j6 Life of a Fossil Hunter 



arranging the living and dead animals of the earth 

 in systematic order, giving countless scientific names 

 and their definitions. I forgot the names as soon 

 as I heard them, but the loving tribute which he paid 

 to the wonders of creation has had a lasting and 

 helpful effect upon me. If I ever had any feelings 

 of disgust or fear toward any of God's creatures, 

 I lost them upon a knowledge of the animals as re- 

 vealed to me by this master naturalist, who saw 

 beauty even in lizards and snakes. He believed, and 

 taught me to believe, that it is a crime to destroy 

 life wantonly, any life. Of course the first law of 

 nature is self-preservation; we must, in order to 

 live, kill our enemies and protect our friends; but 

 this superstitious fear which men and, even more, 

 women have of snakes, lizards, and bugs, how cruel 

 it is! Why should they rejoice when some poor 

 little garter-snake, which has gone as a friend into 

 the cellar walls^ to destroy rats and mice, is dragged 

 out and cut to pieces? My heart bleeds when I 

 think of the brutal way in which people take life, 

 something they can never give back, and with the 

 great Cope, I cry out against this crime, which is 

 exterminating some of our most beautiful and use- 

 ful friends. No man can say he loves us, when he 

 wantonly destroys our work; no man loves God who 

 wantonly destroys His creatures. 



We found no complete specimens of any fossil 



