A NATURALIST IN BRAZIL 



2. Close seasons for game animals must be established. The 

 shooting and trapping of birds and the taking of nests should be 

 forbidden, at least in the settled areas. Measures should be taken to 

 protect the finest and most seriously threatened butterflies, particu- 

 larly the Morphidae, and such animals as the Great Anteater, the 

 Great Armadillo, the Otter, certain monkeys, and other species. It 

 is also of importance to establish large natural sanctuaries — reserva- 

 tions and national parks — in which settlement and the use of fire- 

 arms must be prohibited. 



3. Measures must be considered and elaborated which will enable 

 animals, and particularly birds, to find their natural conditions of 

 life despite the increasing cultivation of the soil : it must also be 

 ascertained which trees and bushes had best be left for nesting 

 purposes, etc. The best plan would be to create a special depart- 

 ment for the protection of wild birds and natural conditions. 



Above all, the people of Brazil must be taught to love Nature, 

 and to enrich their hearts and minds instead of filling their pockets 

 and stomachs. I often came upon young men shooting birds "just 

 for fun." What would be said of anyone who shattered the decora- 

 tions of our churches and public buildings merely to pass the time? 

 The most glorious temple of any country is its natural beauty ; the 

 birds and animals are its living ornaments, and he who does not 

 respect them is robbing his own country, injuring its health, and 

 undermining its future. 



