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MORALS. |
203 |
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cases. But why banish the whole leathered race, most of whom are not merely innocent, but absolutely useful in diminishing the number of noxious insects I It is not so in other countries, tn England, birds generally are pro-tected and cherished. I do not speak" now of pheasants, partridges, and other game, which are sheltered in the parks, and preserved from all but his lordship's shot: but, throughout the whole country, the sparrows, bulfinches, goldfinches, thrushes, blackbirds, and other little songsters, are permitted to live almost without molestation. They are seen by hundreds in every hedge and field. Many of them are almost domesticated around the houses : and even in the cities, such as Liverpool. Manchester. Birmingham. London, and others, amid the smoke of coal, the din of factories, and the throng of people, you see thousands of these little birds. In the heart of an English city, I have sometimes waked up in the morning, and. from the bursting melody of finches and sparrows around, have imagined myself to be in the country.
Why is it that our custom in respect to birds is so different in America? Have we derived from our pilgrim fathers a spirit of extermination? Because the first settlers of this country |
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