44 FOWLS OF THE AIR 



already, and to spare. It aims at the diffusion of sound 

 information on bird life and habits, and at shaming 

 people out of barbarous treatment of harmless, gener- 

 ally beautiful, and often useful species. Any one may 

 become a member for the trifling annual subscription 

 of half-a-crown, or a life member by the single payment 

 of a guinea. 1 The pamphlets and leaflets already pub- 

 lished by the Society exhibit, in addition to zeal, the 

 indispensable quality of discretion. No attempt is 

 made, as some good folks think necessary, to discourage 

 field sports. Many of its members would have no part 

 in it if the programme included putting an end to 

 shooting birds for sport. No intelligent observer of 

 human nature can have remained blind to this apparent 

 paradox, that among no class of persons no ! not even 

 among the fair sex are animals more sure of humane 

 treatment than at the hands of sportsmen. 



Besides, as has been observed above but for the 

 game-laws, but for the preservation of wild birds for 

 sport, there would not be in our land at this day one in 

 ten thousand of the grouse, pheasants, and partridges 

 which adorn it. The red grouse is the only exclusively 

 British bird in the whole list. Collectors would have 

 swarmed from all parts of the world, and long ere this 

 grouse would have ceased to exist but for the protec- 

 tion of the game-laws. Let us even descend so low as 

 pigeon-shooting from traps. It is not, indeed, a field 

 sport, it is perhaps a stretch of courtesy to call it sport 

 of any sort, and I cannot bear to witness it. Never- 



1 The Secretary is Mrs. F. E. Lemon, 3 Hanover Square, W. 



