142 The Nature-Study Idea 



in the open, the keen delight in discovering the 

 haunts and ways of the nature-folk. Many a 

 hunter finds more pleasure in all these things 

 than in the game that he bags. The great ma- 

 jority of hunters are gentle and large-hearted 

 men. They are the first to discourage mere 

 wantonness and brutality. Under their hand, 

 certain animals are likely to increase, because 

 they eliminate the rapacious species. To the 

 true sportsman, hunting is not synonymous with 

 killing. It is primarily a means of enjoying the 

 free world of the out-of-doors. The nature- 

 spirit is growing, and there are many ways of 

 knowing the fields and woods. The camera 

 and spy-glass are competing with the trap and 

 gun ; and in time they ought to gain the mastery. 

 It is no longer necessary to shoot a bird in order 

 to know it. 



I must not be understood as opposed to all 

 hunting with the gun or the rod. Every man 

 has a right to decide these questions for himself. 

 I wish only to suggest that there are other ways 

 of getting satisfaction from an expedition or a 

 camping trip. There was a time when animals 



