258 THE GARDEN OF A 



am Barbara, the doctor's daughter, and I know the 

 birds in this field and these woods as well as I do the 

 fingers on my hands. So well do I know them that 

 I will not have them worried, or their privacy 

 invaded. Even if I did not object, it is useless for 

 you to go about in a mob to try to learn a thing 

 about them ; for, so surrounded, not one of their 

 actions would be normal. Two, even, is a crowd, 

 if you wish to learti the ways of birds. How would 

 you like to have a party of ten or a dozen people 

 camp outside the window of your bath-room to 

 ' observe ' you ? Would your actions be normal and 

 unflurried ? " 



One of the young girls giggled, but still the chief 

 would not retreat, and tried suavity. 



" This is the new method of ' naming birds without 

 a gun,' my child, instead of shooting the poor little 

 things, to learn their names as wicked scientific men 

 do." 



" But even you haven't learned their names rightly 

 it seems ; so how can you teach these others ? And 

 I'm sure it's no worse to kill a few outright to be 

 object lessons to hundreds in a museum, than to 

 shatter the nerves of entire families, and addle 

 unhatched eggs, as you are doing. Now I think I 

 know why my pair of mourning doves deserted their 



