Jhe protection of J3ritish J3irds. 
T!here will be few to deny that the wanton destruction of life, in 
any shape or form, is wholly repugnant to the instincts of all right- 
minded people. Apart from considerations of sentiment, or, let me 
rather say, purely humanitarian considerations, there is, further, the 
utilitarian aspect which peremptorily calls for recognition. Nor does 
the passing enumeration of these important issues exhaust the reasons 
why adequate protection should be accorded to the vast majority of the 
wild birds inhabiting and visiting these islands throughout the year. 
How greatly birds minister to the enjoyment of the senses, especially 
in the spring and. summer months, is a, matter of wide-world notoriety 
amongst dwellers in the country. Their presence alone is a thing of 
delight. But if the mere appearance of varied feathered forms, flitting 
here and there, is associated with pleasure, what about the minstrelsy, 
echoing and re-echoing on every side, which isr a superadded and more 
lively form of gratification ? Surely it may be said without trenching 
on the domain of hyperbole that birds charm with their presence, 
delight with their music, and lend no small measure of beauty to the 
country; that they invest and gladden with life many a solitude and 
dreary waste, and, in a word, prove most acceptable companions wher¬ 
ever they are encountered. 
Then, again, to briefly touch upon the utilitarian point of view. Are 
we not indebted to the birds for the seasonable destruction of countless 
myriads of grubs and insects capable of very noxious influences at that 
time of the year when Nature gives spectacular proof that, she is 
re-awakening to a sense of her responsibilities.? Do the swallows, for 
instance, hawking to and fro in every lane and highway throughout 
the summer months, render service of but trivial import to mankind? 
An oppressive atmosphere has its drawbacks., yet, owing to the swallows 
and martins and other birds, that take their prey on the wing, an 
oppressive atmosphere laden with an embarrassing wealth of insect life 
