NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA 



they change into chrysalides, and eventually issue 

 forth winged flies to feed on the blood of man and 

 beast, and incidentally carry deadly infection to 

 them. 



Here, again, the bird comes to the rescue. The 

 one all-important consideration of a bird is to find 

 enough food for itself and its young. Consequently 

 birds know exactly where to seek for their prey. The 

 naturalist and trained collector are mere tyros in 

 comparison. Thrushes, partridges, guinea-fowls, and 

 a number of other species of birds know when and 

 where the tse-tse flies produce and hide their young ; 

 and they assemble from all over the neighbourhood 

 to scratch them up and devour them. Man, in his 

 stupidity, greed, and selfishness, armed with gun and 

 dogs, drives forth the birds and shoots them down. 

 After learning that game birds, such as partridges, 

 pheasants, guinea-fowls, and some others, are saving 

 countless multitudes of men and animals from getting 

 infected with sleeping sickness and nagana, as well 

 as other diseases, would anyone calling himself a man 

 go deliberately forth to slay these allies of the human 

 race ? We think not. 



While men in authority struggle one with another 

 for place and power, the people of the world go on 

 suffering from preventable diseases and preventable 

 poverty. When a war is on, money is raised and spent 

 as prodigally and recklessly as water ; but when men 

 of science ask for money to be spent on fighting the 

 many foes which incessantly attack the human race 

 and check its evolution and expansion, they are either 



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