PROTECTION OF BIRDS. 



i 



THE presence of birds as companions of a home in the 

 country is desirable to all, next to woods, flowers, green 

 fields, and pleasant prospects. Without birds, the land- 

 scape, if not wanting in beauty, would lack something 

 which is necessary to the happiness of all men who are 

 above a savage or a boor. Indeed, it is highly probable 

 that Nature owes more to the lively motions, songs, and 

 chattering of the feathered race for the benign effects of 

 her charms, than to any other single accompaniment of 

 natural scenery. They are so intimately associated with 

 all that is delightful in field and forest, with our early 

 walks in the morning, our rest at noonday, and our med- 

 itations at sunset; with the trees that spread their branches 

 over our heads, and the lively verdure at our feet, that it 

 is difficult to think of one apart from the others. Through 

 the voices of birds Nature may be said to speak to us, and 

 without them she would be a dumb companion whose 

 beauty would hardly be felt. 



Both from our regard for their utility to agriculture 

 and for their pleasant companionship with man, we have 

 thousands of motives for protecting the birds. Very little 

 attention has been paid to this subject. A few laws have 

 been made for their preservation ; but they have seldom 

 been enforced. I believe the farmer would promote his 

 own thrift by extending a watchful care over all fami- 

 lies of birds, but the smaller species are the most useful 

 and delightful. It seems as if Nature had given them 

 beauty of plumage and endowed them with song, that 



