TWELVE WINTER BIRDS. 297 



footed mouse found shelter; every shrub and weed 

 on whose leaves and flowers beetles and butterflies of 

 brilliant hue had been wont to feed, are cleared away. 

 The broad and level sward with its unbroken carpet 

 of Kentucky blue-grass no doubt presents an attrac- 

 tive appearance to the eyes of the rich owner; but 

 the tenants of yore, which to him were unknown or 

 despised, though some of them for many years had 

 been his helpful friends what of them? 



To my mind they were the rightful owners of the 

 land. Back in preglacial times, before the overflow 

 from a giant, melting, bulk of ice had carved out the 

 broad valley to the westward back then, and even 

 before the first insects, birds and mammals " entered " 

 this tract of land and began on it a struggle for exist- 

 ence. There, for year on year and century on century, 

 has this struggle continued, and though the home and 

 happiness of many of the contestants were destroyed 

 by the clearing up of the under-brush, yet it still con- 

 tinues. Nor will it wholly end until the advancing 

 city will have encroached upon the. bounds of this 

 domain of nature, and then man, proud, artificial, un- 

 natural, will forever drive out the rightful denizens 

 and prove himself the fittest in the struggle. 



The above is but one example of a thousand going 

 on everywhere about us. To produce that which will 

 bring him wealth although his coffers may be full to 

 overflowing man willingly and thoughtlessly causes 

 the death or disappearance of manifold forms of liv- 

 ing things and creates sad havoc with the true beauty 

 of nature's own. Like Thoreau, I exclaim : " Thank 

 God, he can not cut down the clouds." 



