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70 TRANSACTIONS OF THE HINGHAM 
the sin of destroying them is made by law a required study in their 
public school instruction. 
The Bund, an agricultural journal published in Berne, concludes an 
able article on the subject of the importance of birds, the enormous 
losses occasioned by insects, and the incompleteness of Swiss legislation 
in the following forcible manner : — 
‘«¢ These enormous losses occasioned by insects, and the cost of the 
ineffectual attempts to collect and destroy these vermin can all be obvi- 
ated, if man will only not destroy the equipoise of nature, and not from 
wantonness, fastidiousness, prejudice, or superstition, or other equally 
worthless grounds, persecute and exterminate the natural destroyers of 
insects, mice, &c., but, on the contrary, give them the greatest possible 
protection, and tender to them nourishment and care during the inclem- 
ent season. We rejoice that our own cantonal laws for the protection 
of birds are so generally observed, but it is to be regretted that the 
spirit of these excellent laws has not been more generally made the 
subject of instruction in our public schools. We yet more regret that 
in many respects our legislation is still so incomplete. For mstance, 
when we sce that so valuable a bird as the sparrow, just acclimated at 
so much expense in America, the crow, the raven, and many other 
birds of acknowledged utility still outlawed in individual cantons, when 
we see that the destruction of all birds is still permitted at certain sea- 
sons in some, and that in others, only the smaller and least essential 
singing-birds are protected, while the most useful of all are excluded 
from the protection of law, we are forced to express an earnest desire 
that in the cantons where this half legislation still exists a change may 
soon be made more in conformity to the present stand-point of science.” 
The prayer this writer utters in regard to the half legislation of 
Switzerland, I would fain repeat in regard to the half legislation which 
now does discredit to Massachusetts. 
But my time is exhausted and I will trespass upon your patience 
no longer. I will only add, in conclusion, that the two points I 
most desire to impress upon you, drawn from the,experience of Europe 
are, the dangers to us of America arising from the unchecked develop- 
ment of destructive insects on the one hand and the unchecked diminu- 
tion of their natural preventives, the birds on the other. The subject 
in these twofold relations is, I am convinced, well worthy of your 
gravest consideration. Millions upon millions of dollars may be saved 
