THE EGRET 
149 
than . . . without buds and flowers, and I only wish that 
besides protecting the songsters . . . we could also protect 
the birds of the seashore and of the wilderness. . . . The loss 
of the wild pigeon and Carolina paroquet has meant a loss as 
severe as if the Catskills or the Palisades were taken away. 
When I hear of the destruction of a species, I feel as if all the 
works of some great writer had perished. . . . Half, and 
more than half, the beauty of the woods and fields is gone 
when they lose the harmless wild things. . . . They add 
immeasurably to the wholesome beauty of life.” 
YOUNG EGRETS NEARLY FLEDGED 
