BIRDS OF PEASEMARSH 



weasels, skunks, or the great grey Owls when 

 they come upon them unawares or carry off 

 their nestlings. 



But since the greatest danger has come from 

 man, it is from him that they most need pro- 

 tection. There is an old well-known story of 

 a king who was very fond of cherries and had 

 some fine specimens growing in his palace gar- 

 den. One day, it seems, he became very angry 

 because he found a bird pecked one among 

 those brought to him and he straightway made 

 a law compelling all the men to turn out and 

 kill all the birds in all the kingdom. So this 

 was done, and he expected that now he. would 

 have beautiful cherries and not a bird-pecked 

 one among them. But, alas for his hopes, he 

 had no cherries at all. The insects that the 

 birds had lived upon attacked the trees in such 

 hordes that soon they all died. 



That mistake, made long ago in olden times, 

 has been repeated year after year. The shoot- 

 ing of Robins in cherry trees has not ceased. 

 The only thing that will protect the Robin is 

 education in the value of birds. The Robins 

 are naturally insect eaters and if they are seen 

 helping themselves to a few cherries, who would 

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