12 CITIZEN BIRD 



never even try to fly? You want to know about birds, 

 do you, Miss Dodo, and Nat feels grieved because I 

 won't let him pop at our feathered neighbors that live 

 in the orchard ? Oh, yes, my boy, I know all about it, 

 you see ; Cousin Olive has been telling tales. Come 

 round here where I can see j^ou. I can answer your 

 question more easily than I can Dodo's. Don't look 

 ashamed, for it is perfectly natural that you should 

 like to pop at birds until you learn to understand the 

 reasons wdiy you should not. It was because you two 

 youngsters have seen so little of Nature and the things 

 that creep and crawl and fly, that I begged you from 

 your parents for a time. 



" House People are apt to grow selfish and cruel, 

 thinking they are the only people upon the earth, 

 unless they can sometimes visit the homes of the Beast 

 and Bird Brotherhood, and see that these can also love 

 and suffer and work like themselves. 



" Now, my boy, before we begin to learn about the 

 birds I will partly answer your question, and you will 

 be able to answer it yourself before summer is over. 

 Animal life should never be taken except for some 

 good purpose. Birds are killed by scientists that their 

 structure and uses may be studied — just as doctors 

 must examine human bodies. But if you kill a bird, 

 of what use is its dead body to you ? " 



" I would like to see if I could hit it, and then — I 

 — guess," hesitating, '' I could find out its name better 

 if I had it in my hand." 



" Ah, Nat, my lad, I thought so ; first to see if you 

 can hit it, and perhaps because you want to know the 

 bird's name. Did you ever think of trying to cut off 



