172 TO THE RESCUE OF BIRDS. 



when fashionable, as in recent years, when for her live birds 

 are plucked, and dead ones skinned, one grows sick over 

 beings capable of such revolting cruelty. 



In vain we recount with condemnation woman's vanities 

 and cruelties — vainly we cry that her evils return upon her 

 in physical woe and the lack of man's respect. There is a 

 defect somewhere in our methods, and it is to the solution 

 of this problem that I address myself in seeking to rescue 

 birds from destruction. We need these little feathered 

 beings, that so gracefully flit through the air and swing on the 

 branches of trees ; there rises before us the beauteous vision 

 of these lovely creatures in their myriad hues ; and the 

 memory of their blithe or pathetic melodies seems almost to 

 bring back sylvan harmonies to our ears. These pictures 

 are part of our youth ; we could not bid them farewell. Oh ! 

 how can we let the threatened destruction come on the 

 authors of all these tender memories ? I was proud of 

 Mississippi when I learned that she had passed a law against 

 imprisoning Mocking-birds ; but that aid, whilst appreciated, 

 is but a drop against the sea of sorrow that cruelty causes. 

 We have all read of English falconry, and seen pictures of 

 the hooded bird chained to the lady's wrist, as she gayly 

 goes forth on her prancing steed to destroy innocent birds ; 

 and it has seemed incomprehensible that a woman could 

 find pleasure in such wanton wickedness. We have read of 

 ladies at Naples crushing the heads of quail, and regarding 

 it as rare sport. Alas ! shall we ever be free from the idea 

 that sport must be bloody and painful to make it real ? 



Love of inflicting pain, terrible joy over agony, man has 

 concentrated in vivisection. Here too we find woman, who 

 should be an angel of mercy, performing with coolness and 

 method the diabolism of the knife, the burning-iron, and 

 other horrible instruments of torture. A student of medi- 

 cine described to me a woman's performances in vivisection 

 as exceeding those of the men, if that were possible, and she 

 chose as one of her victims a snow-white dove ; yet the last 



