

BIRD NOTES AND NEWS. 



that the numbers are being very rapidly diminished, 

 and that the number of feathers picked up from 

 the birds that moult is so infinitesimal that it would 

 hardly count at all. 



Chairman : Then practically the feathers sold 

 are not moulted feathers, but feathers from birds 

 that have been shot ? — Yes. 



It has been alleged before the Committee by 

 one or two witnesses that the Amazon extends over 

 such an enormous area that practically it is im- 

 possible even to reduce the number of the birds ; 

 but I gather from what you have already said that, 

 though that is, of course, true, the breeding places 

 are comparatively restricted ? — Yes. 



Therefore, during the breeding season it is com- 

 paratively easy to destroy the birds ? — Yes. 



And the destruction of the parent birds involves 

 the death of the young ? — Yes. 



Marquess of Bristol : Have you ever come across 

 moulted feathers from the Heron ? — No : it would 

 be a difficult thing to find one feather. If you wished 

 to collect feathers you would have to walk several 

 hundred yards for each individual plume you picked 

 up, and in the jungle of the Amazon it would be 

 an extremely difficult occupation. 



Chairman : Practically the idea of their being 

 moulted feathers may be absolutely put aside ? 

 —Absolutely. 



[Dr. Hagmanu wrote* May 24th, 190S : — " It is a worthless 

 contention on the part of importers that the Egrets are not 

 killed for the purpose of obtaining the feathers. An absolute 

 proof of this is the fact that the Egrets in China, which are 

 closely related to the South American kind, have been almost 

 entirely exterminated." 



On June 23rd, 1908, he wrote : — " As I told you in my letter 

 of the 24th May, the Egrets are shot in Brav.il, andin the whole 

 of the rest of South America, for obtaining their feathers. In 

 most cases, the men who shoot these birds are the collectors 

 of rubber and other products, who look upon the collection of 

 osprey i^lunies as a lucrative secondary branch of their 

 collecting business. We can state, without fear of contradiction , 

 that practically all Egrets are killed, that is to say, shot, in 

 order to obtain their feathers, because only in this manner can 

 the feathers of the adult birds, which are the most valuable, 

 be obtained. There can, therefore, be no doubt that the birds 

 are beiug more than decimated, and will soon be exterminated. 

 It would, therefore, be a greatly desirable achievement if the 

 English Parliament could take steps to prevent the slaughter 

 in such huge quantities of these Egrets."] 



" ARTIFICIAL OSPREYS." 



Mr. Matthew Hale : I see down here " Birds 

 of Paradise " ; but I can assure you some are not 

 Birds of Paradise at all : they are simply dyed 

 feathers. It is the same with your Egrets there 

 [indicating specimens before the Committee] ; 

 you would have to have a very clever detective 

 to be able to go round and tell you which were the 

 horsehair and which were the real Egrets. 



Imitations are made from bristles and horsehair, 

 and it is done so wonderfully that it is very difficult 

 for anyone but an expert to be able to tell you 

 which is which. 



Do you say these are made of horsehair ? — I 

 do not say they are ; but I say imitations are so made 

 and you cannot tell unless you get close to them. 



Dr. Bowdler Sharpe : I have had dozens of 

 so-called artificial Egret feathers submitted to me 

 at the Museum. There never was one that was : 

 they were all of them feathers of Egrets. 



And they are all taken from the birds just at the 

 time of nesting ? — Yes. 



Because it is only when they are nesting that 

 they have these beautiful feathers ? — That is so. 



Mr. Henneguy : 



Chairman : I suppose if feathers of these foreign 

 birds were less used in hats there would be a greater 

 demand for the feathers of poultry ? — Not at 

 all, there is no similarity at all. These beautiful 

 feathers have a lightness and brightness and beauty 

 which is not to be approached by the feathers of 

 a Barn Fowl, any more than a piece of glass is like 

 a diamond, or ginger-beer is like champagne. 



THE BIRD OF PARADISE. 



Mr. Downham : There is pretty substantial 

 evidence that there is no question of extermination, 

 because the Dutch Government very recently 

 offered to sell to one firm the whole of the shooting 

 rights of Dutch Guinea ; but they asked such a 

 price that it would be impossible to accept their 

 terms, unless they could be sine of killing every 

 bird. 



Marquess of Bristol : Does the fact that the Dutch 

 Government are prepared to sell the shooting rights 

 over the whole of New Guinea prove that the birds 

 are in no danger of extermination ? — I wanted to 

 point out that there could be no question of ex- 

 termination, if the Dutch Government were making 

 use of the shooting of the Birds of Paradise to yield 

 part of its revenue. If they could find one or two 

 firms who could take over the shooting rights, 

 those firms would have to engage every native 

 that they could find to blaze away at these Birds 

 of Paradise in order to recoup themselves for the 

 money that they would have to pay to the Dutch 

 Government. 



Chairman : Would not that rather tend to ex- 

 terminate the birds ? — It would certainly. But 

 what I wish to point out is that the present mode 

 of killing the Birds of Paradise does not tend to 

 make that extermination possible. 



Marquess of Bristol : How long are these shooting 

 rights let for ? — About six months. 



Do they stipulate for any stock to be left at the 



