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if one can bring himself to do it and have his feathers to gloat over and worship God in) even unto ones childrens' children is naturally a far higher use than killing for food though the latter is so universally profitted by, by all but vegetarians.
And as to these beautiful sea birds Gerald & I together have shot, of all species together something like twenty or twenty five individuals, in our whole lives while milliners men sometimes have got 144000 birds to one boat with three men and a barrel of ammunition) Gerald & I have now got about every American kind in those twenty five individuals ( I dare say I might find they counted up higher) and habitually spare them now-a-days though always ready to shoot a new kind.
And this not to have like a chronic collector one more kind but to add to our [[crossed-out]] intricate [[/crossed-out]] intimate acquaintance with previous bird beauties one more equally individual type, precisely as each new Japanese drapery mades you long to add to add it to your store each so offsets the others.
The beauty of a birds patterns, etc. simply thrills me and my immense color progress and decorator progress is greatly due to this passion in me and the hundreds of hours spent in looking at my bird skins, as well as aviaries.