Stock Dove, broadly speaking, is nowhere
so common or so widely dispersed in the Metropolitan
area as the Ring Dove ; neither does it penetrate into
the most central districts like that species. I have
records of stragglers in Battersea Park, and the Hyde
Park and Regent's Park areas. It has also been seen in
Victoria Park. Beyond these limits it may be found in
the Tooting, Sydenham, Wimbledon, and Richmond dis-
tricts, visits Chiswick and Kew, is found in the Houns-
low and Osterley areas, then northwards through Ealing,
Acton, Horsenden, Sudbury, Wembley, Harrow, and
Bushey. It is also found at Pinner, Stanmore, Elstree,
Mill Hill, Hendon, Barnet, Enfield, Hampstead, Waltham,
and Epping, in the latter place said to be on the increase.
Wanstead, Ilford, Dagenham, and Rainham are other
localities ; whilst across the river it is found in the
Grays, Dartford, Farnborough, Croydon, Banstead,
and Epsom neighbourhoods, as well as in many inter-
vening places. There is a possibility that this bird is con-
siderably overlooked, especially near to central London,
where it can readily be confused with the many half-wild
domestic Pigeons, although the uniform colour of the
back should preclude any possibility of this.
The Stock Dove is partial to well-timbered areas, so
many of which form a feature of the London suburbs. It
is a shy, wary species, usually seen during summer singly
255
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
or in pairs about the tall trees, from which its note of
coo-oo-up may very frequently be heard during the whole
spring and summer. It has the same habit of returning
regularly to certain places to roost in big evergreens, or
tall trees covered with ivy. Like its congeners it obtains
most of its food on the fields, running or walking about
the ground in a waddling manner, seldom permitting
close approach, and when alarmed taking cover in the
trees. This food consists of grain and seeds of many
kinds, acorns, beech-mast, and berries. The bird is some-
what troublesome to the farmer and market-gardener,
its inroads amongst crops of beans, peas, and newly sown
seeds often being serious. As a set-off against this the
Stock Dove consumes large quantities of the seeds of
noxious weeds, charlock in particular. In autumn it
often associates with Ring Doves, but never seems to
gather into large flocks like that species, although its
gatherings are often considerable. To some extent the
Stock Dove is social during the breeding season, which
commences in April and is often prolonged into the
autumn, brood after brood being reared in succession.
A hole in a tree or cliff is perhaps the most favourite
nesting-place, a pollard trunk often being selected ;
rabbit-holes and dense masses of ivy on trees and buildings
are less frequently chosen. The nest is slight, a mere
mat of twigs or straws, and in some cases is dispensed with
entirely. The two eggs are creamy white. The nest-
lings remain in their abode until able to fly, when they
betake themselves to the open fields.
The adult Stock Dove has the general colour of the
upper parts brownish grey, brightest on the back and
upper tail-coverts ; the wings are blackish brown, bluish
grey on the coverts, and grey on the scapulars ; there are
dark brown patches on some of the coverts and inner-
most secondaries, forming a broken bar across the wing ;
the tail is bluish grey on the basal portion, merging into a
256
THE STOCK DOVE
darker subterminal band ; the neck is grey, with a metallic
sheen of green and purple ; the breast is vinous, shading
into the delicate grey of the rest of the under parts. Bill
red at the base, yellow towards the tip ; tarsi and toes
pinkish red; irides red. Length 13 to 14 inches. The
young in first plumage closely resemble the adults, but
lack the metallic sheen on the neck, the black spots on
the wings are only faintly indicated, and the vinous tints
on the breast are not so prominent.
THE PIGEON COLONIES OF LONDON
Brief allusion must here be made to the many colonies
of semi-tame Pigeons that are such a very prominent
feature in the bird-life of the Metropolis. Some of the
most interesting of these may be seen at the Guildhall,
the Houses of Parliament, the British Museum, and the
various great railway termini ; whilst there are in-
numerable smaller colonies all over London. From a
scientific or merely a popular ornithological point of view
these colonies of Pigeons do not possess any great interest ;
but the fact that the tame Pigeon is a descendant
of the Rock Dove should be borne in mind. That
the tame Pigeon and the Ring Dove interbreed is un-
questionable ; and I have on several occasions seen
undoubted hybrids between the two.
257
THE TURTLE DOVE
TURTUR AURHUS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " Little Dove "
(Essex).
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A somewhat local
summer visitor to all suitable places in England and
Wales ; rarer in Ireland, and of only accidental occurrence
in Scotland.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Turtle Dove is a regular summer visitor to all
parts of the Metropolitan area suited to its requirements.
It does not appear yet to have invaded, as a breeding
species, any of the urban parks and private grounds, yet
it occasionally visits some of them during the seasons
of migration. It is recorded as a visitor to such com-
paratively central localities as Wandsworth and Dulwich,
Highgate and Hampstead. Further afield in the more
rural suburbs it is found in summer at Wimbledon, is
fairly abundant at Richmond, Kew, Bushey, Hounslow,
Osterley, Sudbury, and Wembley. Thence I can trace
it through the Harrow, Pinner, Barnet, Hendon, Enfield,
and Waltham districts to Epping, and southwards to
Wanstead, Dagenham, and Rainham, across the river into
Kent, where Dartford, the Grays, and Farnborough, with
many intervening places, are summer haunts. It is also
found regularly in the Croydon area, as well as in those
of Banstead, Merton, Ewell, Epsom, Esher, Ditton, and
Kingston. Beyond our radius there are many haunts of the
Turtle Dove, especially in Surrey and in Bucks and Berks.
The Turtle Dove sometimes reaches Greater London
by the end of April, but more generally the beginning of
May is the time of its arrival. There are many private
grounds and orchards in the suburbs to which this species
is a regular summer visitor, and the time may come
258
THE TURTLE DOVE
when this pretty bird will regularly resort to the larger
parks, especially where thickets and shrubberies abound.
Greater precautions, however, will have to be taken against
prowling cats, and the hordes of rats that infest these
places and constitute the greatest danger to the wild
birds frequenting them. The Turtle Dove leaves this
country for the south in September. It is a shy and
retiring bird, delighting to conceal itself amongst the
foliage of trees and tall hedges, from which its pleasant
cooing cry sounds most persistently during early summer.
It visits the ground to feed, walking about with the usual
bobbing gait of its kind, but at the least alarm hurries
off with a rattle of wings to the nearest cover. Its food
consists of grain and seeds, small fruits and berries, and
the tender shoots of clover and other plants. In some
of its London haunts, especially in grounds where it is
left unmolested, I have often noticed that much of its
usual wariness and timidity have disappeared. I saw a
pair on one occasion near Hendon flying about a large
garden almost as tame as Doves kept in confinement.
The note is pleasing, full-toned, and soft, a guttural
coo-r-r-r coo, oft repeated, and in the love season modu-
lated in various ways. It commences breeding soon after
its arrival, and as eggs may be found from May to August
in some cases at least more than one brood must be reared
in the season. The flat, wicker-like platform that serves
for a nest is built in tall bushes and dense hedgerows
in preference to high trees. It is made of slender dry
twigs, and is so slightly put together that the eggs may
often be seen through it from below. These are two in
number, and creamy white. As autumn comes on the
Turtle Dove becomes more or less gregarious, and flocks
of various size frequent the stubbles, turnip-fields, and
weed-grown pastures, and migrate without disbanding.
These flocks now wander about a good deal, but often
return to certain favourite places to roost.
259
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
The adult Turtle Dove has the head and back of the
neck lavender-grey, shading into chestnut-brown on the
upper back, with a strong lavender shade on the lower
back and rump, and into brown on the upper tail-coverts ;
the scapulars, innermost secondaries, and some of the
wing-coverts are pale chestnut, with darker central
markings ; the outer wing-coverts are lavender-grey, the
secondaries brown washed with grey, the primaries and
their coverts brown ; all but the central tail-feathers are
blackish grey tipped with white, the outermost white
on the outer web, the central pair uniform brown ; at
each side of the neck is a patch of black feathers with
lavender tips ; the breast is lavender-grey with a rosy
suffusion, shading into white on the abdomen and under
tail-coverts, and lavender on the flanks. Bill brown ;
tarsi and toes crimson ; irides reddish brown. Length
II inches. In the young in first plumage most of the
feathers have broad rufous margins, and the neck patches
are absent. The nestling is first clothed in thin, hair-
like, downy plumes of straw-colour.
260
THE PHEASANT
PHASIANUS COLCHICUS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A common resident,
non-indigenous, wherever it is preserved.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Pheasant is best known to Londoners as an
attractive item of the game-dealer's stock between October
and January ; still it may be met with in a wild state in
one or two localities well within the nine-mile radius.
Probably its nearest haunt to St. Paul's is Wimbledon
Common, where I have frequently watched its ways in
the wooded portions of that grand retreat for wild life.
Then it is found in Richmond Park, breeding in the various
enclosures from which the public is excluded, but often
to be seen furtively wandering outside them or conceal-
ing itself amidst the ample cover of the bracken. Coombe
Wood, between these two localities, is another London
haunt of the Pheasant. Elsewhere round the Metro-
polis the distribution of this species calls for little further
comment. It is found in many localities in the remote
outlying districts, but nowhere in a normally wild state,
and only in places where it is preserved for the sport it
yields. Stragglers occasionally wander into other areas,
but in no case do these include any of the central dis-
tricts. It may be of interest to note that the first record
of the Pheasant as a British bird is an Essex one.
Plenty of cover and freedom from molestation are abso-
lutely essential for the Pheasant. Its inherent shyness
and timidity demand in our country the same conditions
of existence as are enjoyed by its wild progenitors in the
jungles of the East. Although the Pheasant spends most of
its time upon the ground, it roosts in trees and tall bushes,
and seldom wanders beyond easy reach of dense cover of
261
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
some kind, such as plantations and woods with plenty of
undergrowth or thick hedges. When such crops as clover,
grain, turnips, and so forth are sufficiently matured to
afford shelter the bird is very fond of skulking amongst
them, but at nightfall it always resorts to a roosting-place
amongst the branches. It is a fairly social bird, and in
well-stocked covers may be seen in companies feeding
and running together. During the pairing season, how-
ever, the cocks are quarrelsome and pugnacious, fighting
amongst themselves for the hens, but as soon as the eggs
are laid this martial spirit dies out and they live in peace
together. The Pheasant is wary and watchful when
feeding out of cover, either on the fields or the broad
drives in the woods, and at the least alarm the cocks
usually hurry off at once, running or flying to a place of
concealment, but the hens generally crouch flat to the
ground, where their brown plumage very effectually
shields them. The food of this species consists of grain,
peas, beans, tender shoots of clover and other herbage,
acorns, beech-mast, berries of many kinds, worms and in-
sects, especially ants and their eggs. In places frequented
by Pheasants the harsh crow or cor-r-k of the male is
heard occasionally through the day, but towards night the
crowing becomes almost continuous as the birds retire to
roost. In this country the Pheasant is polygamous, but
in its native wilds in Western Asia it appears to be mono-
gamous. Pairing takes place in March, and the eggs are
laid in April and May. The scanty nest, a slight hollow,
lined with dead leaves or dry scraps of herbage, is made
by the hen, in some quiet, sheltered hedge-bottom or
amongst tangled undergrowth in the coverts. The
eight to a dozen eggs are usually uniform olive-brown,
but sometimes bluish green, one of the latter being seen
in a clutch of the ordinary colour. The hen takes sole
charge of the brood, but she is not a very careful mother,
and seldom succeeds in bringing all the chicks to maturity.
262
THE PHEASANT
The Pheasant is too well known to require detailed
description here. The head and neck of the male are
dark green, shading into bronze on the crown and into
purple on the sides and front of the neck ; the mantle,
breast, and flanks are orange, those of the flanks edged with
purple, the others with purplish green ; the back and
scapulars are marked with buff, black, orange, and
purple ; the lower back and rump are maroon shot with
purple and green ; the wings are brown ; the long tail is
metallic olive barred with brown. Bill pale horn-colour.
Length about 36 inches, with tail. The female is mostly
a mottled medley of black, buff, chestnut, and brown.
263
THE PARTRIDGE
PERDIX CINEREA
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A common and widely
distributed resident in all districts where it is preserved.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : Almost precisely the same remarks apply to the
distribution of the Partridge in the Metropolitan area as
those given concerning that of the Pheasant. The bird
may be met with occasionally at Wimbledon and in
Richmond Park, and is found in the Croydon and Horsen-
den district. It wanders from time to time into localities
where it is not preserved, but otherwise the Partridge only
haunts ground where it is afforded protection from man.
Under these conditions it is a fairly common resident in
the remoter portions of our radius.
