1877-] 
The Balance of Nature. 
15 7 
maxim that circumstances alter cases. Thus in most parts 
of Britain he would extirpate eagles, hawks, and ravens, in 
the most thoroughgoing style. He describes, in a manner 
at once graphic and pathetic, the “ sufferings of the young 
grouse when their mothers are taken,” — the “ screams and 
helpless terror of the old birds, and the feeble efforts of the 
little ones to escape.” But in a “ deer-forest ” — say rather 
in a “ deer-desert ” — he would protect golden eagles to keep 
down the hares, and falcons to kill the grouse ! Yet he 
questions the sincerity, or at least the consistency, of those 
who “pretend to care for birds, and yet harbour and en- 
courage cats.” Were Waterton’s system of tolerating the 
carrion crow to become general, he maintains that it would 
be impossible to rear chickens or ducklings except under a 
net. Yet he recommends the preservation of the fox, and 
counsels farmers to guard their poultry against his depreda- 
tions by means of wire net-work. In mountainous regions, 
however, the fox is to be shot, trapped, or poisoned, as most 
convenient. Rabbits are to be “ ferretted down ” till there 
are only enough left to serve as food for the foxes. He 
thinks that eggs require fresh air and warmth, and that 
there is “ nothing more unpleasant than the smell of wild flowers 
round a pheasant's nest." So the very flowers, we presume, 
are to be extirpated ! It is hard to trace, in these recom- 
mendations, either humanity, or a desire to promote the 
interests of agriculture, or the wish to protect useful and 
beautiful beings, or to establish a new and improved “ balance 
of Nature,” or anything but the love of “ sport.” 
Then the small insectivorous birds, whom we desire to 
protect, have other enemies beside those enumerated by 
Mr. Morant. The shrikes make sad havoc among them at 
times ; but these minor birds of prey are utterly unable to 
overpower a partridge, a pheasant, or a grouse, and — shall 
we say therefore — Mr. Morant passes them by undenounced. 
There is very considerable suspicion, if not positive proof, that 
the squirrel at times makes free with the eggs and the young 
of small birds, but he, too, escapes our author’s censure.* 
We have further to ask why, if — as Mr. Morant seems to 
hold — hawks and crows are the great obstacle to the increase 
of beautiful and useful birds, these latter are found to de- 
crease, pari passu, with their supposed destroyers ? Yet this 
is undoubtedly the faCt. England is decidedly growing 
poorer in species of birds. Kinds once common are be- 
coming rare ; those formerly rare are in many parts verging 
* The squirrel undoubtedly destroys pears, peaches, and plums, and even 
the blossoms oi the cherry. 
