An Earnest Appeal to ''Young America' 



2X1 



ever I see a robin. I would be willing to 

 make great sacrifices to be made guiltless 

 of the wanton murder of that poor innocent 

 bird. 



Now boys, as it was and is with me, so it 

 will be with you by and by. If you slaughter 

 the poor birds through thoughtlessness 

 now, when you shall come to realize the 

 great sin of wantonly taking the life of a 

 poor innocent bird, you will never to the 

 day of your death cease to regret it. 



Now just here I desire to make a special 

 plea in behalf of the so-called catbird. 

 Boys are taught to "hate catbirds." To 

 hate and persecute catbirds seems to be an 

 article in their creed. This strong un- 

 reasonable prejudice seems to be a bad 

 feeling inherited from their fathers. I have 

 observed it through the four generations of 

 boys and men that I have known. 



Now why is this so? To be sure, the 

 catbird will steal your cherries ; but then 

 he is no more to blame in that regard than 

 the robin, and many other kinds of birds 

 that are useful to man. He is entitled to 

 his share of the fruit, as but for him and 

 other kinds of birds, the worms would have 

 destroyed the very trees that the cherries 

 grow upon. 



And then you have heard him mew like 

 a cat, hence his vulgar name, and the al- 

 most universal boy prejudice against this 

 very interesting bird. 



If you are an observant boy, as you should 

 be in regard to all things, you will have 

 noticed that this bird never makes the cat- 

 like cry except when provoked to do it by 

 some one disturbing him, or his and his 

 mate's nest. It is his mode of swearing at 

 his enemies. 



I once had the same prejudice in com- 

 mon with other boys; but, since I have be- 

 come better acquainted with him, I have 

 come to love him above all other birds. 

 His far-famed Southern cousin, the mock- 

 ingbird, in melody can't play second fiddle 

 to him. 



Perhaps you have never noticed his song; 

 if not, you have missed a rare treat, and if 

 you desire to hear the sweetest song madfe 

 by any known American bird, you just wait 

 till next spring; find where a pair of these 

 birds have their nest ; visit the place in 

 the early morning; you will find the male 

 bird perched on the highest tip of the tall- 

 est tree in the neighborhood of the nest, 

 where his wife is breeding the coming 

 young family, and you will be ravished by 

 such a marvellously thrilling melody of bird 

 song as you never dreamed or had any con- 

 ception of before. The song is not so 

 varied as that of the mockingbird,' but O! 

 how much sweeter. Now, if you prefer 

 form to feathers, you will admire his grace- 

 ful shape as much as his unrivalled song. 



Some naturalists have followed the vul- 

 gar idea and have named this bird Tia-dus 

 felivox. Others have named it Orpheus 

 carolinensis. There are still other names, 

 but the last named is the most befitting, 

 and should be adopted to the exclusion of 

 all other names. The Grecian Orpheus 

 never sang more true to nature than does 

 our Orpheus. 



But, call him by what name you will, 

 don't shoot him, don't stone him, don't rob 

 his nest, spare him and protect him; for in- 

 dependent of his unsurpassed vocal powers, 

 with which he ravishes your ears, he richly 

 earns his living in orchard and in garden, 

 and does little or no harm to any one. 



Again I say, boys, spare the birds, and 

 above all other birds protect the wrong- 

 fully despised and hated catbird. Do him 

 justice ; don't call him by a low, vulgar 

 nickname; he deserves the name of Orpheus, 

 the sweetest singer of ancient Greece. 



To all boys, and to men as well, good or 

 bad, I would say, if your tastes tend in that 

 direction, shoot any game birds in proper 

 season, but at no other time, and then as 

 many as you may need for the table of 

 yourselves or your friends ; but not one 

 bird more than you so need. 



