Bird Notes and News 



39 



aval], and fines of 2os. each and costs were 

 inflicted. 



Nearly two centuries after the birth of 

 Gilbert White (he was born in July 1720) 

 it is proposed to place a memorial window 

 in Selborne Church. The subject is to be 

 St. Francis of Assisi and the Birds. At 

 the time when the centenary of White's 



death was commemorated the erection of 

 an imposing monument over his grave, or 

 of a statue in the village, was suggested 

 though happily abandoned, but the present 

 project seems altogether desirable. Most 

 of the monej'' required has been already 

 subscribed, but additional amounts, however 

 small, will be gladly welcomed by Mr. J. 

 Whitaker, Rainworth Lodge, Rainwoith, 

 Notts. 



The Plumage Trade. 



BIRD NOTES FROM SOUTH AMERICA. 



II.- Slaughter of Condors. 



The last issue of Bird Notes and News 

 contained some details of the destruction 

 of Egrets in Venezuela, taken from Lieut. 

 L. E. Miller's new work, In the Wilds of 

 South America. 



In his journey across southern South 

 America, in the lake region of Western 

 Argentina, Mr. Miller came upon the actual 

 source of the supply of Condor quills that 

 formerly met the demand of the London 

 feather traders. This was at Mendoza, in 

 the Andes, four hours by train from San 

 Juan. (p. 422.) 



" At Mendoza we met an Indian who cJaimed to 

 be the champion Condor-hmiter of all South 

 America. D\iring his ten years of collecting he 

 had killed more than sixteen thousand of the 

 magnificent birds. His record for one day was 

 one hundred and foiuteen. Naturally, they had 



become greatly reduced in niunbers, for the Condor 

 lays Init a single egg and it takes many months 

 to rear the young. His method was to drive a 

 burro to some lonely gorge among the bleak moun- 

 tain-tops favoured by the birds, and then to kill 

 the animal. He was very particular in stating 

 that the biuro had to be fat, a poor one would 

 not do for bait. He then spread nets about the 

 carcass, and when the Condors gathered about to 

 feast he pulled a rope and ensnared them ; on one 

 occasion he trapped sixty-seven at one throw of 

 the net The prisoners were dispatched with a 

 club and the long wing-feathers extracted to be 

 exported to France to decorate women's hats. 



" Formerly he had received about twenty pesos 

 per bird. With his accumulated wealth ho built 

 a powder-mill : this promptly Ijlew up, so ho was 

 again practically penniless. Of course there were 

 still Condors in the mountains ; in fact, he knew 

 of a ledge where upwards of eight lumdred con- 

 gregated to spend the nights, but the price of feathers 

 had gone down fifty per cent, on accomit of the 

 war. He ended his speech in a verj' dramatic 

 manner : ' What,' he said, ' me go out and 

 slaughter such a wonderful, magnificent, and rare 

 bird as the Condor for ten penos each ? No, senor I 

 Not me."' 



W. T. HORNADAY. 



Bird-and-Tree Challenge Shield Competition. 



All Schools intending to compete are reminded 

 that their entry-forms should have reached the 

 R.S.P.B. by this time, and if delayed should be 

 forwarded at once ; otherwise they may be over- 

 looked when the Competition papers are sent out. 

 Entries have come in fairly well, but Buckingham- 

 shire stands in some danger of losing its Shield if 

 more Teams fio not come fonvard. 



All authorities are agreed that never was there 

 a time so important as the present for the spread 

 of a knowledge of Birds and their habits. Nothing 

 helps this in so geniiine and practical a fashion 

 as the observation encouraged by Bird-and-Tree 

 Day. 



CHILDREN AND BIRDS. 



Children, writes a correspondent to the Society, 

 " are the natural enemies of birds. I wish to recon- 

 cile them, but this, during a long life spent in the 

 country, I have foimd it impossible to do." The 

 Bird-nnd-Tree Scheme has solved the " impossible." 

 The bright enthusiastic boys and girls who not only 

 study their birds and trees, but in some cases have 

 also their school nature-diaries, their rambling and 

 Bird Protection Clubs, their bird-tables made in 

 school carpentry classes and supplied in winter 

 from willing satchels : these are not the enemies 

 of birds, " natural " or otherwise. But the lead 



