254 BIRDS IN TOWN AND VILLAGE 



musical sounds since April may, when July comes, 

 devour a certain number of cherries. Nor is 

 even this plea needed. If it is innocent for the 

 lower creatures to prey upon one another, it cannot 

 be less innocent for man to destroy them indis- 

 criminately, if it gives him any pleasure to do 

 so. It is idle to go into such subtle questions 

 with those who have the power to destroy; if their 

 hands are to be restrained it is not by appealing 

 to feelings which they do not possess, but to their 

 lower natures to their greed and their cunning. 

 For the rest of us, for all who have conquered 

 or outgrown the killing instinct, the impartiality 

 that pets nothing and persecutes nothing is doubt- 

 less man's proper attitude towards the inferior 

 animals; a godlike benevolent neutrality; a keen 

 and kindly interest in every form of life, with 

 indifference as to its ultimate destiny; the soft- 

 ness which does no wrong with the hardness that 

 sees no wrong done. 



To return to the birds. The starlings have 

 kissed like lovers, and fluttered up vertically on 

 their short wings, trying to scream like eagles, 

 only to return to the trees once more and sit 

 there chattering pleasant nothings; at intervals 



