Some of those who watch birds in London have records
that countrymen in the wildest districts of the West might envy. Not long since two species of the great Northern divers, such as Thoreau described as among the more precious denizens of Walden, where he built his lonely hut, have recently been frequenting one of the big water reservoirs just outside London. Well within London a naturalist was amazed to come upon no fewer than seven goosander—a rare and marvellous sight —as well as a number of smews. The greater-crested grebe is a regular inhabitant of many of the reservoirs, as I have seen, and would nest successfully on one of them if it could evade the abnormally shrewd eyes of those harpies, the jack- daws. The number of duck is legion ; and the multitude, as Well as the variety, rather greater than you would find at any one resort, say, on the west coast of Ireland.
Previous page
