eeks the glossy coats of the fur-bearing
animals or the beautiful plumage of certain birds gives no thought to
the wasted bodies that he leaves behind.

Since men have become civilized and their needs have become so many,
Nature's arrangements have been seriously disturbed. She has not armed
the wild creatures against men, who, with all kinds of marvelous
weapons, are able to take advantage of them. The wild creatures discover
very quickly that they can find little protection against this new
enemy, no matter how quick and sharp their senses are.

The blue jay has only his sharp eyes to help him when he seeks the
cunningly hidden nest of another bird with the hope of being able to
dine upon eggs. The breakfast of the wolf depends alone upon his
quickness in catching a rabbit. The mountain lion depends upon his
stealthiness when stalking a deer. The Indian relies upon his skill in
imitating the call or the appearance of an animal when he tries to
approach near enough to use his bow and arrow. Civilized men have lost
much of the keenness of sight and hearing they once had, but they have
far more than made up for this through their ingenuity in making deadly
weapons.

We depend no longer upon the hunt for each day's supply of food. But the
instinct to hunt which still remains we use to amuse ourselves while
upon our camping trips. Some people even made a living by hunting for
the market, although, fortunately for the wild creatures, little of this
kind of hunting is now permitted.

The desire to get out of doors and live for a time each year among the
wild mountains is another instinct which comes to us from our savage
forefathers. This is a beneficial instinct, for life in the fresh air
gives us new strength. The hunting instinct is not wrong in itself. It
is the manner in which we hunt that is wrong. But how much finer it
would be if, instead of using an outing as an excuse to destroy the wild
creatures, we should use it to learn about them and their curious ways.
How much more real pleasure there is in studying the habits of the
denizens of the woods and fields than there is in killing them!

Many a boy wants to carry a gun, because he has read lurid stories of
Indians and robbers, or of hunting in the jungles where lions and tigers
abound. This often leads to the killing of harmless birds for the lack
of bigger game. Boys should be taught either at home or in school the
sacredness of life, and a feeling of pity an