30 WHAT TO DO IN THE COUNTRY 



Now what boy with any feeling within him 

 could be thus cruel ? What good is to be obtained 

 by so doing, and can there possibly be any real 

 pleasure in causing pain, and eventually death, to 

 the offspring of one of the most beautiful song- 

 birds we have in this country ? 



I met a boy the other day who was passing the 

 time by kicking some beautiful yellow flowers of 

 the Hawkweed. He continued kicking in spite of 

 my suddenly confronting him, until I asked sharply, 

 " What are you doing that for ? " He sulked at 

 first, afterwards he was inclined to be cheeky and 

 impudent, but at last, when I told him that the 

 flower had a mission to fulfil, that it was as much 

 entitled to live as he was, and that I considered 

 the flower far prettier than him, the boy repented 

 and promised never to destroy a flower again. I 

 wonder if he will keep his word ? 



This last Spring and Summer, too, I have been 

 much disheartened at the number of nests that I 

 have found robbed of their treasures, and the 

 homesteads wilfully lugged. Sorry, too, am I to 

 admit that this practice is not restricted to school- 

 boys; but gangs of hooligans, who take a sheer 

 delight in striking terror wherever they go, are 

 also largely responsible. Not only is much harm 

 thus perpetrated, and the pleasure of hearing or 

 seeing an animal put a stop to, but it is possible 

 that some keen young naturalist was watching 



