—And Nests
The gulls are in London only out of the breeding season. What most astonishes, in this really wonderful record, is the number of birds that breed in the Royal Parks. Kew Gardens
was full of nests of species as different as partridge, wood- pecker and willow warbler; and both bullfinches and gold- finches found the variety of spring buds greatly to their taste. In Richmond Park the nests of no fewer than 56 different species were found. There would be many more successful hatchings in London if it were not for stray cats and for carrion crows. One of the little tragedies of my own remem- brance was the destruction of a family of chiffchaffs by a Dulwich cat. Another was the attack of a crow on the eggs of a greater crested grebe on one of the reservoirs ; and a third the killing of a full-grown duck by a carrion crow in Richmond Park.
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