Bird Notes and News 



15 



PLUMAGE BILL MANIFESTOS. 



A letter in support of the Bill has 

 been published widely, signed by the 

 Duke of Rutland, the Earl of Leicester, 

 Viscount Galway, Lord Lilford, Rev. the 

 Hon. E. L. Lyttelton, Bishop Welldon, 

 Sir Herbert Maxwell, Sir Godfrey Baring, 

 MP., Sir Harry Johnston, Sir Ernest 

 Shackleton, Sir A. Conan Doyle, Sir 

 Owen Seaman, Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant, 

 Mr. J. St. Loe Strachey, Mr. H. 

 Hesketh-Prichard, and Mr. E. B. 

 Waggett. In it the writers say : — 



" We are most heartily in accord with this 

 measure, as we believe that it is the duty of 

 this country to put an end to the traffic in 

 the skins and plumes of wild birds. The 

 evidence is abundantly clear that many rare 

 and beautiful species are being ruthlessly 

 exterminated, and that the trade creates a 

 demand for the plumes of certain birds 

 which these birds only acquire in the 

 breeding season, thus encouraging the hor- 

 rible and cruel practice of killing birds when 

 the young are in the nest. 



"The argument that the trade in prohibited 

 feathers will not be diminished, but simply 

 diverted to the Continent, is, in our opinion, 

 absolutely a false one ; on the contrary, we 

 believe that the passage of this Bill will 

 greatly strengthen the hands of the various 

 societies and individuals who are endeavour- 

 ing to promote prohibition upon the 

 Continent. 



" In particular we do not believe that the 

 passage of the Bill will bring about any 

 shortage of work among those employed in 

 the trade. A great part of the work done in 

 connection with this fancy plumage is per- 

 formed on the Continent, and the bulk of 

 feather-workers employed in England work, 

 not upon wild-bird plumage, but upon 

 Ostrich feathers, whose entry will be per- 

 mitted and even stimulated by the provisions 

 of the Bill. Also in the natural course of 

 things, substitutes and imitations will be 

 found, which will divert to British labour 

 much work that is now done in Paris and 

 Vienna." 



A manifesto, signed by a number of 

 representative ladies has also been 

 published in the Press : — 



" Attempts to regulate the traffic would," 

 it urges, " be futile on account of the in- 

 surmountable difficulties with respect to 

 laws and their enforcement in the countries 

 from which a large proportion of the birds 

 come ; therefore, the most effectual way to 

 preserve wild birds is by the enactment of 

 laws prohibiting importation, in support of 

 the regulations which forbid export. 



" In 1908, when a Select Committee of the 

 House of Lords took evidence on the im- 

 portation of plumage, the official returns 

 showed that under £100,000 represented the 

 value of ' fancy feathers ' annually imported 

 into England, 80 per cent, of which are 

 immediately re-exported to be worked up 

 abroad. Although the financial interests 

 involved are not large, the destruction of 

 useful and precious bird-life is stupendous, 

 as is well known. It is our belief that the 

 passing of the Bill will be immensely bene- 

 ficial, and will inflict no hardships either on 

 merchants or on workers in factories and 

 warehouses. 



"Finally, we approve of the provisions 

 made by this Bill for the confiscation (as in 

 the United States of America) of forbidden 

 plumage forming part of the wearing 

 apparel, or in the possession of any person 

 landing in England. 



" In our opinion, it will be only right and 

 fair that women who persist in wearing 

 plumage not permitted by the Bill should 

 be compelled to surrender it." 



The signatories are the Duchess of 

 Portland, the Countess of Aberdeen, Miss 

 Clementina Black, Mrs. Bramwell Booth, 

 Rosalind Countess of Carlisle, Mrs. 

 Creighton, Mrs. Garrett Fawcett, Mrs. 

 Bedford Fenwick, Mrs. John Galsworthy, 

 Lady Lilford, Lady Catherine Milnes- 

 Gaskell, the Hon. Lily Montagu, the 

 Countess of Portsmouth, Lady Laura 

 Ridding, the Ranee of Sarawak, Mrs. 

 Philip Snowden, Lady Henry Somerset, 

 the Duchess of Somerset, Mrs Sumner, 

 Miss Ellen Terry, and Lady Rose Weigall. 