In walking over the fields or along the sides of the
thick, low hedges where the bottoms are full of tangled
cover the student may be occasionally startled by the
sudden rising of the Partridge, which with a rattle and
a whistling whirr hurries alarmed away. During the
greater part of the year the bird lives in coveys or flocks—-
that is to say, until they become decimated by the gunner
— haunting the turnip-fields, stubbles, rough, open com-
mons, and newly sown grain-lands. It is a terrestrial
species, spending its whole existence upon the ground,
where it roosts. It is shy and wary, skulking low amongst
the herbage when alarmed, and often runs quickly
through the cover to escape in preference to flying, only
using its wings when compelled or when suddenly dis-
turbed. Its flight is powerful and prolonged, the wing-
beats rapid and noisy, and occasionally the bird skims
for a long distance on stiff and arched pinions. The call-
note of the Partridge is a shrill kirr-rr-ric, uttered by both
264
THE PARTRIDGE
sexes, more especially at morn and even and during the
mating season. If heard later on in summer it is an
omen of disaster, telling that the brood has come to grief.
The food of this species consists of grain, tender shoots of
clover and other plants, blackberries and other small
wild fruits and berries, worms, insects, and larvae, snails,
and especially ants' eggs, the latter serving as the prin-
cipal fare of the chicks in many cases. The bird is most
active during the morning and evening, and in the hot
hours is very fond of basking on some open spot and
dusting itself. The covey sleeps on the fields, the birds
forming a ring, with heads turned outwards. The Part-
ridge is monogamous, and in March as a rule separates
into pairs for breeding purposes ; the old birds possibly
mate for life, but the young of the previous season unite
at that time. The nest is a mere hollow in some hedge-
bottom, amongst growing clover, grass, or grain, or under
a mass of herbage on rougher ground. It is lined with a
little dry grass or some dead leaves, and the eggs, from ten
to twenty according to the age of the hen, are uniform
olive brown. Occasionally a nearly white or pale green
specimen is seen in a clutch of the normal colour. The
broods and their parents keep together for the rest of the
season, grain-fields and turnip-patches being favourite
haunts.
The adult male Partridge has the crown and nape
brown streaked with pale buff, the forehead and sides of
the head reddish chestnut ; the general colour of the rest
of the upper parts is slate-grey vermiculated or sprinkled
with black and barred with buff and chestnut ; the
wings are brown, the lesser and median coverts marked
on the inner web with chestnut and with buff shaft-
stripes ; the tail is chestnut ; the throat and neck are
chestnut ; the breast is grey, below which, and extend-
ing on to the abdomen, is a crescentic patch of dark
chestnut ; the remainder of the under parts is pale
265
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
grey ; behind the eye a scarlet patch of bare skin. Bill
pale lead-grey ; tarsi and toes pale grey ; irides brown.
Length 12% inches. The female closely resembles the
male in general coloration, but may always be distin-
guished, according to Mr. Ogilvie Grant, by having the
wing-coverts barred with buff, not with pale shaft-lines,
as in the male. The young in first plumage have no
chestnut on the head and neck, and the general tone of
colour inclines to buff, not to grey, and the first primary is
pointed at the end, not rounded. This latter peculiarity
is retained until the following autumn.
Mention may here also be made of the RED-LEGGED
PARTRIDGE (Caccabisrufa), which has been introduced into
Bucks and Berks, where it is an uncommon resident. The
same remarks apply to Surrey ; and the bird occurs
accidentally in Middlesex. It cannot fairly claim further
notice in an account of the birds of London.
The QUAIL (Coturnix communis) is a rare yet breeding
species in some parts of rural Surrey ; is met with on
passage in Bucks and Berks ; is of rare occurrence in
Middlesex ; and although it has bred in many parts of
Essex there is no instance recorded within the fifteen-
mile limit.
266
THE GOLDEN PLOVER
CHARADRIUS PLUVIALIS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A summer resident on
the moors and uplands from Derbyshire northwards,
breeding very locally in the south-west of England and in
Wales, becoming more numerous in Scotland and Ire-
land ; in winter visits the lowlands and coasts, and is then
more widely dispersed, its numbers being increased by
migrants.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Golden Plover is too scarce and local a
visitor to the Metropolitan area to excite much interest
in the student or lover of London bird-life. It is, how-
ever, a regular visitor to " London " either on migration
or in winter, and is recorded from Epsom, Kingsbury,
Stanmore, and the Wanstead Flats. There are various
localities where this species might reasonably be expected,
such as marshy meadows, sewage-farms, watercress-beds,
and so forth, but its visits, if any, are only accidental and
transient.
In autumn the Golden Plover leaves the moors and
mountains of the north to pass the winter on the lowland
marshes and the coasts, and it is during these migrations
and the return ones in spring that the bird is most likely
to be observed in the vicinity of London. Its favourite
haunts during winter are low-lying coasts and salt marshes,
where it searches for a variety of marine small animals,
worms, and grubs, upon which it subsists. It runs nimbly
about the ground, living in flocks of varying size, which
usually assume a V-shaped formation when passing from
one district to another. It retires in March and April
to the moors to breed, making a scanty nest upon the
ground — a mere hollow, lined with a few scraps of dead
267
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
herbage and leaves. The eggs, laid in May, are four in
number, pyriform in shape, and buff in ground colour,
handsomely blotched and spotted with blackish brown,
purplish brown, and grey. A return to the lowlands
commences as soon as the young are strong on the wing.
In winter plumage, the dress in which the Golden
Plover generally appears in the London area, the upper
parts are black spotted with yellow, and the under parts
are white, marked on the breast and flanks with dusky
brown. In summer the under parts are black. Bill
black ; tarsi and toes brownish black ; irides brown.
Length 10 inches. The female closely resembles the male
in general colour, but is more marked with dusky brown
on the under parts in winter, and the black of the under
parts is mixed with white in summer. The young in
first plumage closely resemble the parents in winter dress.
I may here mention that the GREY PLOVER (Squatarola
helvetica) has been obtained at Forest Gate in 1871. It
may always be distinguished from the preceding bird,
which it resembles somewhat, especially in 'size, by its
minute hind toe, which is lacking in the Golden Plover
and its allies.
268
THE LAPWING
VANELLUS CRISTATUS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " Green Plover,"
" Horned Pie," " Black Plover " (Essex).
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A widely and generally
distributed resident, commonest in Scotland and Ireland,
wandering much in autumn and winter, its numbers
increased at the former season by migrants from the
Continent.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : It is recorded that the Lapwing formerly bred in
Richmond Park, but it is very seldom seen there nowa-
days, and does not nest anywhere probably within our
limits, unless in one or two scattered localities in the most
outlying and rural situations. The bird, however, is a
fairly well-known winter visitor to the Metropolitan area,
small flocks locally appearing on the various sewage-
farms and agricultural lands. It is a tolerably regular
visitor to the Wanstead and Epping areas, to various
parts of North London, Mill Hill, Elstree, Stanmore,
Pinner, Harrow, Wembley, and Hendon. I have also
records from Southall, Hounslow, Osterley, Bushey,
Wimbledon, Kingston, Merton, Banstead, Croydon,
Epsom, the Grays, and Dartford. It would be very
interesting to ascertain how close to London City the
Lapwing actually breeds. Our ignorance on the point
only shows how little we know concerning the rarer birds
of the Metropolitan district, and how many interest-
ing facts remain to be elucidated by the worker in this
populous area. I can record this species breeding close to
Uxbridge Common in the spring of 1905 ; and I have
reason to believe that scattered pairs do so between
that place and Northolt ; whilst considerable numbers
nest at Kenton, in the Kingsbury district, whence I
269
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
have eggs taken as recently as 1907. It also breeds near
Edgware.
During summer the few pairs of Lapwings that breed
within the area of Greater London will be found scattered
over the grass-meadows and newly sown grain-fields.
They cannot readily be overlooked, for as one walks
across these places the birds rise and circle in troubled,
heavy flight, their peculiar mewing notes of weet-a-
ueet, fee-ueet-ueet, and their strongly contrasted colours
— looking mostly black and white — and broad, ample
wings rendering identification easy. If not pursued
the big birds eventually settle again, dropping down
one by one, often with raised wings, which are held
open for a moment ere being folded to the body. Upon
the ground the bird looks almost mouse-colour and the
long crest is easily remarked with a good glass. The bird
continues more or less social through the summer and
in autumn becomes quite gregarious, assembling into
flocks, which wander about in quest of food. It is then
that they are chiefly remarked upon the open ground
near sewage-farms, market-gardens, marshy commons,
and similar spots. The food of the Lapwing consists of
worms, snails, insects and larvae in summer ; but in
winter small seeds, tender shoots, and a variety of marine
creatures are eaten. Much of this food is sought after
dusk, an hour at which the bird becomes very noisy,
especially during early summer. The Lapwing breeds
in April and May ; in very early seasons eggs may be
found at the end of March. So far as London is con-
cerned the nest is generally made on the open fallows,
or amongst growing grain. This nest, if nest it can be
called, is a mere hollow in the ground, sometimes the
footprint of a horse or cow, in which is scattered, but
not always, a few scraps of dry grass or leaves. The
four pyriform eggs range from buff to pale olive-blue
or green in ground colour, spotted and blotched with
270
THE LAPWING
blackish brown, paler brown, and ink-grey. These are
the eggs sold as delicacies in early spring, but they come
from localities where the Lapwing is very much more
abundant than it is near London. When the young can
fly the birds begin to assemble into flocks for the autumn
and winter.
The adult Lapwing in breeding plumage has the head
and neck behind and below the eye almost uniform white ;
the head in front of the eye, and reaching downwards
to the breast and upwards to the crown (which is decorated
with a long bunch of recurved plumes) is black shot with
purple and green, but more or less mottled with white
on the lores, ear-coverts, and over the eye ; the rest of the
upper parts are metallic green, shot with purple on the
scapulars and purplish green on the wing-coverts ;
the upper tail-coverts are chestnut, the under ones paler ;
the wings are black and white ; the tail has the basal
portion white, the terminal portion black, with small
white tips ; on the outermost feathers the white pre-
dominates, gradually decreasing towards the centre
The under parts, with the exceptions already noted,
are white. Bill black ; tarsi and toes flesh-pink ; irides
brown. Length 13 inches. In autumn the throat is
more or less uniform white. The young in first plumage
have most of the feathers of the upper parts tipped with
buff, and the crest is much shorter. The young in down
are pale reddish brown spotted and splashed with black,
white below, with a dark band across the breast.
271
THE RINGED PLOVER
jEGIALHIS HIATICULA
LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " Stone-runner,"
" Ring Dotterel " (Essex).
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A passing migrant in
spring and autumn, a few possibly remaining to breed
on the coasts of Kent and Sussex, and frequenting suitable
inland places as well as the coast.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Ringed Plover is met with every year during
the seasons of spring and autumn migration in various
spots in the Metropolitan area. It is occasionally seen
on the foreshore of the Thames about Battersea, and
round the margins of the filtering-beds there, whilst
the various reservoirs in the suburbs, Kingsbury, the
Welsh Harp, Wimbledon Lake, and many other similar
places tempt it to make a short sojourn. Whether the
large resident race of the Ringed Plover (Mgialitis major)
ever visits London I am unable to say, as it is very difficult
of identification unless closely examined. The fact that
Ringed Plovers are usually only seen in our limits during
spring and autumn is strong presumptive evidence that
these individuals belong to the smaller race. At any
rate the facts present a very interesting problem for the
London ornithologist to solve.
This little Plover is a dweller by the waterside, where
it may be watched running daintily to and fro in quest
of food. If disturbed it rises and flies away along the
shore or makes a detour over the water at no great height,
again alighting close to the water's edge. Occasionally
it wades into the shallow water, or trips lightly over the
mud. It seems by no means at home on the banks of
these London waters, and seldom makes a prolonged stay.
Its alarm-note is a loud, shrill too-it, the call-note a sound
272
i. Greater Ringed Plover. 2. Lesser Ringed Plover. 3. Jack Snipe.
4. Grey Plover.
* «* . »»,v « •
THE RINGED PLOVER
like turr. The Ringed Plover feeds on a variety of
small creatures, such as sand-worms, shrimps, molluscs,
insects, and sand-hoppers. In London it is usually seen
singly or in family parties, but in autumn this species
assembles into flocks, and often consorts with Dunlins,
Sanderlings and other littoral species. It breeds in May
and June, the majority of individuals doing so on the
coast. The eggs are laid on the bare ground or in the
merest apology for a nest, and are four in number, pale
buff, spotted and speckled with blackish brown and
grey.
The adult Ringed Plover has the general colour of the
upper parts greyish brown, with a white and a black band
on the forehead, a dark band below the eye ; a ring of
white surrounds the throat, followed by a broader one
of brownish black ; the remainder of the under parts
white ; the wings are dark brown and white ; the tail
brown tipped with white, and with a sub-terminal
black bar, decreasing towards the outermost feathers,
the last one on each side being uniform white. Bill
orange yellow at the base, black at the tip ; tarsi and
toes orange yellow ; orbits yellow, irides brown. Length
7 inches. The young in first plumage show little
trace of the black bands, and the bill is black. Young
in down are greyish brown mottled with dark brown
above, white below, with an indication of a white and
black collar.
I may here add that the GREATER RINGED PLOVER
(dSgialitis major) visits the London area, although it is
difficult to distinguish between the recorded occurrences,
Very probably the present large and resident form of
Ringed Plover is much the less frequent visitor. It
resembles the preceding race, but is slightly darker and
an inch longer. It has also a length of wing ranging from
5.7 to 5.0 inches, against 5.2 to 4.8 inches in the Ringed
Plover.
s 273
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
THE STONE CURLEW ((Edicnemus crepitans) is said
formerly to have bred near Wantage, and occasionally
to occur on migration in the Epping area, doubtless
whilst on its way to breeding-places in the eastern
counties. It requires no further notice in the present
work.
