308 THE COMPLETE FARMER 



of all who are immediately interested. Already have these 

 sportsmen commenced their wanton destruction of these use- 

 ful creatures, even before they had time to build a nest for 

 rearing of their young. Bi.ds that have survived the 

 dreary winter in a more genial clime, having now returned 

 to bless our efforts by their industry and to cheer our days 

 with their melody, are scarcely permitted to commence their 

 vernal song, ere they must fall victims to a w^anton idleness 

 that is as destitute of moral feeling as of useful employ- 

 ment. 



The following was originally published in the Boston Pa- 

 triot. 



' On Birds and their Misfortunes. We have already inti- 

 mated our opinion, that the labors of the scientific ornitho- 

 logists are of far more practical utility than the casual ob- 

 server might suppose ; and that, even in the business of 

 legislation, a regard to his researches might prevent many 

 errors, which may much affect public welfare. The legisla- 

 tion on the subject of birds has been marked by some essen- 

 tial errors, which have led to real evil. By the law of 1817, 

 woodcocks, snipes, larks, and robins, were protected at cer- 

 tain seasons of the year, whilst war to the knife was de- 

 clared against crows, blackbirds, owls, blue-jays, and hawks; 

 these last were treated as a sort of pirates, subject to sus- 

 pension at the yard-arm with the least possible ceremony. 

 It so happens, that the character of these very birds has been 

 singularly mistaken ; for while the ordnance of legislation 

 has been thus systematically levelled at them, they, on a 

 principle which man would do extremely well to imitate, 

 have been returning good for evil : they have been diligently 

 engaged in extirpating all sorts of vermin, while never were 

 the vilest vermin half so ill-treated by the human race. The 

 crow, for example, who is generally regarded as a most suspi- 

 cious character, has had great injustice done him. In the 

 spring, when the ground is moist, he lives in a state of the 

 most triumphant luxury on grubs ; he eats the young corn, 

 it is true, but it is a necessary of life to which he never 

 resorts except when his supply of animal food is shortened. 

 After the corn is tolerably grown, he has nothing moro to do 

 with it ; and in any stage he destroys at least five hundred 

 pernicious grubs and insects for every blade of corn which 

 he pillages from man. In the southern states, he is regu- 

 larly permitted to accompany the ploughman, and collects 

 the grubs from the newly -opened furrow; his life is thus 



