20 T. A. Coward — Presidential Address 



more trouble than anyone else." He was also down on the 

 extravagant assertions, over-coloured statements of letter 

 writers: — "Our wild animals have no great reason to be 

 grateful to their ordinary defenders in the newspapers." It 

 is true. We need moderate, cool statement of fact, based on 

 the study of life in field and laboratory, and the philosophical 

 application, after careful experiment, of what we have learnt. 

 Above all let us so order our behaviour towards the lower 

 animals that it may not be asserted by the generations to 

 come that the thoughtless, selfish men of the present era 

 destroyed or allowed to be destroyed, for their own commercial 

 ends or for their sporting pleasure, creatures w^hich belonged 

 to all time, the Men of the future as well as the Men of to-day. 

 In conclusion. Do these creatures belong either to us or 

 to those who will follow ? Have they not equal rights to a 

 place in the sun ? If so, we are justified only in destroying 

 when and where we are forced to maintain our ow^n competitive 

 position. 



