The Audubon Societies 



373 



Enforcement of the Federal 

 Plumage Law 



In November, 1916, Angelo Tartaglino, 

 cook on the steamship 'Kroonland,' was 

 arrested at the gate as he landed with a bag 

 of contraband plumes concealed under his 

 clothes. He was charged with violating 

 Section 3082 of the Revised Statutes and 

 paragraph 347 of the Tariff Act. The case 

 was tried by Judge Manton of the District 

 Court. Judge Manton found Tartaglino 

 guilty and sentenced him to eleven months 

 and fifteen days imprisonment on Black- 

 wells Island and $500 fine. 



Upon examination it was found that 

 other plumes were concealed upon the 

 ship, and these also were seized. When 

 arrested, Tartaglino was making his sec- 

 ond trip, having bought the business from 

 Luigi Strada for $200. Strada had made 

 four trips before selling out. The feathers 

 were provided by Giuseppe Arbib, of 

 London, who smuggled them on shipboard 

 at Liverpool. Tartaglino took them ashore 

 and delivered them to John Ruscetta on 

 34th Street. Arthur Arbib called there for 

 the plumes and paid the men for their 

 work. Government agents seized forty- 

 three boxes of plumes stored in his apart- 

 ments. Arbib was found guilty, but be- 

 cause of his physical condition, which re- 

 quires constant medical attention, his 

 prison term was changed to $5,000 fine. 



Knoxville Audubon Exhibit 



The East Tennessee Audubon Society 

 had at the recent East Tennessee Division 

 Fair one of the best exhibits of bird-life 

 that has ever been displayed in that re- 

 gion. It consisted mainly of sixty-two 

 mounted specimens of birds common to 

 that locality and numerous colored plates 

 illustrating those of other parts of the 

 country. 



These materials were loaned to the 

 Audubon Society through the courtesy of 

 Dr. George Clyde Fisher, of the American 

 Museum of Natural History, who had lec- 

 tured to the Society during his stay in 

 Knoxville, as one of the professors at the 



Summer School of the South, where he 

 lectured for the National Association of 

 .\udubon Societies. The specimens are 

 all correctly labeled and are identified by 

 Mrs. Karl E. Steinmetz, one of the most 

 active members of the local Society, who 

 for several years has taken an active part 

 in the promotion of bird-study. 



The main object of the exhibit was to 

 impress upon the people of the city and the 

 surrounding country the economic im- 

 portance of birds and to encourage their 

 proper protection. 



Seeds Free 



Mr. D. C. Peacock, of .Atlanta, Ga., an 

 employee of the Government and an en- 

 thusiastic Audubon Society man, has 

 written as follows: 



"I have found quite a large tree bearing 

 millions of black berries >^ by ^ inch. 

 This tree has, for three weeks, been swarm- 

 ing with migrating Thrushes. They are so 

 eager for these berries that they fly in 

 when I am under it. I will have a quantity 

 of these seeds gathered, and for three 

 cents in stamps I will send a few of these 

 seeds to any address. The tree makes a 

 beautiful shade tree. 



"If you care to insert the above in 

 Bird-Lore, I will take pleasure in hav- 

 ing small boys gather the seeds and send 

 them to anyone who may care to write 

 for them." 



• Dr. Harry C. Oberholser, to whom some 

 of these seeds were sent, says that the 

 tree is a species of Rhamnus, probably 

 RhaniHus caroliniana. Bailey's Standard 

 Cyclopedia of Horticulture" gives "Indian 

 Cherry" as the common name for this 

 tree. It is also known as "Yellow Buck- 

 thorn." 



The distribution of this tree extends 

 from Long Island, where it grows as a 

 shrub, to Florida, and westward to 

 Nebraska and Texas. It is very attrac- 

 tive as an ornamental tree, as well as 

 being an annual source of food for the 

 birds. We are very glad to print Mr. 

 Peacock's kind offer, knowing it will be 

 gratefully received. 



