26o WITH THE U. S. NATURALISTS 



as well as I do. I told you what Bull said he 

 wanted me to do." 



'^To spend your life saving birds in order to 

 make up for the time he spent in killing them. 

 Yes, you told me. It's a curious way of squar- 

 ing up accounts, having some one else pay your 

 debts, but he meant it well. ' ' 



"The question is, Mr. Feather Man, how am I 

 going to do that and make a living out of it at the 

 same time I" 



*'How about selling cage-birds!" queried the 

 other, watching the boy narrowly. "There's a 

 good market for native birds which have been 

 taught to sing, Mocking-Birds, Bobolinks and so 

 forth. You 'd be saving them from all the dangers 

 of wild life and you could make a living out of it 

 at the same time. ' ' 



Shan thought for a moment and then shook his 

 head. 



"No," he said; "Bull wouldn't have liked that. 

 He was always strong for liberty, and I 've got an 

 idea that he would have thought caging a bird 

 worse than killing it. What do you think!" 



' ' I am of the same opinion, ' ' was the reply. ' ' I 

 have little to say against the keeping of canaries 

 in a cage, especially those which have been bred 