274
THE COMMON SANDPIPER
TOT4NUS HTPOLEUCUS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " Summer
Snipe."
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A summer visitor,
breeding on the moorlands from Cornwall northwards
to the Shetlands, and equally widely dispersed in Ireland.
It passes many other localities on migration, and odd
individuals remain to winter on the south coast.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : Although the Common Sandpiper is not known
to breed anywhere in the Metropolitan area, it is a
tolerably common visitor to various suitable places in
many parts of it. It is one of those species that might
be met with almost anywhere near to water during spring
and autumn. It has been observed on the banks of
the Thames, the Lea and the Brent within a few miles
of the city. It is a regular visitor to the reservoirs at
Barnes, and to the banks of the Thames between Putney
and Kew, to the Penn Ponds in Richmond Park, and to
brooks and pools in the Hounslow, Osterley, Harrow,
Pinner, and Kingsbury districts. It may also be observed
on migration at the Welsh Harp, at the Hampstead and
Highgate ponds, at Barnet, Elstree, Waltham, Epping,
and Wanstead, as well as in certain intervening localities.
The same may be said of the various Kentish suburbs,
whilst it is a tolerably regular visitor to many parts of
Surrey within the Metropolitan area, from Croydon and
Epsom northwards to localities already indicated.
The Common Sandpiper is most likely to be observed
in the London area during the last half of April or early
in May, on its passage north ; whilst it may be looked for
on return migration from July onwards through August
and September. It is a most engaging, active little bird,
275
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
spending its time daintily tripping round the margin of
pools or alongside rivers, streams, and canals. It is not
very shy, and often allows an observer to watch its active
movements within a few yards. It runs to and fro
very quickly, pausing now and then and beating its tail
up and down like a Wagtail. When alarmed it flies off
uttering a shrill weet, and with long wings striking the
surface settles again in a quieter spot. Like the Swallow
it returns yearly to some particular place to breed, and
passes the same spots each year on its annual migrations.
In the love season the male utters a trilling note, often
soaring whilst doing so. Its food consists of insects and
larvae, worms, crustaceans and other minute marine
creatures, together with small ground fruits. It com-
mences to breed in May, and eggs may be found during
that month and June. The nest is a simple little affair
on or near to the waterside, a hollow lined with vegetable
fragments. The four eggs are pale buff, blotched and
spotted with reddish brown of various shades and violet
grey. The young and their parents keep in company,
and as autumn advances small flocks assemble.
The adult Common Sandpiper has the general colour
of the upper parts mouse-brown, with a greenish or
bronze sheen, most of the small feathers having a dark
central streak ; the wing-coverts, innermost secondaries,
scapulars, and upper tail-coverts are barred with darker
brown ; the greater wing-coverts are tipped with white,
and the white bases to most of the brown quills form
a wing-bar, very conspicuous during flight ; the tail is
light brown, with a green cast, the three outermost
feathers on each side being barred with brownish black
and white ; the under parts are mostly white, suffused
with brown on the sides of the breast, and streaked with
darker brown on the fore-neck and breast. Bill dark
brown, paler at the base ; tarsi and toes pale olive ;
irides brown. Length 8 inches. The young in first
276
i. Wood Sandpiper. 2. Common Sandpiper. 3. Green Sandpiper.
4. Redshank.
•
THE COMMON SANDPIPER
plumage resemble the adult, but the feathers of the
upper parts are narrowly edged with buff and black.
The young in down are pale grey, mottled with black
on the upper parts.
One or two other Sandpipers demand passing notice
here. The WOOD SANDPIPER (Totanus glareola) occurs
rarely on passage, Kingsbury Reservoir and Epping being
two localities. The REDSHANK (Totanus calidris) is
another straggler to London during migration. It has
been shot at Mitcham, frequently visits Kingsbury
Reservoir and Hampton, in Middlesex, and is more or
less regularly seen on the Essex saltings. The orange-red
bill and legs serve readily to identify this little runner
by the waterside. Lastly, we have the GREEN SANDPIPER
(Helodromas ochropus) which occurs on passage across
London chiefly in autumn, and so frequently in the Essex
portion as to have several local names — " Will White "
and " Black Snipe." It possibly occurs most regularly
in Middlesex. It has a white rump and upper tail-coverts,
very conspicuous during flight, and the axillaries are
brown narrowly barred with white. This species is
specially interesting because it lays its eggs in the deserted
nest of a Thrush, Jay, Crow, or some other bird.
277
THE CURLEW
NUMENIUS ARQUA1A
LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " Whitterick,"
" Old Harry " (Essex).
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A widely distributed
resident, changing its ground according to season : in
summer frequenting the moors from Cornwall northwards
to the Shetlands and those of Ireland ; in winter resort-
ing to the coasts, marshes, and lowlands. Its numbers
are increased by migrants in autumn.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : It seems a little surprising that so large and so
wary a bird as the Curlew should visit the Metropolitan
area on migration. Undoubtedly the number of indi-
viduals that pay London a passing call is infinitesimal
compared with the number that flies over the great city
at so great an altitude as to escape notice. Cries from
these migrating flocks are, however, often to be detected
at night, especially in the quieter suburbs. The Curlew
often visits Wimbledon on passage, and has been recorded
from the banks of the Thames in various spots not very
remote from the centrl area. I can also record it from
Wembley and Kingsbury, from the Welsh Harp, Elstree,
and the neighbourhood of Pinner. In Essex, of course,
the Curlew is a familiar bird in winter on the saltings, and
it has been observed in the Wanstead and Epping dis-
tricts. The same remarks apply to Kent, and there are
records of the species from many localities within our
limits.
There are few more shy and wary birds than the Curlew,
and seldom indeed is one allowed to approach it within
gunshot. It is one of those species that spends the greater
part of the year on or near the coast, retiring in spring to
moors and uplands to breed, returning with its young to
278
THE CURLEW
the lower ground in autumn, and continuing thereon
for the remainder of the time. It is most regular in its
movements, passing from the saltings as the tide drives it
away to higher ground inland, but returning almost to
the minute as the ebbing water exposes its feeding-places.
It runs and walks about in the usual manner of its kind,
flies well and powerfully, and is noisy enough, especially
when fired at or otherwise seriously alarmed. Its note is
a rich, musical cur lee^ ofttimes repeated, and during the
breeding season it utters a bubbling cry resembling
wiw-i-wiw-i-wiW) very quickly repeated. It is more or
less gregarious during the non-breeding season, and in
summer several pairs will nest on a comparatively small
area of suitable ground. The food of the Curlew consists
of worms, insects, and larvae, small ground fruits and
berries, sand-worms, molluscs and crustaceans. The
return from the coast begins in March, and the eggs are
laid in April and May. The nest is made upon the
ground, either on the moors, rough lands, or upland
fallows, and is little more than a hollow, scantily lined
with a few bits of dry herbage, and in some cases the bare
ground alone is used. The four eggs are pyriform in
shape, olive-green or buff in ground colour, blotched and
spotted with olive-brown and grey, and sometimes
streaked with darker brown. But one brood is reared
in the season.
The adult male Curlew has the general colour of the
upper parts pale brown striped and mottled with dark
brown ; the rump is white ; the shortest upper tail-
coverts are white streaked with dark brown, the longest
are very pale buffish brown barred with dark brown ;
the quills are dark brown barred with white ; the wing
coverts greyish white, with dark brown centres ; the four
central tail-feathers are pale brown, barred with dark
brown, the four outer ones on either side white barred
with dark brown ; the under parts are white, suffused
279
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
with brown on the neck and breast, which are streaked
with darF brown, the flanks with sagittate markings of
brown, the abdomen and under tail-coverts narrowly
marked with the same. Bill long and arched, dark brown,
paler at the base ; tarsi and toes lead-grey ; irides brown.
Length 21 inches. The female has a longer bill, and the
brown markings on the under parts are more numerous,
and present also on the rump. The young in first
plumage are more ochraceous, and the markings still more
numerous. The young in down are greyish buff, mottled
on the upper parts with dark brown.
280
THE COMMON WHIMBREL
NUMENIUS PHCEOPUS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " Titterel,"
" May Bird," " Jack Curlew."
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A regular and widely
distributed visitor on spring and autumn migration, a few
remaining to breed in the Hebrides and on the Orkneys
and Shetlands, and small numbers remaining on the
coasts to winter.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : Very similar remarks apply to the Whimbrel as
to the Curlew in the Metropolitan area. Great numbers
of Whimbrels pass over London on migration in spring
and autumn, and so far as the northern suburbs are con-
cerned I can personally testify to the frequency of these
journeying bands crossing the sky. For nights together
they may be heard passing, uttering their unmistakable
cries, especially in the vicinity of Harlesden, Kilburn, and
Hampstead, and quite unsuspected by the majority of
people below them. Records are to hand from all parts
of the outlying suburbs of the occasional occurrence of
the Whimbrel. A party of thirty birds were observed in
the autumn of 1894 close to the grand stand on Epsom
racecourse. The bird is well known on the Essex and
Kentish saltings, and occasionally visits Wanstead, Epping,
the Welsh Harp, Kingsbury, and the open grounds in the
vicinity of the Metropolis.
The Whimbrel is so regular in its spring migrations that
it is known in many localities as the " May Bird," its
appearance on May Day being so unerring. It may be
confidently expected in the London area any favourable
night during the first half of that month. I have many
records of these migrating bands of Whimbrels passing
over the Metropolis always at night. First the well-
281
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
known whistling note, uttered quickly in succession,
sounds faintly from the sky ; nearer and nearer the birds
come, and the cries sound louder until they are more or
less overhead for a few moments ; then as gradually they
decrease in loudness, and finally cease as the flock hurries
northwards in impetuous haste, to be succeeded by
another and another, like racing specials, announcing their
passage across the sky. So far as my experience goes, it is
rarely that any of these north-bound Whimbrels alight
within the area of the Metropolis ; the birds seem always
too much in a hurry to linger by the way. The Arctic
summer is short, the journey to the breeding-grounds
is far, and a brood has safely to be reared and started
on its way south before the polar world sinks into the
lethargy of its long winter sleep. In autumn the con-
ditions of the journey are vastly different. As soon as
the young can fly even moderately well the southern
passage begins, the birds gaining strength rapidly as they
go, and the first individuals reach us in August. The
strenuous haste of the spring flight is replaced by a leisurely
desire to take things easily, and consequently many Whim-
brels alight here and there by the way. During August
and September the flocks recross the Metropolis, young
birds preponderating, and it is mostly individuals of the
latter that are tempted to descend and rest on the water-
side or the wet, marshy spots of Greater London. These
odd Whimbrels are by no means shy ; they are young and
inexperienced in the ways of man, and too often pay for
their trustfulness with their lives. The Whimbrel is not
known to breed anywhere on the mainland of the British
Islands, but a few pairs nest on the Scotch islands. The
habits of the bird are very similar to those of the Curlew ;
it nests in the same manner, and its four eggs are very
similar, but much smaller.
The Whimbrel so closely resembles the Curlew in
general coloration that it is widely known amongst
282
THE COMMON WHIMBREL
gunners as a " Curlew Jack " or " Jack Curlew," presum-
ably by the same line of reasoning that a small pike is
called a " jack." Next to size the most important dis-
tinctions between the two species are that the crown is
uniform dark brown, crossed by a pale mesial line and
bordered by a well-marked stripe over each eye ; the
tail is also uniform brown barred with dark brown. The
colours of the soft parts are similar. Length 15 inches.
The young in first plumage are more densely mottled and
spotted than the adult. The young in down are very
similar to those of the Curlew.
283
THE WOODCOCK
SCOLOPAX RUSTICULA
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A local resident but
most abundant during winter and the two seasons of
migration.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Woodcock was once much commoner within
the Metropolitan area than it is now, and there are many
places covered with streets and houses where it formerly
had its haunts. Indeed, some of the present day parks
were once famous retreats of the Woodcock. It is said
occasionally to breed in the Windsor district, just beyond
our limits. It has been known to do so in Epping Forest,
and there are many quiet woodlands in the remoter
suburbs where it might do so and be quite overlooked.
I know of no locality, however, within the radius where
the bird habitually nests. It is, therefore, as a winter
visitor only that we can include the Woodcock amongst
London's birds. It is found occasionally on the large
suburban commons, Wimbledon, Tooting, Streatham,
Wormwood Scrubbs, Hampstead, and so forth. Wembley
Park was once a noted haunt of this species, and it still
visits the Harrow and Kingsbury districts. Epping and
Wanstead are other winter resorts ; whilst many others
are scattered about the Kentish and Surrey areas. It is
rather erratic in its appearance, more numerous some
years than others, and, I may add, has several times been
killed in the streets of the Metropolis.
