BIRDS' NESTS. 19 



The result was, that one of them, with great 

 care and skill, made an opening in the shell 

 with a lancet without destroying the egg, and 

 without so much as pricking the unfledged 

 inmate, which dropped gently to the bottom of 

 the nest, and, as if to assure them of its sense 

 of their kind consideration, immediately opened 

 its mouth for food. Now one can well believe 

 that those naturalists had not suffered their 

 love of science to blunt their feelings of hu- 

 manity ; yet they were as ardent as the most 

 thoughtless schoolboy ; and one of their num- 

 ber is the author of the best book we have on 

 British birds' eggs.* It is clear, then, that 

 one may be a keen hunter after birds' nests, 

 and withal be most humane. This I wanted 

 to show first, for if the pursuit were essentially 

 and necessarily a cruel one, I could, of course, 

 only mention it to give it an unqualified con- 

 demnation. 



My first words of advice then are, make 



* Hewitson. 



c 2 



