NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA 



and there are physical laws, and in proportion as we 

 understand them and conform to them, so do our 

 spiritual and physical health and prosperity increase. 

 In the degree that we violate these laws, so do we bring 

 pain, suffering, and travail, both physical and spiritual, 

 upon ourselves. 



BIRDS AND FOOD 



The pioneer is usually obliged to depend largely 

 upon his gun for food until he is able to establish 

 himself and begin farming operations. . The numbers 

 of wild birds killed for food by these few and far 

 between settlers do not diminish the numbers of 

 birds, for the reason that he also makes war on carni- 

 vorous animals. These are the enemies of birds, 

 and their reduction brings about an increase in the 

 numbers of the latter. 



At first the destruction of edible birds is a necessity. 

 Then it becomes a sport, and this is usually carried to 

 such extremes that many species of birds have been, 

 and are being, exterminated. For instance, there has 

 recently died in the Cincinnati Zoo the last American 

 wood-pigeon. The American wood-pigeon was at one 

 time so common that the trees in which they nested 

 often broke down under their weight. In 1813 it 

 was reckoned that there were over two thousand 

 million birds. It was quickly found out that the 



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