. Animal Life and the World of Nature; A magazine of Natural History. i8o Animal Life is scarcely any sight more painful than that of a wild bird either beating its feathers against the cage-bars or sitting an object of resigned melancholy. Obviously there is less cruelty in keeping birds which have been bred in captivity and have never known the feeling of freedom, but into this question we cannot enter here. We walk the streets of a town and see windows containing hundreds of tiny cages, each with its prisoner; we see the cottage door in the country overhung with a roughly-made box, also con
. Animal Life and the World of Nature; A magazine of Natural History. i8o Animal Life is scarcely any sight more painful than that of a wild bird either beating its feathers against the cage-bars or sitting an object of resigned melancholy. Obviously there is less cruelty in keeping birds which have been bred in captivity and have never known the feeling of freedom, but into this question we cannot enter here. We walk the streets of a town and see windows containing hundreds of tiny cages, each with its prisoner; we see the cottage door in the country overhung with a roughly-made box, also containing its prisoner. And we ask ourselves—what can we do to help ? It is a difficult problem. I have tried many different methods, and have come to the conclusion there is only one thing we can do—try to arouse a feeling of sympathy in the heart of the owner. It is no easy task to accomplish, but ever and again one heart may realise the anguish of the captive ; and once we touch that chord of compassion the rest is easy, for the owner then will wish to set the prisoner free—will not rest until the captive is once more winging its way over its native field and wood. There is a startling contrast between the wild bird at liberty and the wild bird caged; but we must enjoy the sight and sound of the former, and endure that of the latter ere we can properly realise the distinction. It cannot be adequately described on paper—it must be felt. I cannot believe that the man or woman who keeps a skylark in a cage has ever realised this difference. They can never have lain in a scented meadow on a May morning and abandoned themselves to the contemplation of Nature personified in a skylark; cannot have watched it circling up, up, up, till it is lost to sight in the blue dome of Heaven, nor have drunk in its glad free song. Would they could; for then no such bird would ever suffer at their MOORHEN'S NEST. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned p
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookpublisherlondo, bookyear1902
