DANGER OF AN EARLY EXTINCTION OF SONG BIRDS. 183 



has brought down his hundreds of them from the tops 

 of tall hemlocks." Do you tell me this was in the 

 cause of science ? Out upon the pursuit in such a spirit ! 

 It is a burlesque on science, a travesty on the study of 

 natural history. 



It is a curious fact that although birds as a class are 

 the most innocent, the most beautiful and musical of 

 living creatures, they are more preyed upon by man 

 and beast and crawling reptiles than any other lacings. 

 Cats, weasels, skunks, squirrels, ferrets, muskrats, 

 mink, foxes and snakes, all prey upon them, killing the 

 old birds and eating the eggs and young ; in many cases 

 getting nearly their living on the birds. They have rob- 

 bers, too, in their own class. Hawks, owls, crows, jays, 

 shrikes and one or two species of blackbirds are canni- 

 bals in their way. One can indorse the terse, strong 

 language of Dr. Abbott, the naturalist : "A creature 

 that will destroy a song-bird's nest is a pest, and 

 whether furred, feathered, four-legged or a boy, ought 

 to be exterminated." 



The Agassiz Association, itself a worthy organizPttion, 

 with laudable aims, soon had thousands in its ranks 

 Avho degenerated into mere specimen gatherers. The 

 egg-collecting craze infected boys alike in cities, villages 

 and rural districts. The country was scoured far and 

 near for nests and eggs. Lawns, hedges, orchards, 

 fields and highways were mercilessly ransacked, and 

 every nest common or rare despoiled ; even cemeteries, 

 always favorite resorts for the birds, were not exempt 

 from the destroyer. Within the last few years millions 



