| [CHAPTER I] |
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| THE BIRDS AND THE BOOK |
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| PAGE |
| A handbook of London birds considered—Reasons for notwriting it—Changes in the character of the wild birdpopulation, and supposed cause—The London sparrow—Itsabundance—Bread-begging habits—Monotony—Itsbest appearance—Beautiful finches—Value of openspaces—The sparrows’ afternoon tea in Hyde Park—Purposeof this book | 1 |
| [CHAPTER II] |
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| CROWS IN LONDON |
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| A short general account of the London crows—The magpie—Thejay—London ravens—The Enfield ravens—TheHyde Park ravens—The Tower ravens—The carrioncrow, rook, and jackdaw | 20 |
| [CHAPTER III] |
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| THE CARRION CROW IN THE BALANCE |
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| The crow in London—Persecuted in the royal parks—Degradationof Hyde Park—Ducks in the Serpentine:howthey are thinned—Shooting a chicken with arevolver—Habits of the Hyde Park mallard—Anecdotes—Numberof London crows—The crow a long-livedbird: a bread-eater—Anecdote—Seeks its food on theriver—The crow as a pet—Anecdotes | 32 |
| [CHAPTER IV] |
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| THE LONDON DAW |
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| Rarity of the daw in London—Pigeons and daws compared—Æstheticvalue of the daw as a cathedral bird—KensingtonPalace daws; their disposition and habits—Friendshipwith rooks—Wandering daws at ClissoldPark—Solitary daws—Mr. Mark Melford’s birds—Rescueof a hundred daws—The strange history of anegg-stealing daw—White daws—White ravens—Willughby’sspeculations—A suggestion | 52 |
| [CHAPTER V] |
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| EXPULSION OF THE ROOKS |
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| Positions of the rook and crow compared—Gray’s InnGardens rookery—Break-up of the old, and futileattempt of the birds to establish new rookeries—Therooks a great loss to London—Why the rook is esteemed—Incidentsin the life of a tame rook—A first sight ofthe Kensington Gardens rookery—The true history ofthe expulsion of the rooks—A desolate scene, and avision of London beautified | 68 |
| [CHAPTER VI] |
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| RECENT COLONISTS |
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| The wood-pigeon in Kensington Gardens—Its increase—Itsbeauty and charm—Perching on Shakespeare’s statue inLeicester Square—Change of habits—The moorhen—Itsappearanceand habits—An æsthetic bird—Its increase—Thedabchick in London—Its increase—Appearanceand habits—At Clissold Park—The stock-dove in London | 89 |
| [CHAPTER VII] |
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| LONDON’S LITTLE BIRDS |
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| Number of species, common and uncommon—The Londonsparrow—His predominance, hardiness, and intelligence—Apet sparrow—Breeding irregularities—A love-sickbird—Sparrow shindies: their probable cause—‘Sparrowchapels’—Evening in the parks—The starling—His independence—Characteristics—Blackbird,thrush, androbin—White blackbirds—The robin—Decrease inLondon—Habits and disposition | 104 |
| [CHAPTER VIII] |
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| MOVEMENTS OF LONDON BIRDS |
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| Migration as seen in London—Swallows in the parks—Fieldfares—Aflock of wild geese—Autumn movementsof resident species—Wood-pigeons—A curious habit—Dabchicksand moorhens—Crows and rooks—ThePalace daws—Starlings—Robins—A Tower robin andthe Tower sparrows—Passage birds in the parks—Smallbirds wintering in London—Influx of birdsduring severe frosts—Occasional visitors—The black-headedgull—A winter scene in St. James’s Park | 129 |
| [CHAPTER IX] |
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| A SURVEY OF THE PARKS: WEST LONDON |
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| A general survey of the metropolitan parks—West London—Centralparks, with Holland Park—A bird’s highway—Decreaseof songsters—The thrush in KensingtonGardens—Suggestions—Owls in Kensington Gardens—OtherWest London open spaces—Ravenscourt Parkas it was and as it is | 151 |
| [CHAPTER X] |
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| NORTH-WEST AND NORTH LONDON |
