From Diary of A Black Sheep (1964) by Richard Meinertzhagen:
"In those early days (1844), Knightsbridge, Piccadilly and right into the heart of the City had wooden carriageways and all traffic was horse-drawn.
"Men with as housemaid's pan and a handbroom were stationed every 200 yards to remove horse dung the moment it was deposited.
"These men were kept very busy.
"In competition with them were several large flocks of house sparrows watching the roadway from the houses, and so soon as a horse relived itself, they would fly down to feed off the dung.
"The competition between the human scavenger and the birds was amusing."
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