etgivenplacetotheformer.AlmosteveryNewEnglandboyamongmycontemporariesshoulderedafowlingpiecebetweentheagesoftenandfourteenandhishuntingandfishinggroundswerenotlimited,likethepreservesofanEnglishnobleman,butweremoreboundlesseventhanthoseofasavage.Nowonder,then,thathedidnotoftenerstaytoplayonthecommon.Butalreadyachangeistakingplace,owing,nottoanincreasedhumanity,buttoanincreasedscarcityofgame,forperhapsthehunteristhegreatestfriendoftheanimalshunted,notexceptingtheHumaneSociety.
Moreover,whenatthepond,Iwishedsometimestoaddfishtomyfareforvariety.Ihaveactuallyfishedfromthesamekindofnecessitythatthefirstfishersdid.WhateverhumanityImightconjureupagainstitwasallfactitious,andconcernedmyphilosophymorethanmyfeelings.Ispeakoffishingonlynow,forIhadlongfeltdifferentlyaboutfowling,andsoldmygunbeforeIwenttothewoods.NotthatIamlesshumanethanothers,butIdidnotperceivethatmyfeelingsweremuchaffected.Ididnotpitythefishesnortheworms.Thiswashabit.Asforfowling,duringthelastyearsthatIcarriedagunmyexcusewasthatIwasstudyingornithology,andsoughtonlyneworrarebirds.ButIconfessthatIamnowinclinedtothinkthatthereisafinerwayofstudyingornithologythanthis.Itrequiressomuchcloserattentiontothehabitsofthebirds,that,ifforthatreasononly,Ihavebeenwillingtoomitthegun.Yetnotwithstandingtheobjectiononthescoreofhumanity,Iamcompelledtodoubtifequallyvaluablesportsareeversubstitutedfortheseandwhensomeofmyfriendshaveaskedmeanxiouslyabouttheirboys,whethertheyshouldletthemhunt,Ihaveanswered,yes,—rememberingthatitwasoneofthebestpartsofmyeducation,—makethemhunters,thoughsportsmenonlyatfirst,ifpossible,mightyhuntersatlast,sothattheyshallnotfindgamelargeenoughfortheminthisoranyvegetablewilderness,—huntersaswellasfishersofmen.ThusfarIamoftheopinionofChaucer’snun,who
“yavenotofthetextapulledhen
Thatsaiththathuntersbennotholymen.”
Thereisaperiodinthehistoryoftheindividual,asoftherace,whenthehu