184 BIRD HAUNTS AND NATURE MEMORIES 



Maybe man has the right of might, whether by strength 

 or learning, of cultivating certain plants and animals at the 

 expense of others, and condemning those which are in his 

 way as " weeds " or " vermin," but he is apt to overlook a 

 very important point. Knowledge is progressive, and, as 

 the historian knows, the acme of knowledge is a matter of 

 the age; what is wisdom to-day may be foolishness to- 

 morrow. The learning of the past, in some cases at any 

 rate, is ridiculous in our twentieth-century eyes; in each 

 era there were philosophers who believed that they had 

 reached the top of the tree. Alas for their folly ! 



Just as the scientific manufacturer, generally through 

 the chemist, constantly finds fresh use for his by-products, 

 the rejectamenta of former years, so the economic 

 zoologist finds value in the condemned weed or vermin. 

 Furthermore, there is at the present time a growing 

 belief in the interrelation of all life, and though the study 

 of ecology is in its infancy, and so far has failed to throw 

 strong light upon the so-called balance of nature, it is on 

 the right track. When it becomes the life work of many 

 more philosophical naturalists, and is not merely treated 

 as something to dabble with during years of preparation 

 for some more lucrative career, we shall have discoveries 

 which will make us very diffident about destroying or even 

 attempting to destroy organisms which at the present 

 time we think are in our way. 



What is the object of protection or preservation ? Why 

 do we endeavour to maintain one plant or animal, or urge 

 that all should have consideration ? There are four main 

 arguments brought forward in support of protection, and 

 though the first three are for specialising, or selecting 

 individuals or groups of individuals for care, the last 

 applies to creatures as a whole. The one which perhaps 

 appeals to the largest number, and which gets most 

 support in that agent of popular propaganda, the Press, 



