rds themselves, and to be
signed by thirty-five song-birds. It was written in such a delightful
manner that it roused the interest of the Massachusetts Legislature, and
the desired bill was prepared and passed in an astonishingly short space
of time.

The document is so pretty and graceful in its tone and language that
you would certainly like to read it for yourselves.

Here it is:

"_To the Great and General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts:_

"We, the song-birds of Massachusetts and their playfellows, make this
our humble petition. We know more about you than you think we do. We
know how good you are. We have hopped about the roofs and looked in at
your windows of the houses you have built for poor and sick and hungry
people and little lame and deaf and blind children. We have built our
nests in the trees and sung many a song as we flew about the gardens and
parks you have made so beautiful for your children, especially your poor
children, to play in. Every year we fly a great way over the country,
keeping all the time where the sun is bright and warm. And we know that
whenever you do anything the people all over this great land between the
seas and the great lakes find it out, and pretty soon will try to do the
same. We know. We know.

"We are Americans just the same as you are. Some of us, like some of
you, came across the great sea. But most of the birds like us have lived
here a long while; and the birds like us welcomed your fathers when they
came here many, many years ago. Our fathers and mothers have always done
their best to please your fathers and mothers.

"Now, we have a sad story to tell you. Thoughtless or bad people are
trying to destroy us. They kill us because our feathers are beautiful.
Even pretty and sweet girls, who, we should think, would be our best
friends, kill our brothers and children so that they may wear our
plumage on their hats. Sometimes people kill us for mere wantonness.
Cruel boys destroy our nests and steal our eggs and our young ones.
People with guns and snares lie in wait to kill us; as if the place for
a bird were not in the sky, alive, but in a shop window or in a glass
case. If this goes on much longer all our song-birds will be gone.
Already we are told in some other countries that used to be full of
birds they are now almost gone. Even the nightingales are being killed
in Italy.

"Now we humbly pray that you will stop all this and will save us from
this