ITS BIRDS
79
Wanstead Park and elsewhere. In the " Sixties" they
used to breed on Fairmead and near the Wake Arms,
but have ceased to do so. They are now seldom seen
within the Forest, but there are some fields just outside
its limits to which they still resort in spring.
Landrail or Corncrake. A summer visitor nesting and
remaining till the middle of September.
Water-rail. Not so rare as is sometimes supposed. Owing
to their silence and habit of creeping along the sides of
brooks, and rarely taking to the water, they are not
often seen ; but they are sometimes very noisy in the
breeding season.
Heron. These birds come to the heronry in Wanstead Park
HERONS.
at the end of January or beginning of February, and at
once begin nesting operations. The old nests seem to
require little repair. The number of nests for the last
twenty years was as follows :—1882, 40 ; 1883, 36 ; 1884,
41 ; 1885, 45 ; 1886, 48 ; 1887, 46 ; 1888, 49 ; 1889,
51; 1890, 53; 1891, 50; 1892, 56; 1893, 61 ; 1894,
68 ; 1895, 55 ; 1896, 53 ; 1897, 48 ; 1898, 50 ; 1899, 50 ;
1900,48; 1901,45. The young birds may be heard in the
nests early in March. The birds do not seem to mind the
people, but I think there is some danger of their being
evicted by the rooks, which have greatly increased of
recent years. They are continually fighting the herons
in the air, and instances are not unknown of a heronry
being driven out in this way. The greater number
of these birds leave the heronry towards the middle of
summer, but a few remain throughout the year.