106 THE BIRDS OF TERRICK HOUSE. 



shut thine ears, and allow it to pass unlieeded — if tliou relentest not— if thy 

 soul doth not melt, and remorse for the deed thou hast committed, seize not 

 ujion thee, and thou resolvest never again to be guilty of so barbarous an 

 act — though thou wert possessed of the wealth of the Indies — though 

 luxuries of every kind were at thy command — though rank and station were 

 thine, the beggar with a feeling heart, and humane disposition, and a com- 

 passionate nature, were more to be envied than thou. What has it ever 

 done to deserve this horrible cruelty at thy hands ? Its life was far more 

 blameless, and probably more useful than thine own. Had it done thee any 

 injury, there might have been some excuse for thee ; but so far from its 

 being injurious to man, it is, I repeat, one of the many benefactors with 

 which an all gracious providence has surrounded us. If deeds of blood de- 

 light thee — if thou canst feel pleasure in scenes of carnage and slaughter, 

 why not betake thyself to the battle field ; there thou mightest be honour- 

 ably employed in the cause of justice and of freedom. There thou mightest 

 signalize thyself. There ample opportunities would be afforded thee of 

 showing thy valour, — if any be in thee, — and of obtaining renown. In 

 lending a helping hand to stay the torrent of despotism which has set in 

 from the north, threatening to overthrow kingdoms, and endangering not 

 only the peace of Europe, but of the world, thou mightest at once gratify 

 thy taste for blood, and render good service to thy country, and to all peace- 

 ably disposed governments throughout the earth. To aid in checking the 

 mad ambition of a Despot,* who seeks, by aggression, to obtain unlimited 

 power, would, mcthinks, be far nobler employment than slaughtering beauti- 

 ful, unoffending, harmless, and not only harmless, but service-rendering, 

 benefit-conferring birds. 



Turn we now from this sad scene, — this scene of bloodshed and cruelty 

 which nothing would have induced me to depict, but an earnest desire of 

 seeing such scenes become less common, such barbarities of less frequent 

 occurrence ; naj^ of seeing them entirely put an end to. Would that I could 

 be at all instrumental in bringing this about; could I but succeed in con- 

 verting one enemy of the feathered tribe into a friend, I should then feel 

 that I had not occupied the valuable pages of The Naturalist altogether in 

 vain. Here let the curtain again fall. 



And let it again rise, and disclose a more agreeable scene. 



The earth is still covered with snow; the weather has become more in- 

 tensely cold ; the pools, and lakes, and streams, are completely frozen over- 

 Winter reigns supreme. There is more apparent cause for despondency 



* Since these remarks were committed to paper, deatli has suddenly and most unexpectedly terminated 

 the earthly career of this Despot. May the eyes of his successor he opened to the reckless folly, the 

 madness, and the extreme wickedness of the course he pursued ; a course 'which, let us charitably hope, 

 though he may have exhibited no outward sign, he nevertheless, in that brief period which was allowed him 

 for preparation, after receiving the awful summons to appear in the presence of his God and render up his 

 account, in the depths of his heart truly repented himself of. 



