172 MATESHIP WITH BIRDS 



suaded to say that they have become "Anglicized." 

 In the course of "rubbing shoulders" with man in 

 thickly-settled Britain, the birds of that country 

 probably of Europe generally have become part of 

 the human scheme of things. They have made 

 themselves so. At all events, birds generally are 

 more ready than men to appreciate and reciprocate 

 good feeling. 



A writer in the London Times, recently, laid it 

 down that "wild" birds were all originally inquisi- 

 tive and friendly with man, "as the penguins of the 

 Antarctic were when he first met them." Probably 

 so. And how narrow is the line between bird be- 

 havior as it was in the beginning and as it is at the 

 present day under favorable circumstances! Vis- 

 count Grey has lately pointed out (an illuminating 

 column in the Manchester Guardian gives his views 

 on the national importance of birds) that it is easy 

 to create sanctuaries where birds "remain wild but 

 lose their fear of man." We have had ample evi- 

 dence on the point in Australia. 



Not all wild birds are on the way to becoming 

 tame what a mournful prospect if that were so! 

 but of a surety many kinds are holding out, as it 

 were, the wing of friendship, and maintaining a 

 guarded amity towards Nature's most dominant 

 production. There can be little doubt that if every- 

 one in Australia could be persuaded to act in bro- 

 therly fashion towards native birds for a few years, 

 the story of St. Francis of Assissi would pale by 

 comparison with our experiences of every day. But 

 in some cases, alas ! even were this starry ideal put 

 into practice, immediately, it would come too late. 



