NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA 



wing of a duck was unconscious of the fact that she 

 was helping to deprive a colony of poor fisher folk of 

 food. 



The right to kill game birds for sport is a subject 

 which can be viewed from many aspects. The quail 

 we know to be a bird of very great economic value. 

 Every quail killed by a sportsman is a distinct loss 

 to agriculture. People pay taxes, and some of the 

 money so raised is spent in encouraging the develop- 

 ment of the country. Large Government Depart- 

 ments are maintained for the purpose of furthering the 

 interests of the agriculturist and stock farmer. By 

 protecting the quail on all Government lands we 

 possess ourselves of a helper which renders invaluable 

 service, gratis. The quail, in fact, is an honorary 

 worker in the interests of the farmer and the State. 



A sportsman farmer will argue that he, anyway, 

 has a right to shoot the quails on his lands. Yes, he 

 may do so with impunity if there be no prohibiting 

 law,lDut has he any moral right ? Is he not doing an 

 injury to his neighbours ? Perchance he is a stock 

 farmer with an abundance of pasturage, and the 

 insects do not trouble him very seriously, or else he 

 does not notice their ravages. So the insects change 

 from the grub and caterpillar stages into winged insects, 

 which fly to the tempting fields of the agriculturist 

 and lay their eggs in the midst of his crops. 



Purely selfish considerations should be set aside in 

 matters such as these. We know the quail is an 

 exceedingly useful bird in our struggle to keep insects 

 and weeds in check. Even the dullest-witted person 



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