As a rule the only time the Woodcock is seen is when it
is flushed. It is one of our most skulking birds, and as it
is for the most part active at night its movements are very
difficult to observe. Great numbers of Woodcock pass
our islands in spring, and still greater numbers in autumn,
284
THE WOODCOCK
on their way to and from their breeding-grounds in
more northern lands. It is during this passage that the
bird is chiefly noticed now near London, the indigenous
individuals having been long exterminated. During
the daytime it hides away under bushes or amongst rank
vegetation in wet places. At dusk it comes out from its
retreat and repairs to its feeding-places in the swamps and
wet fields, where it probes into the soft ground for worms,
which, with grubs and beetles, form its principal food.
The Woodcock seldom flies far when flushed, and its
movements in the air just as it rises are somewhat erratic.
It soon settles down into a slower and even laboured
flight, and often utters a croaking note as it takes wing.
In the breeding season the male indulges in long flights
in the morning and at night, passing to and fro along
certain beats, uttering a curious harsh note, or a strange
whistling cry. This is a love display, termed " roding,"
and should two rival males meet whilst it is being per-
formed a combat frequently results. The Woodcock,
except during actual migration, is not a very sociable
bird, and when found in company it is usually the result
of a common cause. The earliest eggs of the Woodcock
are laid towards the end of March, but the majority in
April, and again to a lesser extent in May. The nest is
made on the ground, in some quiet spot in a wood or
plantation, and is merely a hollow scantily lined with
dead leaves and dry grass. The four eggs are not so
pear-shaped as usual with the class to which the Wood-
cock belongs, and are pale buff, spotted and blotched
somewhat sparingly with reddish brown and grey. The
young when newly hatched are, it is said, often carried by
the parents to the feeding-places, and the old birds will
remove them if the nest is disturbed.
A very detailed description of the Woodcock is not
necessary here, as the bird is too familiar to Londoners
in every game-dealer's establishment during autumn and
285
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
winter. The adult, with its long, straight bill and large
eye, situated so far back in the head, is a very beautiful
bird, having the general colour of the upper parts chest-
nut mottled and pencilled with black and grey. The
black tail, marked with chestnut, with its row of silver-
like spots at the tip on the under surface, is also a well-
marked feature. The under parts are buff barred with
brown. Bill dull pink, shading into dark brown at the
point ; tarsi and toes pale flesh-colour ; irides dark brown.
Length 15 inches. The female resembles the male in
colour. The young in down are chestnut, marked with
black and white above, buff below.
286
THE COMMON SNIPE
GALLINAGO SCOLOPACINA
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A common and widely
distributed resident, most numerous in Scotland and
Ireland, and more abundant in winter than in summer,
its numbers being increased by migrants in autumn.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Common Snipe is by no means uncommon
during winter in many parts of Greater London. It has
been known to breed at Wimbledon, and very probably
does so at Epping. An example of this Snipe has been
picked up in the Strand, but normally the bird is a visitor
to the rural suburbs only. It is occasionally met with
at Hampstead, and resorts to suitable haunts in the
Enfield, Waltham, Barnet, Pinner, Harrow, Kingsbury,
Hendon, Wembley, Twyford, and Osterley districts.
On the Surrey side of the Thames it is well known in the
vicinity of Mitcham, and occurred in large and exceptional
numbers there during the winter of 1894-95. The
sewage-farm at that place is a favourite resort. A large
influx of Snipe was remarked in the Norwood area during
the winters of 1878-79, 1 880-81. In the more outlying
suburbs the Common Snipe becomes of yet more frequent
occurrence, and may fairly be said to haunt during
winter suitable spots in all parts. Sewage-farms and
marshy meadows and ditches, especially in the southern
suburbs, are favourite resorts of this species.
Probably most of the Snipe found in the London area
are migrants from more northern districts spending the
winter in town. It may seem ridiculous, but there is a
fair amount of Snipe-shooting to be got within the
London suburbs by those gunners who are " in the know."
The habits of this bird are little known to the ordinary
287
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
observer of bird-life who confines his efforts to the species
in his back garden or amongst his chimney-pots. It is a
shy and skulking species, very rarely coming into view,
hiding away amongst the tussocks of vegetation in wet
places, most active during the night, and performing its
migrations at that time. It leaves its winter retreats
in London by March, and begins to return to them as
early as August, its numbers increasing during September
and October. The flight of this bird when first flushed
is uneven and erratic, but soon becomes steadier, and is
seldom far prolonged, unless during migration. The
bird by no means uncommonly perches in trees, but
this is during the mating season, when, like so many other
of its kind, it seems to drop its skulking ways and to pay
court to its mate in the air. The love flights and drum-
ming of the Snipe during this period are very remarkable
and interesting. The food of this Snipe consists chiefly
of worms, grubs, insects, and small fresh-water molluscs.
The bird is solitary in its habits in our country, but
abroad more social tendencies are remarked. A good
deal of this, however, may be due to the abundance of
favourite food in a small area, and not to any social
impulse. The Snipe's breeding season commences to-
wards the end of March, and eggs are laid during April
and May in our islands, later in more northern latitudes.
The nest is a mere hollow in some dry spot in the marshes,
lined with a few bits of dead herbage. The four eggs
range from buff to olive in ground colour, blotched and
spotted with rich dark brown, paler brown and grey,
and occasionally streaked with blackish brown. But
one brood is reared in the year.
The adult Snipe has the general colour of the upper
parts black, with two broad lines of pale buff on each
side of the back, formed by the margins to the scapulars
and mantle ; the rump and upper tail-coverts are rufous,
barred with brownish black ; the eye-stripes and a broad
288
THE COMMON SNIPE
mesial line are pale buff ; the quills are brown, the
secondaries having broad tips of white ; the tail is
chestnut mottled with black, and the same colour at the
base ; the under parts are white suffused with buff,
barred with chestnut and brown on the neck, breast,
and flanks. Bill dark brown, paler at the base ; tarsi and
toes brown ; irides brown. Length 10 inches. The
young in first plumage do not differ very much from
their parents in general appearance, but the striping on
the upper parts is not so pronounced. The young in
down are dark chestnut, mottled with black and speckled
with white on the upper parts.
289
THE JACK SNIPE
LIMNOCRTPTES GALLINULA
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A common if somewhat
locally distributed winter visitor.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Jack Snipe is a tolerably well-known winter
visitor to many parts of the Metropolitan area, perhaps
more generally dispersed than the Common Snipe,
because it is far less fastidious in its choice of a haunt.
In the more immediate suburbs I find it of regular occur-
rence in the Norwood and Mitcham districts, and thence
in various localities round Croydon. It is a regular
winter visitor to the Middlesex portion of our radius
from Bushey, northwards through Hounslow, Osterley,
Southall, Wembley, Sudbury, Harrow, Pinner, Kingsbury,
Enfield, and Potters Bar. Waltham, Epping, and Wan-
stead are the chief resorts in Essex in the immediate
neighbourhood of London ; whilst the Kentish Grays
are noted haunts further south. I have flushed the
Jack Snipe from allotment gardens between Harlesden
and Willesden Green, and from marshy meadows near
the Fever Hospital at Neasden. Indeed, I am inclined
to think that this bird is not only commoner near the
Metropolis than is generally supposed, but visits many
localities where it has hitherto escaped the notice of
persons competent to identify it.
A few Jack Snipes reach the London area as early as
September, but the majority arrive in October and
November. It is very remarkable not only how a very
small patch of wet suitable ground will content this
species, but how amazingly regular the same spot will be
tenanted year after year, even if, as, unfortunately,1^ too
often happens, the birds are shot whilst occupying it.
290
THE JACK SNIPE
In its habits generally the bird closely resembles its
larger ally the Common Snipe, but it is even more solitary.
It migrates at night, and obtains most of its food under
the cover of darkness. Rarely indeed is it observed
active during the daytime, consequently its movements
are difficult to watch. It is usually flushed quite un-
expectedly at one's feet, darting off in an erratic, un-
steady way at first, but finally settling down into a steadier
flight, and seldom goes very far from its favourite haunt,
returning thereto at the first possible opportunity.
It is a very silent bird whilst with us, and seldom or never
makes a sound when rising, not even the whirr of its
wings being distinctive. Its food consists chiefly of
worms, insects and larvae, small seeds and tender shoots
of vegetation during winter, but whilst absent from us
crustaceans and mollusks are eaten. As many readers
may be aware, the Jack Snipe does not breed anywhere
in the British Islands, and but little has been recorded
of its habits during the nesting season. It selects some
dry spot in the Arctic swamps and makes a slight nest
on the ground, a mere hollow lined with a few scraps
of withered herbage. In this the female lays four large,
handsome eggs, buff or olive in ground colour, blotched
and spotted with rich brown, paler brown, and grey,
and sometimes streaked here and there with darker
brown. One brood only is reared in the season, the
eggs being laid late in June. The southern migration
commences soon after the young are strong enough
to fly.
Although it is a very much smaller bird, the Jack Snipe
closely resembles the Common Snipe in general appear-
ance. If examined minutely the Jack Snipe will be found
to have no pale stripe on the crown, the feathers of the
mantle are purple, the inner webs of the scapulars are
green, and the inner webs of the innermost secondaries
are uniform brown ; the tail is nearly uniform brown
291
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
with darker shaft stripes and pale buff margins.
Bill brown, paler at the base ; tarsi and toes olive ;
irides brown. Length *]% inches. The young in
down are very similar to those of the Common
Snipe.
292
THE BLACK-HEADED GULL
LARUS RIDIBUNDUS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A common and widely
distributed resident, more local during the breeding
season, and given to much wandering at other times.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Black-headed Gull has become quite a
feature in the bird-life of London during winter in the
vicinity of the Thames from the Tower to Richmond,
and especially between London Bridge and Westminster.
Years ago the sight of a Gull in London was an event of
exceptional interest ; nowadays their visits to the Metro-
polis are so regular and in such abundance that they
create no surprise and have become quite an interesting
feature in the routine of the great city. The Thames,
of course, is the great centre of their Metropolitan dis-
tribution, but a great many individuals resort to other
localities, and the annual invasion of this species seems
to be spreading to various outlying districts. This
Gull frequents the ornamental waters in the urban parks,
especially St. James's Park, Battersea Park, and in the
grounds of Buckingham Palace. It may also be seen at
Paddington on and about the canal basin, and near the
open reach by the Harrow Road Bridge. I have also
records from many other sheets of water, from some of
the sewage-farms, and so forth. No indication of
breeding has yet been noticed, nor do I think ever will be.
What I wrote about the Black-headed Gull in my
book Open-air Studies in Bird-life I may be pardoned
for quoting here : " They are voracious birds ; food is a
great inducement, and London crowds are very hospitable
in these matters. Even the London errand-boy will
share his humble dinner with the birds ; whilst the
293
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
aristocratic Western thoughtfully fills his pockets with
food for them. Birds readily respond to encouragement
of this kind. What impresses me most about these Gulls
in London is their extraordinary tameness. It is the
case of the Ring Doves over again. I have had much
experience with the Black-headed Gull during winter,
and have seen it congregate in thousands in various har-
bours, especially when sprats were being landed, yet
there was always a certain amount of wariness, shyness
that prevented the birds becoming very familiar. They
would no more have taken a proffered sprat from my
hand than they would even approach within arm's-length.
Yet the novel and charming sight could be witnessed
(and may now any winter) almost any day in London
of these birds seizing scraps of food from the fingers,
and exhibiting a tameness not excelled by the Sparrow
itself."
These Gulls have now become such a recognised
feature in the bird-life of the Metropolis that fish is
regularly sold on the bridges for the passer-by to regale
them ; and so jealously are they regarded that even the
London policeman, with all his other onerous duties,
protects them from the mischievously inclined. I once
saw a youth on Westminster Bridge secure a Gull that
had trustfully perched on his arm, and was walking away
with his prize when a policeman pushed through the
crowd and sternly bade him release his captive. The
poacher was within his rights, but sentiment became
too strong, even for legality ! The Black-headed Gull
obtains, perhaps, as much of its food from the land as
from the sea. It searches the fields for worms, insects,
and larvae ; it captures small fish, crustaceans, and the
many kinds of small animals to be found upon the beach.
Not only so, but the bird may frequently be seen perched
in trees near its breeding-places. Its note is a shrill
krik or kur, modulated in many ways, especially during
294
Corn Crake. 2. Black-headed Gull. 3. Common Teal. 4. Common Coot.
THE BLACK-HEADED GULL
the pairing and nesting period. This Gull is eminently
gregarious, not only during winter, but in summer.
It begins to gather at the breeding-stations — reed-fringed
pools and swampy meres — in March, and in April nest-
building commences. The nests are mostly made on
the wet ground amongst the tufts of rushes and sedge ;
but sometimes the low trees and bushes are occupied.
In some cases the nests are little more than hollows in
the ground or tufts of herbage ; in others they are
compactly made of reeds, flags and coarse grass, often
increased in bulk to protect them from being washed
away. The three, or more rarely four, eggs diffe*" in
colour to an astonishing extent, but are usually of some
shade of brown or green in ground, marked in a variety
of ways with brown and grey of many shades. In some
places the birds are very carefully protected and the
eggs systematically gathered for culinary purposes. At
all times a gullery of this species is a remarkably pretty
sight, but when the birds are disturbed the air becomes
filled with clamouring hosts, the whole scene best being
likened to a dense snowstorm, in which each flake is an
anxious, protesting, fluttering, noisy bird. But one
brood is reared, and as soon as the young are sufficiently
matured the old wandering life along the coasts and
tidal rivers is resumed.
