JIM CROW 137 



in protection and self-preservation. They all 

 alighted on the fence posts that bordered the corn 

 field, and from this point of observation Jim began 

 his morning lecture : 



"Now, children, I want to give you some instruc- 

 tion that you are to use all your life and the knowl- 

 edge that you display in observing these rules will 

 determine the number of days you will live. Now, 

 you very well know that we are not handsome or 

 beautiful like many of the birds, and if we should 

 try to compete with the others in singing, why every- 

 one would get out of hearing at once. None of our 

 crowd ever sang, so don't waste any of your time 

 taking singing lessons from the lark, the brown 

 thrush, the song sparrow, or any of the rest; it's 

 good time wasted, as we were not built that way. 



"All the beautiful birds and the fine singers are 

 rapidly decreasing in numbers, as well as the birds 

 that are killed for food. Well, we are not beautiful, 

 we don't sing, and people don't kill us for food, but 

 we would all be killed if we used no more caution 

 than other birds. Now the quail depends on his 

 swift wings and his camouflaged coloring to provide 

 a method of escape, but the bird dog can easily 

 smell him as he hides in the hedges, and the shotgun 

 can easily reach him when he flies. Never try to 



