other Papers. 267 



more in autumn, Italians are seized with a mania for kill- 

 ing small birds. Men of all ages and conditions, nobles, mer- 

 chants, priests, artisans, peasants, all abandon their daily tasks to 

 attack, like the banditti, the troops of passing visitors. By the 

 river-side, in the fields, all around, is heard the report of fire 

 arms ; nests are laid ; traps are set ; twigs covered with bird lime, 

 hung on every bush. On every hill adapted for the purpose is 

 placed a sort of trap, rocolo, full of owls and sparrow hawks, to 

 attack and slaughter the little strangers. To form some idea of 

 this slaughter, which, for weeks together delights the Italians, 

 suffice it to mention tii;it in one district on Lake Maggiore, the 

 number of little birds yearly destroyed, amounts to between sixty 

 and seventy thousand. In Lombardy, in one single rocolo, 15,- 

 000 birds are often daily captured. At Bergamo, Brescia, and 

 Yerona several million birds are slaughtered each autumn. We 

 can not prevent the Italians from indulging in this absurd, but 

 barbarous amusement, but we can lessen tlie evil, and it would be 

 consistent with the proverbial good sense of Germans if we were 

 to protect all the bird tribes as solicitously as those people destroy 

 them, and thus, in some degree, try to re-instate the order of 

 nature and preserve the necessary balance between the insect world 

 and its enemies." 



Doubtless these Italians, wearied somewhat of their long repast- 

 on maccaroni and other dry, farinaceous diet, are eager to replenish 

 their lean larders by a bnxl or two, and at the same time save their 

 equally lean purses. 



Unfortunately, in some of our American districts, even the 

 farmers to this day encourage their boys to destroy the birds that 

 are traditionally injurious — such as the robin, cat-bird, crow, black- 

 bird, thrush, owls and others, but all of which, as well as many 

 others are essentially beneficial. How to teach such people better 

 is the question ? In my opinion, better than all the speeches and 

 lessons and essays, is a good law well executed. Because laws 

 educate as songs inspire. People will learn that the law exists, 

 and will naturally ask why it was made. Provided, always, that 

 you do not enact too many laws, and make penalties so severe that 

 Juries will refuse to find guilty. For then your law straightway 

 becomes a dead-letter. But that is one of the great evils of 

 American society to-day — law for everything, and when the law is 

 violated the silly legislature provides such penalties that they are 

 never enforced. 



