ABRAHAM H. BATES. 119 



These are a few of the song-birds' enemies that should be 

 pointed out by the faithful teacher. It is the teacher's duty 

 to arouse in our children a healthy and righteous sense of 

 indignation against evil-doers ; for children should learn to 

 abhor as well as to love. Some of these enemies should be 

 especially condemned. How many a cruel wretch prowls 

 about as a pretended egg-collector ! At his heels comes 

 the specimen-collector, shot-gun in hand and cruelty in his 

 heart. Neither does science demand nor humanity permit 

 the wholesale slaughter and robbery of birds. Next let me 

 mention the House Sparrow, sometimes incorrectly called the 

 English Sparrow. He is an enemy of nearly all our most valu- 

 able song-birds. Already the Purple Martin, once numerous, 

 is now almost extinct in some localities. His box, once the 

 centre of song and joyous motion, is now occupied by the 

 screeching scavenger foolishly introduced from the old world, 

 which takes possession of every available nesting-place, and 

 crowds out song-birds that are unable to defend themselves. 

 The proofs of these charges against the House Sparrow are 

 convincing to every unprejudiced mind. 



As to the egg-destroying propensity of Jays and Crows, all 

 naturalists agree. The Jay, however, is much the worse of 

 the two, owing to his bold and familiar ways. 



Let every school-girl learn how nefarious it is to kill birds 

 for their plumage to be worn as some barbarous chief wears 

 the scalps he captures. 



These lessons can be made most interesting and profitable 

 during May and June, when birds may be seen to advantage 

 and when the teacher should take pupils to the groves and 

 fields for the purpose of making observations. The result 

 would be most happy; they all would acquire habits of 

 closer observation and a greater love of the true, the beauti- 

 ful, and the good. Days spent with birds would be red- 

 letter days, exuberant with beauty and tonic with the ozone 

 of moral, physical and intellectual vigor — days looked for- 

 ward to with pleasure, and looked back upon with happiest 