The adult Black-headed Gull in winter plumage has
the hind head marked a little with grey, a dark spot in
front of the eye, another larger one on the ear-coverts,
the mantle, scapulars, innermost secondaries, and wing-
coverts delicate grey, the primaries white tipped with
black and the longest'margined with black ; the remainder
of the plumage white. Bill crimson ; tarsi, toes, and
webs crimson ; irides brown. Length 16% inches.
Early in spring — even in January, but more usually
in February and March — the adult assumes a dark
smoke-brown hood or mask, the feathers changing colour
295
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
for the most part, but to some slight extent being moulted
(Ibis, 1893, p. 440). The young in first plumage are
brown above with buff margins, the tail is banded with
black, and the bill, tarsi, and feet are much less vivid.
The full adult plumage is not acquired for several years.
The young in down are brown, marked on the upper
parts with blackish brown.
296
OTHER GULLS AND TERNS
(LARIN&) (STERNIN&)
THE Black-headed Gull is par excellence the Gull of
London and the Thames between bridges, but various
other species of Gulls, and even Terns, casually visit the
Metropolis, and require brief notice in a separate chapter.
To the majority of observers the Gulls that visit London
are all alike — they are " Seagulls," and that is quite
sufficient for the ordinary " man in the street." There
are, however, four other species of Gulls that pay casual
visits to the Metropolis. I have on many occasions
noticed Common Gulls (Larus canus) and Kittiwakes
(Rissa tridactylus) among the crowds of Black-headed
Gulls on the Thames. The latter, however, is, strictly
speaking, an oceanic species, and seldom visits inland
localities save in stormy weather. In the course of the
present chapter I will mention how these two Gulls may
be distinguished from the Black-headed Gull and from
each other. The Kittiwake, amongst other places, has
been observed at Lambeth, Battersea, and Putney, and I
have personal records from Waterloo and Westminster
Bridges. The next two species belong to the large type
of Gulls that frequent the British Islands. Of these the
Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) is a casual visitor to the
Thames within the Metropolitan area, and frequently
resorts to the fields, sewage-farms, and other open spots
at some considerable distance from the river, or, indeed,
from water of any kind. The second of these large
species is the Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus),
which also casually visits London and its environs every
winter. I have records of this Gull from Barnes, from
Kingsbury, the Welsh Harp, and from rural districts as
remote from the Thames as Harlesden and the meadows
between Sudbury and Uxbridge. I believe it is a tolerably
297
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
frequent visitor to Wanstead and other suitable parts of
the Essex suburbs.
That Terns of several species visit the Metropolitan
area during their annual migrations has long been known.
It is impossible to name the exact species in a great many
instances, observations, unless made by an expert or a
person familiar with the various Terns that frequent the
British seas during summer, being practically worthless
in this respect. Both the Arctic Tern (Sterna arctica)
and the Common Tern (Sterna hirundo), there can be no
doubt, occur casually within our limits not only in the
vicinity of the river, but elsewhere at reservoirs and other
large sheets of water. Their visits, however, are always
fleeting ones, merely incidents of the migration journey
the birds are engaged upon, and of transient interest
only to the London observer. The Sandwich Tern
(Sterna cantiaca), the largest of the species that visit the
British Islands, has also, I believe, been recorded from
the Metropolitan area. Lastly, allusion may be made to
the Black Tern (Hydrochelidon nigra), which evidently
passes London's environs on migration at times. It has
also been observed north of our limits at Tring Reservoirs,
from which we may reasonably presume that Kingsbury,
the Welsh Harp, and other lakes in that direction are
visited too.
298
THE CORN CRAKE
CREX PRATENSIS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A common and widely
distributed summer visitor, varying considerably in num-
bers locally.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : There are still many spots from five to eight
miles from the City where the rasping cry of the Corn
Crake may be heard occasionally. The bird is somewhat
erratic in its appearance, more abundant in some summers
than others, and often deserting a locality for no apparent
reason. Building operations in suburban London have
done much to decrease its numbers. It is sometimes heard
in Dulwich Park, on Wimbledon Common, in Wimbledon
Park, and at Richmond and Kew Gardens. I have
records of it from meadows in the Osterley, Hanwell,
and Wembley districts ; from Southall, Harrow, Pinner,
Hendon, Finchley, Enfield, Waltham, Hampstead, Epping
and Wanstead. In the most outlying districts it occurs
more frequently, if locally, whilst it may visit many
localities during its annual journeys when it is silent, and
escape notice.
The harsh, discordant voice of the Corn Crake may still,
I am heartily pleased to say, be heard in Greater London.
There are yet many broad, goodly acres left within our
limits to afford it cover, although these are being gradually
absorbed by that destructive octopus the speculative
builder. It reaches our southern counties towards the
end of April, the return migration being undertaken in
September and October. So far as Greater London is
concerned the favourite retreats of this Crake are hay-
meadows and growing grain ; upon its arrival it may
frequently be heard in other spots, especially private
299
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
parks and market-gardens, but as the summer advances
its wanderings are much more curtailed. It is one of
London's shyest and most seclusive birds, migrating by
night, and very seldom being seen, its presence being
almost invariably proclaimed by its persistently uttered
call, a monotonous crake-crake easily imitated by drawing
a knife-blade, or even the thumb-nail, smartly across a
stout comb. I am of opinion that this curious note is
uttered by the male only, and ceases to be heard in August.
After the grass has been cut the Corn Crake fhay some-
times be watched walking about the fields in search of
food, but at the least alarm it runs furtively to the
nearest hedge for concealment. It seldom flies far, and
takes wing only when absolutely compelled, rising with
legs hanging down, and progressing in a slow and ap-
parently laboured manner. Its food consists of worms,
snails, and insects, together with small seeds and the
tender shoots of various plants. This is obtained mostly
at night, or at dusk and dawn. It pairs soon after
reaching its summer haunts, and when this event is over
the bird wanders little from the place where it has decided
to remain and nest. In May the nest is made upon the
ground, amongst the long grass in the meadows, a well-
built structure of dry grass and dead leaves, neatly lined
with finer grass, much of it in a green state. Sometimes a
couple of nests will be made in the same meadow at no
great distance apart. The eight to a dozen eggs are pale
buff or pale greenish blue in ground colour, spotted and
blotched with reddish brown and grey. The young
appear to be abandoned after they can fly, and the Corn
Crake becomes for the most part a solitary bird. I have
known it when caught to sham death in a most extra-
ordinary manner.
The adult Corn Crake has the general colour of the
upper parts brownish buff, each feather with a brownish
black centre ; the wings are reddish brown, brightest on
300
THE CORN CRAKE
the coverts and darkest on the quills ; there is a slate-grey
stripe over the eye, and grey is the colour of the cheeks,
throat, and breast, shading into nearly white on the
abdomen and under tail-coverts and into dull chestnut on
the flanks, which are marked with white. Bill pale
brown ; tarsi and toes pale brown ; irides brown.
Length nearly n inches. After the autumn moult the
grey on the under parts is pale reddish brown, but the
grey eye-stripe is retained, which is the case in young
in first plumage, but with them the eye-stripe is buff.
The young in down are uniform rich black
Two other Rails require passing notice here. The
first of these is the SPOTTED CRAKE (Crex porzana), a
summer visitor to our islands, which occasionally wanders
to Greater London in the course of its annual migrations.
The bird may possibly breed in Bucks and Berks, is rare on
passage in Surrey, an occasional visitor to Middlesex, and
is sometimes met with at Epping and in the Hackney
Marshes. The second species is the WATER RAIL (Rallus
aquaticus), a resident in the British Islands, but subject
to a good deal of local movement, according to season.
It is said to be a scarce resident at Virginia Water, and
the same remarks apply to the Thames Valley, the Colne,
the Chess and the Kennet. In Middlesex it is both rare
and local, chiefly being met with in winter, as it also
is in Essex at Epping.
THE WATER HEN
GALLINULA CHLOROPUS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A common and widely
distributed resident, found everywhere in suitable lo-
calities.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Water Hen or Moor Hen is another of
London's most familiar birds, made so by the fact of its
frequenting almost every public pond and ornamental
water in the Metropolis. It is common in Victoria
Park, St. James's Park, Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens,
Battersea Park, Regent's Park, and at Hampstead.
Thence it may be met with, wherever there is water and a
sufficiency of cover, in increasing numbers to the very
utmost limits of the Metropolitan area. I have often
flushed this species from ditches and cattle-ponds in the
corners of fields, and it not unfrequently visits shrubberies,
lawns, and private grounds at some considerable distance
from water. It frequents many spots along the Thames,
the Brent, the Lea, the Wandle, and the Beverley ; there
is scarcely a sewage-farm, a mill-pond, a reservoir, or
even a watercress-bed that is not at least visited occa-
sionally. At Wembley it frequents a small tributary of
the Brent, and I have often seen it there walking sedately
about the highway with almost as little concern as a
barn-door fowl. It is equally familiar at Pinner and
Uxbridge. In the more public localities the bird has
become so familiar with man that it can scarcely be
regarded as wild at all.
The Water Hen is nothing nearly so shy and retiring in
its ways as the Corn Crake and seldom resents observa-
tion, unless threatened by actual harm. It may be
watched walking sedately about the grass-land in measured
302
i. Spotted Crake 2. Water Hen. 3. Water Rail. 4. Kittiwake.
THE WATER HEN
steps, stopping every few moments daintily to pick up
some food, and at intervals flicking its short tail. It is as
much at home in the water as on land, and although its
feet are not webbed it swims and dives with the greatest
ease. When swimming the peculiar nodding action of
the head will be remarked ; and it has a way of diving
very suddenly when alarmed and going for a long distance
under the surface, reappearing often amongst reeds and
rushes, in which it delights to conceal itself. It may also
very frequently be seen in a bush or low tree. Only last
winter I watched several of these birds in some white-
thorn trees in Hyde Park greedily eating the haws. Its
flight is not very powerful, nor usually much prolonged,
but on occasion it will mount into the air at night and
fly to and fro for a long time uttering its peculiar cry at
intervals. This note resembles the syllables kik-ik-ik,
modulated into ker-r-r-k, and is heard chiefly at dusk or
during the night. The food of the Water Hen is chiefly
composed of worms, insects, larvae, buds, seeds, and
tender shoots of plants, together with various berries.
In London it will eat almost anything, and in severe
weather frequently visits houses for what chance fare it
can find. It cannot exactly be regarded as gregarious,
but it is certainly social, and I have frequently seen a
dozen or more feeding on one small lawn after a shower.
It is an early breeder and nests may be noticed in the
London parks in March long before the flags and other
water-plants are high enough to conceal them. Nesting
becomes more general, however, in April, and, as several
broods are often reared in the season, is continued into
August. The big, untidy nest is made amongst reeds,
flags, rushes, and other aquatic plants, or under brambles
and thorn-bushes where the branches hang over or into
the water. Sometimes it is made quite a floating struc-
ture, anchored to the rushes some distance from land.
It is often a great heap of rotten aquatic herbage massed
3°3
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
together, the shallow hollow containing the eggs being
fined with drier material. Some nests are much smaller,
especially when made on dry land. The six to a dozen
eggs are pale buff, spotted and blotched with reddish
brown and grey. The chicks take to the water almost
directly they are hatched, and in the London area
especially too often become the prey of rats and prowling
cats.
The adult Water Hen has the general colour of the
upper parts dark olive-brown, shading into dark grey on
the head and neck, and into brown on the wings ; the
outside web of the first primary is white ; the under parts
are slate-grey, shading into brown on the flanks, which are
striped with white, and the abdomen is mottled with
white ; the longest under tail-coverts are white, the
shorter ones black. Bill and frontal shield scarlet, the
bill shading into pale yellow at the tip ; tarsi and toes
green ; irides brown. Length 13 inches. In autumn there
is more white mixed amongst the plumage of the under
parts. The young in first plumage are browner, the
slate-grey on the head and neck are replaced by dark olive,
and the under parts are brown, the white mottling being
strongly pronounced. The young in down are uniform
rich black.
3°4
THE COOT
FULICA ATRA
LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " Bald Coot."
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A common and widely,
if somewhat locally, distributed resident, given to some
local migration.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Coot is much rarer and more local than
the Water Hen in the Metropolitan area, and although
a casual visitor to many localities therein is usually a per-
manent resident only in such spots where it is carefully
protected. It is known as an occasional visitor to the
ornamental waters in the grounds of the Crystal Palace,
to the lake in Wimbledon Park, and to the vicinity of
Dulwich. It frequents the Penn Ponds in Richmond
Park, the lake at Osterley, Ruislip Reservoir, occasionally
resorts to Wembley, is found at Kingsbury and Elstree, and
breeds in Wanstead Park. Coots are often seen here and
there on the Thames, the Brent, and the Lea, but never
frequent such small pools as content the Water Hen. I
have records of this species from the Welsh Harp in winter,
and there must be many private waters which it frequents
at the same season, if it is not found on them at other
times. Beyond our limits the Coot is common at Tring
Reservoirs. A few Coots also frequent (and breed there)
a small, stagnant sheet of water close to the bridge over
the Grand Junction Canal at Northolt, and also some
ponds in private grounds near that place on the Sudbury
side.
