. Birds through the year . ichit finds on the shores ofthe river and the largesuburban reservoirs. Itwill also steal eggs or killA young birds when it ^ The prevalence of thecarrion crow in London isone reason of the diminu-**-* ^BSgjjJ/ tion 0f its more peaceable cousin, the rook, just ascarrion crow the diminution of crows has led to the multiplica-tion of rookeries. Though the rook sometimes developsthe carrion crows marauding tricks, it is no match forthe crow in a family tussle ; and crows are dangerouspests in the neighbourhood of any rookery. Rooks are nowvery scarce in central Lo
. Birds through the year . ichit finds on the shores ofthe river and the largesuburban reservoirs. Itwill also steal eggs or killA young birds when it ^ The prevalence of thecarrion crow in London isone reason of the diminu-**-* ^BSgjjJ/ tion 0f its more peaceable cousin, the rook, just ascarrion crow the diminution of crows has led to the multiplica-tion of rookeries. Though the rook sometimes developsthe carrion crows marauding tricks, it is no match forthe crow in a family tussle ; and crows are dangerouspests in the neighbourhood of any rookery. Rooks are nowvery scarce in central London ; besides the small rookeryin Connaught Square, on the north side of Hyde Park,which is only irregularly occupied, their only survivingcolony is the famous rookery in Grays Inn. A few yearsago this was nearly wiped out by the raids of carrion crows,and the rooks were only saved by the forcible expulsion ofthe robbers. But crows incur little hostility elsewhere inLondon ; they occasionally breed even in Kensington Gar-. BIRDS IN LONDON 335 dens, and often in the oaks and elms of suburban are long-lived birds, so that their numbers are notdependent on numerous families; and it is probable thatthey are recruited from time to time by refugees from thecountry. Their snarling caw is a very familiar sound in allparts of London, especially in early spring, when they wanderabout the town in quest of attractive nesting-quarters. Thejackdaws which still frequent one corner of KensingtonGardens are manifestly afraid of them ; and they are greatpests to the waterfowl which breed on the lakes in the they are a bold and interesting feature of wild life inLondon ; and their lean forms hunched on a tree-top bringwelcome associations of the lonely marsh and mountain tomany prosaic squares and dull riverside fields. Missel-thrushes are common now in London in the sameweeks of early spring when the crows go cawing and wander-ing from park to square. They have a regular h
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1920, booksubjectbirdspi, bookyear1922
