274 ADVENTURES AMONG BIRDS 



artificialities from our souls. In such moods, in these 

 green shades, we are ready to echo every grateful 

 word ever spoken of those who for a thousand years 

 in a populous and industrial country, the workshop 

 of the world, have preserved for us so much of 

 Nature's freshness. Doubtless they did it for their 

 own advantage and pleasure, but incidentally the 

 good was for all. 



A young American naturalist, writing to me some 

 time ago, contrasted the state of things with regard 

 to the preservation of wild life in his and this country. 

 There, he said, the universal rage for destroying all 

 the noblest and most interesting species, and the 

 liberty possessed by every man and boy to go where 

 he likes and do what he likes in utter disregard of 

 penal laws, was everywhere producing a most de- 

 plorable effect. Whereas in this happier land, the 

 great entailed estates of our old county families and 

 aristocracy were like bulwarks to arrest the de- 

 vastating and vulgarising forces, and had served 

 to preserve our native fauna. 



He spoke without sufficient knowledge, describing 

 a condition of things which existed formerly, even 

 down to about the thirties or forties of the nineteenth 

 century. Then a change came over the spirit of the 

 landowner's dreams; a new fashion in sport had 

 arisen, and from that time onwards those who had 

 been, indirectly, the preservers of our country's wild 

 life became its systematic destroyers. For the sake 

 of a big head of game, a big shoot in November, the 

 birds being mainly hand-reared semi-domestic phea- 