The Coot is not so adaptive as the Water Hen, is a
much shyer bird, and requires a larger expanse of water.
It loves large, open sheets of water where there is ample
space to retire from danger far from the banks, and is
always much more wary than its ally. It closely resembles
u 3°5
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
the Water Hen in its habits, being equally at ease on the
land as in the water. It may be watched walking about
the grass in the usual Rail-like way, picking here and
there as it goes. It is equally at home in trees, and often
visits them to roost. It is not, however, so nocturnal,
feeding chiefly during the daytime. When swimming it
has the same peculiar bobbing of the head and is quite
as expert a diver as its smaller relative, often going for
a long distance under the surface to elude danger. It
seldom flies far, except when compelled, and when rising
somewhat heavily allows its legs to dangle down for some
moments. It has the same habit of flying about at night,
its whereabouts being indicated from time to time by
its clear, far-sounding note of ko. The Coot is a social
bird during summer, and in autumn and winter often
assembles in large flocks, but these big gatherings are
usually on salt water, to which many of the birds resort
at that season. The food of this species is largely com-
posed of grass, buds, leaves, berries, and the tender
shoots of various plants ; to this fare is added grain,
insects, grubs, snails, worms, and small fishes. The bird
may often be seen browsing like a Goose. The breeding
season commences in April, and most of the eggs for the
first broods are laid in May, for later ones in July. The
nest, often a floating structure, is made amongst aquatic
vegetation, and is a big heap of rotten plants, at the top
of which a shallow cavity is lined with finer and drier
material of a similar character. The six to a dozen eggs
are pale buff or stone-colour, sprinkled and dusted with
blackish brown and grey. The young chicks take to the
water soon after they are hatched, where they are fed
and tended by the parents. Many pairs often nest on
the same sheet of water.
The adult Coot has the general colour of the plumage
an almost uniform lead-grey, becoming almost black on
the head, neck, and under tail-coverts ; the quills are
306
THE COOT
brown, the secondaries being tipped with white, forming
a bar across the wings. Bill pale pink, shading into white
at the tip ; frontal shield white ; tarsi and lobed toes
olive, the tarsal joint orange ; irides crimson. Length
14! inches. The young in first plumage have the upper
parts olive-brown and the under parts nearly white.
The young in down are rich black, with a few white
tips to some of the filaments.
307
THE HERON
ARDEA GIN ERE A'
LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " Frank,"
" Frank Hern " (Essex) ; " Hernshaw."
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A widely distributed
yet local resident.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : There are few other cities in the British Islands
that can claim the Heron as a breeding species in their
immediate suburbs. In the Metropolitan area there are
at least three flourishing heronries within eleven miles
of the Cathedral, one of them within seven miles. The
latter is at Wanstead, and is the most extensive of the
three. This is within reach of a tram-ride from the
city. There is another and a smaller colony in' the
Sidmouth Plantation in Richmond Park, little more
than a 'bus-ride from the Bank of England ; whilst a
third colony exists in Osterley Park, an area of easy access
from all parts of the Metropolis. Taking these facts into
consideration, the appearance of the Heron in some of
the more central districts is by no means remarkable.
The bird is occasionally seen in Battersea Park, and regu-
larly feeds in Kensington Gardens and down the river to
Hammersmith and Barnes. It also frequents many of the
brooks, reservoirs, and ornamental waters in suburban
localities right round the Metropolis. On occasion it may
be seen in powerful swinging flight, crossing over the vast
City from one favourite haunt to another, usually towards
evening.
Strange as the fact may seem, there are many country
places where the Heron is seldom seen, and still more
where it is never known to breed ; yet the bird is fairly
common within the Metropolitan area, and may be
watched at its nest within half an hour's ride of town
308
i. Mute Swan. 2. Great-crested Grebe. 3. Common Heron
THE HERON
itself. This is at Richmond Park ; whilst there are some
forty nests at Wanstead. Although the Heron breeds
in societies like Rooks, the bird is by no means so gre-
garious, and often wanders off alone to feed by itself.
In some localities, however, several may be seen fishing
in company. The sight of this big bird winging its
stately way across the sky so near to the great city is a
cherished delight to the student of London bird-life,
and one may hope that the Heron will eventually spread
to other parts of the vast Metropolis. The Heron seeks
most of its food by the waterside or in swampy places.
Here it may be seen standing motionless and watchful
waiting to pounce upon some small fish or frog, or
walking sedately about in quest of some lizard or small
animal. It is one of the wariest of our native birds,
conscious that its large size attracts notice, and hurries
off the moment danger is detected, unfolding its broad
wings and rising with mighty sweeps, its long legs raised
up in a line with the head, which is held well between
the shoulders. It often flies far to feed, and during the
nesting season is a familiar object in the sky, passing to
and from its nest. Its loud, trumpet-like call is heard
most frequently during flight ; but at the nest especially,
where the birds are somewhat quarrelsome, a series of
grunting croaks may often be heard. The Heron begins
nesting near London almost as soon as the Rook, and the
eggs are laid during March and April. The same woods
are used year by year, and the nests are built in close
proximity. The nest is a huge massed platform of sticks,
often the accumulation of years, mixed with turf and
moss as a sort of lining in some cases but not in all.
The three to five eggs are greenish blue. When the
trees are approached the big birds rise fluttering through
the branches, and at a great height sail to and fro watching
the fate of their homes. At Richmond the Herons may
be watched standing on their nests or perched on the
3°9
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
branches, from time to time flying backwards and for-
wards, whilst every now and then birds come up from
the river or depart in quest of food.
The adult Heron has a broad black stripe on each side
of the head, reaching on to the nape, where it forms a
long, drooping crest of several narrow plumes ; a series
of black spots extends down the fore neck, extending into
a broad black stripe on each side of the breast and
abdomen ; the primaries, secondaries and primary coverts
are greyish black ; the remaining wing-coverts, the
flanks, rump, upper tail-coverts, tail, scapulars, and mantle
are delicate slate-grey ; the lower back is of the same
colour, the feathers white at the tip and prolonged into
a plume, as are the feathers on the lower neck ; the re-
mainder of the plumage is white. Bill and naked skin
at the base yellow ; tarsi and toes brown ; irides yellow.
Length 36 inches. The female has not quite so long
a crest as the male. In the young in first plumage the
crest is very short, the upper parts are suffused with
brown, the elongated plumes on the back and neck are
wanting, and the black on the breast and abdomen is
replaced by greyish brown.
310
THE GREAT-CRESTED GREBE
PODICEPS CRIST ATUS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " Loon " (Essex).
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A somewhat scarce and
local resident, commonest in England and Wales, rare in
Ireland and the south of Scotland ; more widely dis-
persed in winter than in summer, and at the former
season frequenting the coasts.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Great-crested Grebe seems to be increasing
as a breeding species in the Metropolitan area. The
nearest breeding haunt to the city known to me is the
lake in Wimbledon Park, some seven miles from the
Cathedral. Another nesting-place is at the Penn Ponds
in Richmond Park, open to every observer ; whilst a
third is the lake in Osterley Park, on the nine-mile radius.
During winter this Grebe casually wanders to waters
much nearer the City, and is then seen in localities remote
from its breeding resorts. It has been seen on the Thames
between Charing Cross and Waterloo Bridges, and at the
reservoirs at Barnes. It appears to be rarer in the east
than in the west and south. I have a record from
Kingsbury Reservoir in winter, and I believe the bird
occasionally visits Elstree and the Welsh Harp. Records
of the species from Kent are meagre,and much concerning
its Metropolitan distribution requires investigation.
The Great-crested Grebe, like the Coot, prefers a
large open sheet of water, where it has plenty of room
to retire from the banks when threatened by danger.
Although it can fly well enough when necessary, this bird
lives almost entirely in the water, where its diving powers
are amazing. It seldom visits the land, and here its
movements are awkward and shuffling. At some of its
London haunts the bird may be watched gracefully
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
floating or swimming to and fro far away from the banks
near the centre of the pool. As if conscious of its safety,
it may be seen picking insects from the water or from
the stems of the aquatic plants, and at intervals diving
beneath the surface. It might almost be said to fly to
and fro through the water, so deft are its movements.
If a pair of Grebes are in company one only dives as a
rule, the other remaining on the surface as if on the
look-out ; but sometimes both disappear together, and
indulge in aquatic gambols, chasing each other hither
and thither in sportive play. During the nesting season
the female may be noticed diving again and again and
bringing bunches of weed from the bottom to add to her
nest. The male sometimes joins her in her dive, but
seldom brings up any material. The food of this Grebe
consists of small fishes, aquatic insects, frogs, molluscs,
seeds, and tender buds and shoots of plants. Its note is a
shrill kik or kek, and during the breeding season both birds
utter a harsh, grunting cry. It breeds in April, May, and
June, and probably pairs for life, nesting regularly in the
same spots. It is to a great extent gregarious even during
summer, and in places where it is at all common numbers
of nests are built in one vicinity. The big nest, composed
of decaying aquatic vegetation, with a shallow cavity at
the top, lined wth similar but finer material, is as often as
not a floating raft moored to the flags and reeds. Other
nests have their foundation at the bottom of shallower
water. They are added to at intervals to resist the in-
roads of the lapping waves. The three to five eggs are
white and chalky, but the interior of the shell is green,
and very elliptical in form. When disturbed the sitting
bird is careful to cover her eggs with bits of wet weed
before leaving them. The young chicks are equally at
home in the water.
The adult male Great-crested Grebe has the general
colour of the upper parts below the neck greyish brown,
312
THE GREAT-CRESTED GREBE
each feather with a pale brown margin ; the lesser wing-
coverts form a white band along the carpal region ; the
secondaries and the under parts generally are white,
shading into brown on the flanks, which are further
mottled with chestnut ; the forehead, crown, hind neck,
and crest of two " horns " dark brown ; the lores and
throat are white, shading into the chestnut of the bushy
nuptial tippet, which is margined with black. Bill red ;
tarsi and lobed toes olive-green ; irides crimson. Length
20 inches. The female has the tippet and " horns "
less developed. After the autumn moult these orna-
ments are lost by both sexes. The young in first plumage
closely resemble this winter dress of the adult. The
young in down have the head, neck, and under parts
white, the rest of the upper parts brown ; there are black
stripes on the upper parts, and the breast and the cheeks
are grey. There are also two black stripes across the
bill.
313
THE LITTLE GREBE
PODICEPS MINOR
LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " Dobchick "
(Essex).
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A common and widely
distributed resident.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Little Grebe breeds commonly, and in a
perfectly wild state, about a mile and a half from the
Cathedral, in St. James's Park. Four or five pairs fre-
quent this locality. I believe the bird also nests in
Battersea Park, at Kew, and possibly in Regent's Park.
I have records of this Grebe from the Serpentine, and
from one or two reservoirs at no great distance from the
central districts. In the more rural and secluded suburbs
the Little Grebe becomes more widely dispersed, and I
have so many records of its presence in all directions
that an enumeration of them is scarcely necessary. On the
other hand, the bird appears to be somewhat capricious
in selecting its haunts, and I have known it to frequent
certain spots right through the winter, yet desert them in
spring, although apparently suitable in every way for
nesting purposes. The smallest pools and drains will
often afford this Grebe a refuge, and in winter it is given
to much wandering. It occurs in some numbers on the
ponds about Northolt and Uxbridge, the latter, however,
being just without our limits, but within a few minutes'
ride or walk of them.
The habits and movements of the Little Grebe may be
readily observed within a few minutes' walk of the busy
Strand, in St. James's Park. The bird is nothing nearly
so shy and wary as the preceding species, and will fearlessly
swim about the ornamental water there quite close to the
bank. It is just as expert a diver as its larger ally, and its
3H
i. Little Grebe. 2. Pochard. 3. Tufted Duck. 4. Mallard.
THE LITTLE GREBE
movements on the land are much more graceful. It
seldom flies far, although able enough to make a prolonged
journey in the air. Its note is a shrill ueet. If alarmed
its usual method of escape is to dive with the quickness of
a flash, rising again many yards away, and diving again and
again if pursued. Most of its food is obtained from the
water, and consists of tiny fish, tadpoles, insects, molluscs,
and the tender shoots and buds of plants. I have often
remarked that Little Grebes in the remoter suburban
areas are very much more wary than those individuals
frequenting the parks. In some cases at least this bird
gathers into flocks for the winter, but in summer it is a
solitary species, each pair keeping to a particular haunt
and resenting intrusion. The breeding season com-
mences in March, and, as several broods are reared, is
usually prolonged into July or August. The nest, more
or less floating, and built up from the bottom of the water,
is concealed amongst reeds and rushes, but sometimes
rests on the marshy ground of the banks, hidden by
overhanging brambles and other vegetation. It is a
heaped-up mass of rotten vegetation of many kinds,
trodden and matted together, with a small cavity at the
top rather more neatly finished. The four to six eggs
are lustreless white, and soon become stained by the wet
nest and feet of the parents. The old bird covers them
with marvellous celerity when disturbed, and before
leaving them. The chicks take to the water at once, and
are often carried under the parent's wings as she dives
with them to a place of safety.
