THE EGRET 



149 



than . . . without buds and flowers, and I only wish that 

 besides protecting the songsters ... we could also protect 

 the birds of the seashore and of the wilderness. . . . The loss 

 of the wild pigeon and Carolina paroquet has meant a loss as 

 severe as if the Catskills or the Palisades were taken away. 

 When I hear of the destruction of a species, I feel as if all the 

 works of some great writer had perished. . . . Half, and 

 more than half, the beauty of the woods and fields is gone 

 when they lose the harmless wild things. . . . They add 

 immeasurably to the wholesome beauty of life." 



YOUNG EGRETS NEARLY FLEDGED 



