76 The Wild-Fowlers 



old city pipes and reservoirs, but there 

 are parts of this country where nature is 

 imposed upon by the employment of im- 

 practical men to build and conduct the 

 water contrivances favored but indiffer- 

 ent and wholly ignorant politicians. Na- 

 ture is always blamed for the errors of 

 stupid man. Now, I '11 wager I could 

 produce half a hundred natives in any 

 complained-of settlement who '11 make 

 affidavit that they never knew what ma- 

 laria or fever of any sort were before 

 the politically conducted water-towers, 

 and waterways, and water-sluices, and 

 waterpipes, and water-mains, and water 

 what-nots were laid out and built up. 

 Ignorant man stagnates a spring pond or 

 dams a tide-water, creating foul gases and 

 unnatural quantities of constantly rotting 

 vegetation, and then, then he damns 

 Nature for the ill-health that ensues from 

 his own impracticable work. Nature 'd 

 be all right, with lots of odds to spare, if 

 man 'd be compelled to work with his 