The adult male Little Grebe in breeding plumage has
the general colour of the upper parts brownish black ;
the wings are brown, the secondaries marked with white ;
the chin, upper throat, and space below the eye are
black ; the lower throat, the cheeks, and the front of the
neck are chestnut, the remaining under parts brownish
black, except the under surface of the wing, which is
315
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
white. Bill black, yellow at the tip, and light green
round the gape ; tarsi and lobed toes olive-green, palest
on the webs ; irides brown. Length Si- inches. The
female is a trifle smaller and paler in general colour. In
winter plumage the upper parts are brown, darkest on the
head, and the under parts are mostly white. The young
in first plumage resemble the adults in winter dress, and
the young in down have the head, neck, and upper parts
black striped with chestnut, and the under parts white
including a V-shaped mark on the throat.
THE MALLARD
ANAS BOSCH AS
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A common and widely
distributed resident, increased in numbers in autumn by
migrants, and given to much internal wandering during
the non-breeding season.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : Although the Mallard is of most frequent
occurrence during winter there are various places com-
paratively close to the City where it habitually nests. It
may rightly be classed as a local resident within the Metro-
politan area, its nearest breeding-places being probably
Hyde Park and at Wanstead, Epping, and Richmond. In
the latter locality a few pairs nest regularly in Richmond
Park. I have been informed that this Duck also breeds in
Osterley Park, about the Wembley district, at Kingsbury,
and in the vicinity of Pinner, Harrow, and Elstree, but
have no personal confirmation of the fact to offer. I have
evidence of its doing so in the Epsom, Banstead, and
Croydon areas, as well as in the Kentish Grays. During
winter the Mallard pays more or less fleeting visits to
many of the waters within our limits, in some cases in
considerable numbers, and at that season wild birds are
frequently tempted to join their half-captive congeners
on some of the ornamental waters in the urban parks.
The Welsh Harp and the Highgate and Hampstead ponds
used years ago to be frequented by this species, as I know
from personal experience.
There are many semi-wild Mallards on the ornamental
waters of the Metropolis, so that the bird should be
familiar enough to most people. It is by far the com-
monest of the British Ducks, and may often be flushed
from quite small pools and streams. Indeed, it always
317
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
seems to prefer shallow waters, where it can paddle about
and search the mud and vegetation near the bank. It
never dives, but often turns almost perpendicular, with
little more than its tail above the surface, and with rapidly
moving legs and feet to preserve its position searches the
bottom for food. It swims well too, and flies with great
speed and strength, the wings beating rapidly with a
whistling noise, or sometimes held arched and rigid as the
bird skims along for some distance. I have said that it
never dives, in the ordinary acceptance of the term, but it
may often be seen flying under the water with a great
splashing in chase of its mate or companions in a sort of
frolic. It is wary enough in a wild state, and most diffi-
cult to approach, suspicious of everything. In the vicinity
of London it is generally met with in pairs here and there,
but in winter it often assembles into large flocks, which in
some cases consort with other species. It is almost an
omnivorous bird, feeding on vegetable substances, grain of
all kinds, and its animal diet may be said to range from
an insect to a fish. It is a gluttonous eater, and often
traverses long distances in quest of food, which is mostly
sought during night-time. The familiar quack of this
Duck needs no description, but the bird also utters many
other sounds which I find it impossible to express in
writing. The Mallard breeds early, the eggs being laid
in March or April. The bird pairs for life, and the nest
is generally made on the ground in some quiet spot, very
often far from water, amongst grain, bracken, or heath.
Sometimes it is made in a hole in a tree, amongst ivy — as I
once knew in Hyde Park — or even in the old nest of a
Rook or a Crow. When on the ground it is a mere
hollow lined with fern-fronds, bits of heath, and dry grass,
but as the eggs are deposited a warm, thick bed of down is
added. The eggs, from eight to sixteen, are buffish green
or greenish buff. The drake takes no share in rearing the
brood, nor is he ever seen near the nest. The young are
318
THE MALLARD
tended most carefully by the duck and she is most
courageous in shielding them from harm.
I need not take up space by describing this species in
detail, as it is only too well known, but mention may be
made of the curious eclipse which the drake enters whilst
moulting his flight feathers. He then assumes a dress
very similar to that of the female, probably from motives
of protection, when he is unable to fly, and when his
ordinary gay attire would more readily betray him to
enemies. The purple speculum in the wing is a diag-
nostic character of the Mallard. Length about 24 inches.
319
THE COMMON TEAL
NETTION CRECCA
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A common and widely
distributed resident in all suitable localities, especially
in the north ; largely increased in numbers in autumn
by migrants, and subject to much wandering during the
non-breeding season.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Teal has been recorded as breeding in
Richmond Park, but possibly the fact is an exceptional
one, as competent observers fail even to record the bird
even as a casual visitor to that locality. I have no
evidence to show that the Teal breeds anywhere within
the Metropolitan area. It may do so in the more remote
and rural suburbs, and I should like to be acquainted
with any fact to confirm it. At present I can only say
that the Teal is an occasional visitor to many waters
within our radius during winter, and that it possibly
resorts to some of the more centrally situated lakes to
fraternise with the half-wild Ducks that frequent them.
I have records of this bird from Osterley and Kingsbury
and I believe examples have frequently been obtained
in the Harrow, Wembley, and Epping districts. It is
also known as a winter visitor to Wanstead, and there are
certain mill-dams in Surrey where it is to be found every
winter.
Many Teal reach our islands in September, but
larger numbers do so in October. During winter it is
more or less gregarious, associating also with other species.
It is partial to ponds and lakes where the banks afford
plenty of cover, and prefers fresh water to the coast. Its
flight is rapid and powerful ; it swims well and buoyantly,
but it does not dive, obtaining its food in the shallows or
320
THE COMMON TEAL
on the banks. This is sought for by day and by night in
localities where it is not molested, but in some places
where persecution teaches it wanness it feeds during
darkness alone. It will then be found to pass the day on
large, open sheets of water well out from shore, retiring at
dusk to the smaller pools and marshes to feed, passing
certain routes with much regularity. It searches for
food in much the same manner as the Mallard, and its
diet is almost as varied. Its alarm-note is a low quack,
and the call-note a harsh cr-r-rik. It breeds in May, on
the margin of some marshy pond, and probably pairs for
life. The nest is made on the ground, sheltered by
brambles, or concealed amongst heath, sedges, and coarse
grass, and is made of dry grass and scraps of withered
herbage, warmly lined with down from the duck's body.
The eggs are eight or ten, creamy white or buffish white,
sometimes with a greenish tinge.
The Teal is so well known that a long description may
be dispensed with. I may, however, give the diagnostic
characters which will enable the student to identify this
species in any plumage. The bill is shorter than the head,
and does not taper towards the tip ; there is no fringe of
soft membrane near the tip of the apical portion ; the
central tail-feathers are acuminate, and extend slightly
beyond the outer ones ; whilst the scapulars and tertials
are longer than in a Widgeon. The head is partly
metallic green, the top of the head chestnut, like the
cheeks ; the lower scapulars are white, edged with white
on the outer web (male) ; the alar speculum is black, and
the wing under 7 inches in length (female). Length
inches.
321
THE WIGEON
MARECA PENELOPE
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : Common winter visitor,
most abundant in autumn, a few breeding in Scotland
and Ireland.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Wigeon is familiar to most Londoners,
because it is kept on so many of the ornamental waters
in the large urban parks. Wild Wigeon also visit the
Metropolitan area in varying numbers every winter.
Numbers of Wigeon used to frequent a certain mill-dam
in North Surrey every winter, and I have known them
linger in this spot so late into the spring that I was led
to hope they might pass the summer there. This never
happened, however, and they left to a bird sooner or
later, reappearing the following winter. It would be
difficult to enumerate all the Metropolitan waters where
the Wigeon has been observed during the winter months.
The bird may be seen on most lakes where fowl congregate
at this season, Kingsbury being, or used to be, a favourite
resort ; Wanstead and Epping are others. There is
reason to believe that wild Wigeon occasionally consort
with their captive congeners on some of the ornamental
waters of the Metropolis.
The Wigeon commences to arrive in our islands at
the end of September, and from then onwards through
the autumn its numbers increase. The return to the
north begins in March, and continues through April.
It is more or less gregarious during the whole winter,
although this fact is not apparent in the London area,
where its visits are irregular and in small numbers only.
During its stay with us it is for the most part a coast
bird. It flies well and powerfully, but with little noise ;
322
THE WIGEON
swims well, but does not dive for food, only when wounded.
It also spends a good deal of time on land, but is always
excessively wary and shy. Its cry is very characteristic,
a clear and loud mee-ow, or wee-ow. Its food largely
consists of grass, buds, leaves, and shoots of plants, insects,
shrimps and molluscs. It feeds by day and by night
if left unmolested, but at night only where it is much
disturbed. A few Wigeon breed in Scotland and Ire-
land, but the majority repair to the Arctic regions for
that purpose. The nest is made in May or June, well
concealed near the waterside, and made of dry grass
and other vegetation, lined with down. The six to ten
eggs are creamy white or buffish white. Like other
Ducks the female carefully covers them when voluntarily
leaving the nest.
No detailed description of the Wigeon is necessary,
but the following diagnostic characters will readily
identify the species. The upper tail-coverts are grey,
the under tail-coverts black ; the upper part of the head
is buff in the male ; in the female the head is chestnut
spotted with black. Length 18 to 20 inches.
323
THE POCHARD
NTROCA FERINA
LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " Dunbird,"
" Red-headed Dunbird " (Essex).
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : Best known as a common
winter visitor, but breeds locally in many parts of England,
Scotland, and Ireland.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Pochard nests in some numbers every year
at the Tring Reservoirs, in Hertfordshire, some thirty
miles only from the Metropolis. It is also found on
Virginia Water, some twenty-three miles from London,
but I am unable to say whether it breeds there. The
bird also nests commonly in South Norfolk. It is not
surprising, therefore, that the Pochard visits many of the
Metropolitan waters during winter, and may sometimes
be seen upon them in considerable numbers. Flocks
of this Duck may be seen in winter on the Penn Ponds
in Richmond Park and it is a fairly frequent visitor to
Wanstead. Pochards also resort to Kingsbury Reser-
voir, the Welsh Harp, Osterley, Wimbledon Park, and
various sheets of water in North Surrey and Kent.
I am of opinion that individuals of this species from
time to time consort with the wild-fowl on the lakes
in the various London parks. During migration
numbers must actually cross over the Metropolis, and
are doubtless tempted to alight in these localities by
their half-wild congeners.
The migratory Pochards that winter in our islands
only reach them in October, and leave them in March
and April. The Pochard belongs to the Diving Ducks
(Fvligulinar), a sub-family of the Anatidce, distinguished
by having a pendent lobe or membrane attached to the
hind toe, and the tarsi are scutellated in front. All
THE POCHARD
these Ducks habitually dive for their food. The Pochard
spends most of its time on the water, swimming and
diving, rarely visiting the land, where its gait is awkward
and waddling. It dives with the same celerity as a
Grebe. It is capable of rapid flight, but its progress
when just rising is rather slow and laboured. It feeds
both by day and night. Its principal food is of a vegetable
nature — water weeds and marine plants — but insects,
worms, molluscs, and crustaceans are also sought. It
frequents fresh water as well as the sea, and during winter
is more or less gregarious. In our islands the Pochard
breeds in May, and the nest, always placed near to fresh
water, is made amongst the dense, coarse vegetation round
the banks, and in many cases is a floating structure. It
is made of dry grass and other vegetable refuse, lined with
down. The eight to fourteen eggs are greenish grey.
The note of this Duck is a harsh kurr.
The diagnostic characters of the Pochard are the
chestnut head and neck, and white vermiculated with
black lower back (male) ; the white axillaries, white
vermiculations on the upper parts, and absence of a
white speculum (female). Length 17 to 19 inches.
325
THE TUFTED DUCK
FULIGULA CRISTATA
LOCAL names in surrounding counties :
STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A fairly common and
widely distributed winter visitor, breeding locally
throughout our islands.
RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST.
PAUL'S : The Tufted Duck is observed every winter in
some part or another of the Metropolitan area. I
strongly suspect that wild birds occasionally join the
wildfowl on the Serpentine and other ornamental waters,
and it is a more or less regular visitor to the larger
reservoirs, Kingsbury, the Welsh Harp, and so forth.
I have seen this bird on the Penn Ponds in Richmond
Park ; it frequents at times the large lake in Wimbledon
Park ; whilst I have records of it from sheets of water
in the Wembley and Northolt districts. Some localities
are much more favoured than others, whilst the numbers
vary a good deal in successive winters. It is just one
of those species that may be casually met with in winter
on almost any large expanse of water anywhere within
our limits. The Tring Reservoirs, some thirty miles
from London, are a favourite winter resort of the Tufted
Duck, and it is very probable that some of the individuals
seen on the waters of our northern suburbs are wanderers
from this locality. On the Essex side I may mention
Wanstead as a resort of this species.
