Blunders in Bird- Nesting. 



THIS is an ill-chosen title, perhaps, yet it is 

 purposely selected because it affords an oppor- 

 tunity to express an opinion on the subject of 

 man's attitude towards bird-life. Bird-nesting 

 in the sense of destroying or disturbing a bird's 

 nest is a crime, and the blunder is on the part 

 of the criminal, who degrades himself. Sci- 

 ence, under whose name so much cruelty takes 

 shelter, is no adequate shield to the wretch who 

 deliberately destroys a nest. The maturing of 

 a brood concerns the community, but the color 

 of the eggs and structure of the nest are not 

 matters of transcendent importance, and can 

 be determined without interfering with the 

 rights of the birds. 



But the blunders I have in mind, if such 

 they are, are those of the birds themselves ; 

 errors of judgment, as seen from our stand- 

 point. As an instance, there are at this time 

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