Problems Confronting Beginners 265 



his air gun and sling shot. I know he does a lot 

 of harm, but as a rule he isn't pigheaded, and as 

 soon as someone he believes in will take the 

 trouble to explain the situation to him, he'll 

 turn right round and become a bird protector 

 of a very useful kind. The harm he does is 

 usually the fault of the people who have brought 

 him up. He may or may not have been told not 

 to kill birds. It's altogether too easy to tell 

 boys not to do things; that's why so many 

 people do it. It's much harder to give them 

 good convincing reasons, and then offer a satis- 

 factory substitute for the thing forbidden. A 

 healthy, normal boy is active in mind and body, 

 and he must have an outlet for both kinds of 

 activity. He'd much sooner have a live bird 

 perched on his hand than a dead one in his 

 pocket, but unless his parents or guardians will 

 take the trouble to teach him how to get the live 

 bird, he'll probably take a gun and come back 

 with a dead one. Get him an interesting bird 

 book or two and let him learn something about 

 the birds. Take him to an illustrated lecture 

 on birds occasionally. When possible, arrange 

 to have him meet the man who wrote the book 

 and the man who gave the lecture; it will give 

 him a feeling of confidence to know men who are 

 interested in what he is doing or wants to do for 



