4 The Study of Wild Birds 
my experiences lead me to an exactly opposite conclusion, for 
I am positive that the more men take a rational interest in the 
study of natural history in all its branches, the less desirous are 
they, without good and sufficient reason, to do aught which may 
tend to the destruction of rare and beautiful things whether they 
be animals, birds, insects or flowers. I have myself gone through all 
these phases and watched them over and over again in others. To 
cite my own experiences : a beginner, I was anxious to see and handle, 
skin and preserve any rare wild bird. This naturally led to the 
slaying of those that came within my reach. I had no one to 
dissuade me from such a course. Further in those days there were 
no good coloured illustrations of birds available for the ordinary 
student and the only way to get an exact idea of the colouring 
and plumage of a bird was to kill it. Very soon however I realized 
what a mistake it was to destroy wild life merely to gratify my own 
curiosity about certain matters connected with it. Added to which, 
the absurdity and inutility of doing so gradually dawned upon me. 
I became painfully aware that stuffed birds, save those set up by 
a master-hand with all their natural surroundings, regardless of cost 
and of space occupied, were but pitiful objects. The late Mr. John 
Hancock of Newcastle, a great personal friend of my father, whom 
I had the privilege of knowing, first brought this home to me 
and when, some years later, I took a humble share in procuring 
and arranging some of the birds and nests for the British Museum 
(Natural History) I saw how utterly absurd it was—to put it on 
the lowest grounds—for the ordinary individual to attempt to form 
a collection of stuffed birds. As a consequence, for many years 
I have refrained from killing any birds save when required for 
collections like our National one or for some other well-accredited 
museum or for naturalists of the type of Lord Lilford who require 
specimens for legitimate scientific purposes. 
So much for the birds themselves. Now for their nests, eggs 