Those Tufted Ducks that winter in the British Islands
migrate to them in October or November, and retire
in March and April. The bird migrates at night, and
during its stay with us is not only gregarious, but often
consorts with other species, and frequents fresh water
as well as the coast. Its habits are much the same as
those of the preceding, but it is more nocturnal, and
326
THE TUFTED DUCK
obtains its food chiefly at night. It flies well and power-
fully, the noise of its rapidly beating wings being very
characteristic in this species. It swims well, sitting
rather low in the water, and is a wonderful diver, re-
maining on occasion as much as a minute below the
surface. It passes the day generally well out from shore,
sleeping on the water, rarely visiting land. Its note,
not often heard, is a harsh kurr. Its food consists of
aquatic insects, worms, grubs, lizards, frogs, and small
fishes, together with the roots, stems, leaves, or buds
of water plants. In our islands the nest is made in May.
This is placed amongst the vegetation on the banks of
some mere or pond, and is made of dry grass and other
vegetable scraps, lined with down. The eight or ten
eggs are greenish buff, and the female takes sole charge
of the young.
The diagnostic characters of the Tufted Duck are the
metallic green and purple crown and neck, the con-
spicuous crest, and the scarcely perceptible vermiculations
on the upper parts (male) ; the white axillaries and
alar speculum, and dark brown, unvermiculated head,
neck, and upper parts (female). Length 16 to 17 inches.
The SCAUP (Fuligula marila) is a thorough salt-water
species which occasionally visits the Metropolitan area.
I find it recorded from Wanstead as a casual winter
wanderer. The diagnostic characters of the male are
the metallic green and purple crown and neck and the
white vermiculated with black lower back and scapulars ;
of the female, the white alar speculum and axillaries,
and the varying amount of white vermiculations on the
upper parts. Length 18 inches.
In conclusion I may also add that SWANS (CYGNIN^:)
and GEESE (ANSERINE) are accidental visitors to the
Metropolitan area, and pass over it in some numbers
during their spring and autumn migrations. V-shaped
flocks of Geese may frequently be detected at a vast
327
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
height winging their way over London, too high to be
identified. The Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) is also a
dweller on many of our ornamental waters, and numbers
live in a semi-wild state on the Thames and elsewhere.
A pair last year (1908) hatched a brood on the Paddington
Canal near Willesden. Eton College enjoys the privilege
of keeping Swans on the Thames, which mostly belongs to
the Crown. The bird is of great historical interest to
Londoners, and it enters largely into the Royal and
civic life of the Metropolis.
^Finally, mention may be made here of the many
exotic species of Wild-fowl that live in more or less freedom
upon or near the various ornamental sheets of water in
the Metropolis. They are very interesting, and many of
them are very beautiful birds ; but their life-history is
quite beyond the scope of the wild bird-life of London.
328
THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON
Local List for
SPECIES
REMARKS
329
INDEX
Accentor modularis, 58
Accipiter nisus, 19
Acredula rosea, 114
Acrocephalus arundinaceus, 64
Acrocepbalus phragmitis, 67
.Egialitis hiaticula, 272
JEgialitis major, 272, 273
Alauda arbor ea, 136
Alauda arvensis, 133
Alee do ispida, 246
Ampelis garrulus, 194
Analytical Table of the Birds of
London, 8
Anas boschas, 317
ANSERINE, 327
Anthus arbor eus, 127
Anthus pratensis, 130
Ardea cinerea^ 308
y^j/o <?^/j, 25
B
BARN Owl, 8, 21
Birds, History of British, 81
Birds, study of, in London, 2
Blackbird, 8, 27
Blackcap, 9, 78
Brambling, 9, 154
Bullfinch, 10, 181
Bunting, Cirl, 9, 143
Bunting, Common, 9, 138
Bunting, Reed, 9, 146
Bunting, Snow, 9, 149
Bunting, Yellow, 9, 140
Caccabis rufa, 266
Caprimulgus europ&us, 249
Carduelis elegans, 168
Certhia familiaris, 98
Chaffinch, 9, 151
Charadrius pluvialis, 267
Chelidon urbica, 222
Chiffchaff, 9, 89
Coccothraustes vulgar is, 162
Columba cenas, 255
Columba palumbus, 252
Coot, II, 305
Corvus cor ax, 199
Corvus cornix, 205
Corvus corone, 202
Corvus frugilegus, 207
Corvus monedula, 210
Coturnix communis, 266
Cotyle riparia, 225
Crake, Corn, II, 299
Crake, Spotted, n, 301
Creeper, 9, 98
porzana, 301
pratensis, 299
Crossbill, 10, 183
Crow, Carrion, 10, 202
Crow, Hooded, 10, 205
Cuckoo, 10, 243
Cuculus canorus, 243
Curlew, ii, 278
Curlew, Stone, II, 273
CYGNIN^E, 327
Cygnus olor, 328
Cypselus apus, 10, 228
331
INDEX
D
DAULIAS luscinia, 45
Dove, Ring, 10, 252
Dove, Rock, 257
Dove, Stock, 10, 255
Dove, Turtle, 10, 258
Duck, Tufted, II, 326
E
Ember iza cirlus, 143
Ember iza citrinella, 140
Emberiza miliaria, 138
Ember iza nivalis, 149
Emberiza schce nidus, 9, 146
Erithacus rubecula, 42
Exotic species, 5
Falco peregrinus, 12
Falco subbuteo, 14
Falco tinnunculus, 16
Falcon, Peregrine, 8, 12
Fieldfare, 8, 32
Flycatcher, Pied, 10, 189
Flycatcher, Spotted, 10, 186
Fork-tailed Petrel in London, 3
Fringilla c&lebs, 151
Fringilla montifringilla, 154
Fulica atra, 305
Fuligula cristata, 326
Fuligula mania, 327
Gallinago scolopacina, II, 287
Gallinula chloropus, 302
Game-dealers' shops, birds in, 4
Garrulus glandarius, 216
Gatke, Herr, 3
Gecinus viridis, 231
Geese, n, 327
Goldcrest, 9, 92 ; in Big Wheel, 4
Goldfinch, 10, 168
332
Grebe, Great-crested, n, 311
Grebe, Little, n, 314
Greenfinch, 10, 165
Guillemot, 1 1 ; in Thames, 3
Gull, Black-headed, II, 293
Gull, Herring, 297
Gull, Lesser Black-backed, 297
Gulls and Terns, other, 297
Gulls, Common, 297
H
HAWFINCH, 10, 162
Hedge Accentor, 9, 58
Heligoland, 3
Helodromas ochropus, 277
Heron, u, 308
Hirundo rustic a, 219
History of British Birds, 81
Hobby, 8, 14
Hydrochelidon nigra, 298
I
INTRODUCTION, I
lynx torquilla, 240
J
JACKDAW 10, 210
Jay, 10, 216
K
KESTREL, 8, 16
Kingfisher, 10, 246
Kittiwakes, 297
Lanius collurio, 191
Lapwing, II, 269
LARIN^:, 297
Lark, Wood, 9, 136
Lams argentatus, 297
Larus canus, 297
INDEX
Larus fuscus, 297
Larus ridibundus, 293
Ligurinus chloris, 165
Limnocryptes gallinula, 290
Linnet, 10, 176
Linota cannabina, 176
Linota flavirostris, 179
Linota rufescens, 173
Local List, 329
Locustella ncevia, 61
London County Council, 6
London, migration over, 4 ; Pigeon
colonies of, 257
London's remarkable bird records, 3
Long-eared Owl, 8, 25
Loxia curvirostra, 183
M
MAGPIE, 10, 213
Mallard, n, 317
Mareca -penelo-pe, 322
Martin, House, 10, 222
Martin, Sand, 10, 225
Merula torquata, 30
Merula vulgaris, 27
Metropolis, casual visitors to, 3 ;
gradual extension of range of
birds in, 5
Missel-Thrush, 8, 39
Motacilla alba, 120
Motacilla rait, 124
Motacilla sulphurea, 122
Motacilla yarrelli, 117
Muscicapa atricapilla, 189
Muscicapa grisola, 186
N
NATURE- KNOWLEDGE, I
Nature-study, I, 6
Nettion crecca, 320
Nightingale, 8, 45
Nightjar, 10, 249
Numenius arquata, 278
Numenius phaeopus, 281
Nuthatch, 9, 101
Nyroca ferina, 324
O
(Edicnemus crepitans, 273
Open spaces, bird-life in, 5
Open-air Studies in Bird-Life, 293
Osprey, at Richmond, 3
PARKS and open spaces, keeper for, 6
Parks, bird-life in, 5
Partridge, II, 264
Partridge, Red-legged, II, 266
Parus ater (sub-sp. britannicus), no
Parus cceruleus, 107
Parus major, 104
Parus palustris, 112
Passer domesiicus, 157
Passer montanus, 1 60
Perdix cinerea, 264
Phasianus colchicusy 261
Pheasant, 10, 261
Phylloscopus rufus, 89
Pkylloscopus sibilatrix, 84
Phylloscopus trochilus, 87
Pica caudata, 10, 213
Picus major, 234
Picus minor, 237
Pigeon colonies of London, 257
Pipit, Meadow, 9, 130
Pipit, Tree, 9, 127
Plover, Golden, n, 267
Plover, Greater Ringed, II, 273
Plover, Grey, n, 268
Plover, Ringed, n, 272
Pochard, n, 324
Podiceps cristatus, 311
Podiceps minor, 314
Pratincola rubetra, 53
Pratincola rubicola, 56
333
INDEX
Puffin, 1 1 ; in Brook Street, 3
Pyrrhula vulgar is, 181
QUAIL, n, 266
Q
R
RAIL, Water, II, 301
Rallus aquaticus, 301
Raven, 10, 199
Redpole, Lesser, 10, 173
Redshank, II, 277
Redstart, 8, 49
Redwing, 8, 34
Regulus cristatus, 92
Ring-Ouzel, 8, 30
Rissa tridactylus, 297
Robin, 8, 42
Rook, 10, 207
Ruticilla phcenicurus, 49
SANDPIPER, Common, n, 275
Sandpiper, Green, n, 277
Sandpiper, Wood, II, 277
Saxicola cenanthe, 51
Scaup, 11, 327
School museum, 8
Schools, nature-study in, 7
Scolopax rusticula, 284
Shrike, Red-backed, 10, 191
Siskin, 10, 171
Sitta ccesia, 101
Skylark, 9, 133
Smew, II
Snipe, Common, n, 287
Snipe, Jack, n, 290
Song Thrush, 8, 36
Sparrow, House, 9, 157
Sparrow, Tree, 9, 160
Sparrow-Hawk, 8, 19
Species banished from London, 2
Squatarola helvetica, 268
334
Starling, 10, 196
Sterna arctica, 298
Sterna cantiaca, 298
Sterna hirundo, 298
STERNIN^:, 297
Stonechat, 8, 56
Stormy Petrel in London, 3
Strix flammea, 21
Sturnus vulgar is, 196
Swallow, 10, 219
Swan, Mute, 328
Swans, II, 327
Swift, 10, 228
Swift, Alpine, 3
Sylvia atricapilla, 78
Sylvia cinerea, 70
Sylvia curruca, 73
Sylvia hortensis, 75
Sylvia provincialis, 81
Syrnium aluco, 23
TAWNY Owl, 8, 23
Teal, Common, n, 320
Tern, Arctic, 298
Tern, Black, 298
Tern, Common, 298
Tern, Sandwich, 298
Terns, 298
Titmouse, Blue, 9, 107
Titmouse, Coal, 9, 1 10
Titmouse, Great, 9, 104
Titmouse, Long-tailed, 9, 114
Titmouse, Marsh, 9, 112
Totanus calidris, 277
Totanus glareola, 277
Totanus hypoleucus, 275
Troglodytes parvulus, 95
Turdus iliacus, 34
1 ' urdus musicus, 36
Turdus pilaris, 32
Turdus viscivorus, 39
Turtur auritus, 258
Twite, 10, 179
INDEX
Vanellus cristatus, 269
W
WAGTAIL, Grey, 9, 122
Wagtail, Pied, 9, 117
Wagtail, White, 9, 120
Wagtail, Yellow, 9, 124
Warbler, Dartford, 9, 81
Warbler, Garden, 9, 75
Warbler, Grasshopper, 9, 61
Warbler, Reed, 9, 64
Warbler, Sedge, 9, 67 ; at Islington,
Warbler, Willow, 9, 87
Warbler, Wood, 9, 84
Water Hen, n, 302
Waxwing, 10, 194
Wheatear, 8, 5 1
Whimbrel, Common, n, 281
Whinchat, 8, 53
Whitethroat, 9, 70
Whitethroat, Lesser, 9, 73
Wigeon, II, 322
Wild-fowl, exotic, 328
Woodcock, n, 284; in Strand, 4
Woodpecker, Great Spotted, 10, 234
Woodpecker, Green, 10, 231
Woodpecker, Lesser Spotted, 10, 237
Wren, 9, 95
Wryneck, 10, 240
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