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The principle of utilitarianism has taken such a strong hold on all 

 classes of society nowadays, that many intelligent people have found 

 that, much to their regret, they must begin, in many cases, by dwelling 

 on the usefulness of birds. A one-sided view of the matter should be 

 avoided, however, and I would point out the following fact : We do 

 not protect birds solely because they are useful, but chiefly from 

 ethical and sesthetical reasons, as birds give beauty and animation to 

 nature. We also wish to preserve their species, and hence the pro- 

 tection of birds signifies the preservation of the monuments of 

 Nature. x 



It also promotes the protection of our home. The world of birds 

 belongs to the home, of which it forms a by no means insignificant 

 part. Without birds, Nature, in whose midst we dwell, would become 

 desolate and cold. With the disappearance of birds the beauty and 

 characteristic features of our home are in danger It is therefore 

 a pleasing sign of the times that this is one of the reasons why people 

 pay more attention to the protection of birds, which was till recently 

 so neglected, and in doing so, to the protection of home. Our native 

 birds have always been most intimately associated with the thoughts 

 of the people, from them they have drawn much of their poetical 

 inspiration from ancient times to the present day. One thing is 

 certain. Even those who, as Dr. Brasz so finely says, timidly object 

 to being called enthusiasts of nature, cannot refuse a certain amount 

 of affection to the merry feathered crew in the silent bush. 



Special attention should therefore be paid to what the above- 

 mentioned official guide says in reference to this point : " The native 

 birds are not only very useful to agriculture, and woods and forests, 

 but they add to the charm of nature." These are the motives which 

 should serve as the motto of a really rational protection of birds, the 

 motives which induced Baron von Berlepsch to take up his far-reaching 

 and successful work in this field. 



HI. HISTORY OF THE PROTECTION OF BIRDS. 



THE efforts to protect birds date from the time when a marked decrease 

 in their number was noted to the detriment of agriculture and forestry, 

 and of the general harmony and beauty of Nature. We can accordingly 

 trace back the history of the protection of birds to the 18th century. 



