SHALL WE PAY OUR DEBT? 373 



tliat Audubon did a great work when he classified 

 the birds of a continent and brought from the 

 forests specimens of practically every bird of the 

 United States; but at the same time, it seems to me 

 that his records are unnecessarily bloody, that he 

 might have accomplished equal results and killed 

 far fewer birds. When we come to the records of 

 scientists making up reports for the Government 

 or for any cause whatever, I think the butchery in 

 which they indulge is absolutely inexcusable. I 

 can see a reason for killing ten rose-breasted gros- 

 beaks to find if each of them has potato bugs in its 

 crop; I can see positively no excuse for killing fifty- 

 two for the same reason ; and when the record runs 

 from fifty -two to one hundred and fifty -two among 

 our rarest and most beautiful birds of song on the 

 excuse that the contents of their crops must be 

 examined or their skins mounted for collections, I 

 protest vigorously. Here too, the law, which is so 

 watchful over matters of infinitely less importance 

 to our welfare, should take a hand and specify 

 that hereafter only the very smallest number con- 

 sistent with proving a point essential to our welfare 

 should be killed. 



These things, the Government should imme- 

 diately take in hand, in the matter of at least partial 

 payment of our debt to the birds. To go further 

 than that, each man, woman, or child who loves 

 music, beauty, and grace, who loves fruit and 

 flowers, gardens and forests, may do some small 



