NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA 



fear of consequences is despicable in the extreme. It 

 is not " cricket." It reflects no credit on a man at 

 all. He cannot claim to be on a higher level than the 

 sub-human kingdom of the animal creation until his 

 actions are controlled by a developed moral and 

 spiritual mentality. 



I have seen too much of the evil wrought by 



boys with guns 

 amongst our 

 feathered friends 

 and helpers, the 

 birds. Even the 

 swallow and the 

 martin, of all 

 birds, were not 

 sacred to them. 

 These birds rank 

 highest in value 

 to man. Their 

 sole food consists 

 of insects and 

 allied forms of 

 life which are captured on the wing. These winged 

 insects are adult males and females which seek one 

 another in the air for the purpose of mating. The 

 impregnated females find out a favourable environment 

 and deposit their eggs. Insects, with but few excep- 

 tions, lay immense numbers of eggs, therefore the 

 destruction of one mature female insect is equal to the 

 extermination of many hundreds and even thousands 

 of larvae, such as caterpillars. 



5° 



A Bird House for the garden or stoep. Birds 

 require shelter from sun, wind, frost, and 

 rain at times. 



