262 WITH THE U. S. NATURALISTS 



life and necessary to their health and happiness. 

 The wrongs and sufferings endured by caged birds, 

 nearly always from want of thought, are enough to 

 drive a bird-lover mad. ' 



''As I said, Shan, there is little doubt that you 

 could make a living out of training wild birds for 

 cage birds, and, perhaps, you could argue that you 

 might be doing a good work by raising song-birds, 

 for it is certainly true that the more people there 

 are who keep a bird for a pet and become bird- 

 lovers, the easier it will be to get protection for 

 the birds. But," and he sighed, ''I cannot help 

 agreeing with that passage I have just quoted to 

 you. There are very few people who are com- 

 petent to take care of a bird, very few people who 

 realize that a bird is far more sensitive than a 

 child. It is undoubtedly a thousand times kinder 

 that a bird should be dead than that it should be 

 caged in the keeping of a careless owner." 



''That plan doesn't do," the boy said, decidedly. 

 ''I wouldn't feel that it was right. After all, I 

 have got to square Bull's account with the birds. 

 The thing that's puzzling me is — how?" 



The Feather Man looked kindly at the boy. 



''It occurred to me as probable," he said, "that 

 you might find yourself in a quandary as to the 



