Cbe ^uDubon Societies; 



EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT 



Edited by WILLIAM DUTCHER 



Address all correspondence, and send all remittances for dues and contributions to 

 the National Association of Audubon Societies, 141 Broadway, New York City 



Bird Slaughter in the Pacific Islands 



In the February number of Bird-Lore, 

 a short announcement was made of the 

 capture of Japanese poachers on the 

 Hawaiian Islands Reservation. The Asso- 

 ciation has just received from its resident 

 representative in Honolulu, Mr. William 

 Alanson Bryan, the following detailed ac- 

 count of the work of the poachers. There is 

 no doubt whatever but that these poachers 

 were working in the interest of the milli- 

 nery trade, and the horrors of this whole- 

 sale slaughter show the absolute necessity 

 for an international agreement between the 

 world powers to prevent work of this char- 

 acter. Until such an agreement is entered 

 into, such incidents as the present are 

 sure to be repeated. 



It is intended that this Association shall 

 have a representative at the International 

 Ornithological Congress, which will com- 

 mence in Berlin on May 30, when it is 

 hoped that the section devoted to bird 

 protection will take up this very important 

 matter, and that a committee will be 

 formed to present to the world powers 

 the need for international bird protection, 

 especially with the view of prohibiting 

 the use of the plumage of all wild birds 

 for millinery or other ornaments. 



The Thetis Arrives with Japanese 



Poachers* 



Twenty three Captured at Laysan 



After completing a cruise of the out- 

 lying bird islands and reefs, covering a 

 period of several weeks, the United States 

 revenue cutter, Thetis, under command 

 of Captain W. V. E. Jacobs, arrived in 



♦Reprinted from the Evening Bulletin, Feb- 

 ruary 2, 1910, Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii. 



the harbor this morning and anchored in 

 the stream, pending a settlement of the 

 matter of a disposition of her valuable 

 cargo, including 259,000 bird skins and 

 wings, two and a half tons of baled 

 feathers, and several large cases and boxes 

 of stuffed birds. 



The Thetis gathered in a party of 

 twenty-three Japanese poachers at Laysan 

 and Lysiansky Islands, the former scene 

 of operations of "Admiral" Max Schlem- 

 mer, the one-time King of Laysan Island. 



The Japanese took their arrest philo- 

 sophically, and, when confronted with 

 the Federal officers of the law, they main- 

 tained a broad grin and to all intents and 

 purposes enjoyed the experience. 



The captured poachers will be prose- 

 cuted under provisions of the Federal 

 laws against poaching, which call for a 

 maximum penalty of six months' im- 

 prisonment and the assessment of a fine 

 of $500. 



That the men are the employes of a 

 htii, which is believed to have a local 

 connection, as well as headquarters in 

 Japan, is borne out by the statements of 

 several of the Japanese who have been 

 brought to Honolulu. While they will not 

 divulge the name or names of parties in 

 the Hawaiian Islands who are alleged as 

 being financially interested in the sys- 

 matic bird-poaching operations upon 

 the neighboring islands, they do say that 

 they have been in the service of a Japan- 

 ese company, with headquarters at Tokio, 

 who placed them on a small schooner 

 and, after an extended passage, landed a 

 portion of the party at Laysan, while the 

 others continued the voyage to Lysiansky. 

 They declare that they were given ample 

 provisions for a stay of a year or more. 



{90) 