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| Open spaces on the borders of West London—The Scrubs,Old Oak Common, and Kensal Green Cemetery—North-westdistrict—Paddington Recreation Ground, KilburnPark, and adjoining open spaces—Regent’s Park described—Attractiveto birds, but not safe—HampsteadHeath: its character and bird life—The ponds—A pairof moorhens—An improvement suggested—North Londondistricts—Highgate Woods, Churchyard BottomWood, Waterlow Park, and Highgate Cemetery—FinsburyPark—A paradise of thrushes—Clissold Park andAbney Park Cemetery | 171 |
| [CHAPTER XI] |
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| EAST LONDON |
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| Condition of the East district—Large circular group ofopen spaces—Hackney Downs and London Fields—VictoriaPark with Hackney Common—Smoky atmosphere—Birdlife—Lakes—An improvement suggested—Chaffinchfanciers—Hackney Marsh with North andSouth Mill Fields—Unique character of the Marsh—WhiteHouse Fishery—The vanished sporting times—Anecdotes—Collectionof rare birds—A region ofmarshes—Wanstead Old Park—Woodland character—Birdlife—Heronry and rookery—A suggestion | 192 |
| [CHAPTER XII] |
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| SOUTH-EAST LONDON |
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| General survey of South London—South-east London: itsmost populous portion—Three small open spaces—CamberwellNew Park—Southwark Park—KenningtonPark—Fine shrubberies—Greenwich Park andBlackheath—A stately and depressing park—Mutilatedtrees—The extreme East—Bostell Woods and Heath—Theirpeculiar charm—Woolwich and Plumstead Commons—HillyFields—Peckham Rye and Park—Aremonstrance—Nunhead and Camberwell Cemeteries—DulwichPark—Brockwell Park—The rookery | 216 |
| [CHAPTER XIII] |
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| SOUTH-WEST LONDON |
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| Introductory remarks—Comparative large extent of publicground in South-west London—Battersea Park—Characterand popularity—Bird life—Clapham Common:its present and past character—WandsworthCommon—The yellowhammer—Tooting Common—TootingBec—Questionable improvements—A passionfor swans—Tooting Graveney—Streatham Common—Birdlife—Magpies—Rookery—Bishop’s Park, Fulham—Asuggestion—Barn Elms Park—Barnes Common—Aburial-ground—Birds—Putney Heath, Lower PutneyCommon, and Wimbledon Common—Description—Birdlife—Rookeries—The badger—Richmond Park—Itsvast extent and character—Bird life—Daws—Herons—Thecharm of large soaring birds—KewGardens—List of birds—Unfavourable changes—TheQueen’s private grounds | 237 |
| [CHAPTER XIV] |
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| PROTECTION OF BIRDS IN THE PARKS |
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| Object of this book—Summary of facts contained in previouschapters—An incidental result of changes inprogress—Some degree of protection in all the openspaces, efficient protection in none—Mischievous visitorsto the parks—Bird fanciers and stealers—Thedestructiverough—The barbarians are few—Two incidentsat Clissold Park—Love of birds a common feelingof the people | 270 |
| [CHAPTER XV] |
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| THE CAT QUESTION |
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| The cat’s unchangeable character—A check on the sparrows—Numberof sparrows in London—What becomes ofthe annual increase—No natural check on the parksparrows—Cats in the parks—Story of a cat at BatterseaPark—Rabbits destroyed by cats in Hyde Park—Numberof cats in London—Ownerless cats—Theirmiserable condition—How cats are made ownerless—Howthis evil may be remedied—How to keep cats outof the parks | 284 |
| [CHAPTER XVI] |
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| BIRDS FOR LONDON |
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| Restoration of the rook—The Gray’s Inn rookery—Suggestions—Onattracting rooks—Temple Gardens rookery—Attemptto establish a rookery at Clissold Park—Anew colony of daws—Hawks—Domestic pigeons—Anabuse—Stock-dove and turtle-dove—Ornamental water-fowl,pinioned and unpinioned—Suggestions—Wildwater-fowl in the parks—Small birds for London—Missel-thrush—Nuthatch—Wren—Loudnessa merit—Summervisitants to London—Kingfisher—Hard-billedbirds—A use for the park sparrows—Natural checks—Asanctuary described | 304 |
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| [Bibliography] | 330 |
| [Index] | 331 |