DRIFT. 17 



she was sitting there on her eggs, the dark eyes of 

 the bird looking up into mine all the while. 



There was a time, before I knew better, when I 

 thought the gun was necessary to make a man ac- 

 quainted with wild creatures ; but the destructive 

 spirit has left me now both gun and fishing-rod 

 have been laid aside. They are very good things 

 in their way too, and to naturalist sportsmen the 

 public are indebted for the authentic information of 

 the present day. It must be remembered that wild 

 animals and birds are not shot or captured easily ; 

 so if the sportsman watches and studies the ways and 

 means of the creatures he is in search of as he must 

 do if he hopes for success the public reap the benefit 

 of his observations. Men and women are carniv- 

 orous too, and fish, flesh, and fowl well cooked are 

 very acceptable to most people. I did once know 

 a man well, who anathematised all sportsmen ; he 

 was no worshipper of Nature. Yet he was a true 

 belly -worshipper. Fishing he regarded as sinful 

 and the essence of cruelty, but he dearly loved a 

 well-cooked salmon. He posed as a philanthropist, 

 and sent tin plates and pinafores out to the South 

 Sea Islanders ; but the poor man shooting a rabbit 



, B 



