22 BIRDS' NESTS. 



humanity, it is cruel to destroy a nest of 

 eggs ; and, as far as science is concerned, it 

 is unwise. The considerate and humane col- 

 lector will find, at the end of the season, that 

 his museum contains a limited number of 

 eggs, the names of the greater part of which 

 have been verified, and about which he has it 

 in his power to relate many pleasing anecdotes 

 illustrative of Natural History; while the 

 mere robber of nests, who has pursued his 

 sport in the spirit of reckless indifference, may 

 be able to show, indeed, a large array of 

 empty eggshells, but has gained no know- 

 ledge, and can add nothing to the general 

 stock of information on subjects connected 

 with Natural History. One is, in short, to a 

 certain extent, a Naturalist; the other, an 

 unfeeling destroyer. 



Having thus, I hope, shown that the value 

 of a collection of eggs depends very much on 

 the humanity of the collector, I shall proceed 

 to give a few directions for finding out the 



