NATIVE SINGING BIRDS. 491 



music to the otherwise still though beautiful scenes of the 

 shrubbery and flower garden. What is the country in 

 spring time without birds? The carolling of the Lark in 

 the early morning, the charms of song rising continually 

 throughout the day, and the whistling of the Blackbird 

 carried far into the "gloamin'/' are no mean sources of 

 enjoyment to those who can appreciate the charms of a 

 country life. More than this, it appears to us that birds 

 have their right of inheritance, as we have ours ; and while 

 we would jealously guard our own and the fruits of our 

 labour, we believe that we can do this without destroying 

 theirs. In other words there is room for both of us in 

 this wide, wide world. 



Is it true, as is alleged, that our singing birds are 

 diminishing in number, or are they merely changing their 

 locality quitting the immediate vicinity of large cities, 

 where the craftsman is so rapidly destroying their means 

 of shelter and food, to find in the distant woodlands and 

 hedge-rows a more natural and congenial home? The 

 writer of the paper in question asserts that small birds are 

 actually diminishing, falling a prey to the gunner, being 

 shot in mere wantonness, principally by boys, for what in 

 their lack of wisdom they call " sport." Sport, indeed ! 

 we do not envy the breast that can make sport out of 

 the sufferings and death of even the meanest of God's 

 creatures. To kill for food, to kill in self-defence is justi- 

 fiable, but to kill for mere "sport" is, to our apprehension, 

 most blameworthy ; and while we would plead for the 

 feathered songsters on the ground of their life, their 

 beauty, and their melody, we think we can establish a 

 strong case in their behalf on utilitarian grounds alone. 

 Some years ago a mania took possession of the French 

 farmers, and the destruction of birds was carried on with 

 a cruel success. Myriads of insects immediately infested 

 the country, which all the ingenuity of man was incapable 

 of contending with, and equally strong efforts had to be 

 resorted to, though with slow success, to rehabilitate the 



