CENSORED NATURAL HISTORY NEWS 217 



ever acts nicely except when jostled; the intruder 

 and the impolite he endeavours to sterilize or 

 screen off with clean chemical spray. 



Every wild thing under the sun seems to have 

 suffered from the censorship of nature news. Geese 

 are supposed to be stupid and loons crazy, but both 

 are exceptionally keen-witted. The misstatements 

 from which they and the skunk suffer satisfy only 

 the censor and some others. 



This censorship of natural history news, begun 

 a few generations ago, has developed to near 

 exclusiveness of facts. Those censoring appear 

 wholly unacquainted with their subject, and there- 

 fore are qualified by censor tests to give the public 

 such selected nature lore as it can be trusted to 

 know and still remain loyal to public institutions. 

 A Scottish philosopher once said that history is a 

 set of lies agreed upon. Natural history as it is 

 now censored is an excellent example of the stifling 

 possibilities of censorship. 



A number of people in California and Australia 

 have been watching for a frightened ostrich to hide 

 his head in the sand. It is possible that a mentally 

 deranged plume-bearer may yet be discovered who 

 will do this. But it has never been considered 

 good form among the common run of ostriches. 



Dan Beard, in a youthful sketching effort, sat 

 down before a flock of Florida ostriches. They 

 became curious at his general appearance and con- 

 centration and two came and looked over his 



