ii4 THE NATURE-STUDY IDEA 



is in danger here and there of degenerating into 

 mere sentimentalism ; but, on the whole, it is sane 

 and potent, because it measures our increasing 

 sensitiveness. 



Hunting to kill is not necessarily cruel. The 

 best hunting is that which kills quickly. The 

 poorest for both the hunted and the hunter is 

 that which prolongs the struggle. The "gamey" 

 fish is the one most liked by anglers. The "sport" 

 of catching him depends on his desperate struggle 

 for life ; and this struggle is often prolonged that 

 the excitement may be greater! Nature herself 

 could be indicted for cruelty were not her practices 

 dictated by inevitable conditions ; but this fact does 

 not release man, who acts largely as a moral agent. 

 In nature, many animals meet violent or tragic 

 deaths. The bird of passage that cannot keep up 

 with its fellows is caught by the hawk or owl. The 

 weaklings and the stragglers are taken. Raise the 

 curtain of night and behold the tragedies. Where 

 are the graves of the unfit ? 



The practices of any age are but the expressions 

 of the needs and motives of that age. Much of the 

 hunting is dictated by the desire of profits in money, 

 and these profits often depend on fashion. Mere 

 fashion has been the cause of the practical exter- 

 mination of species of birds ; but public opinion was 

 finally aroused to check it. The demand for furs 

 is leading to similar results. Many other species 

 naturally perish before the continued onslaught of 

 civilization, by means of which the native haunts 

 are destroyed. We must protect that which we 



