250 THE BIRD WATCHER 
desire to do almost @@ything makes almost anything 
seem right, or rather the impelling force in such 
cases is a force, whereas that which seeks to restrain 
it is weak, cold, frigid, like the voice of reason in 
love. 
Moreover, I believe that to sin out the evil in one 
is nature’s true way of progress—in which I join 
issue with the spiritualistic doctrine of repression— 
and therefore were it not for the many ill conse- 
quences, the worst of which is specific extinction, 
I should not think a man did wrong to prey upon the 
animal world as long as to do so was his nature—that 
is to say, the stronger part of his nature ; nor can it 
be denied that he who does so is acting in accordance 
with the scheme of the universe, as far as it is possible 
to make it out, whereas the humanitarian seems for 
ever to be flying in the very face of the deity, who, 
“with no uncertain voice,” has said, through all time, 
to all His creatures :—“ Kill one another.” Whether 
one would be right to obey such a deity after one’s 
nature has begun to rebel against His methods is 
another question, though, as plants must be included 
amongst the creatures, it would be rather difficult not 
to; but that, at any rate, is what He, or nature, or 
whatever we may choose to call it, has most clearly 
said, and I think that humanitarians, though they 
may be very right, ought to consider the difficulty 
here involved. My impression is that they shirk it. 
But in regard to sport, I wish that every civilised 
representative of the savage in this particular respect 
