BIRD NOTES AND NEWS. 



41 



per cent, now go out of England to be made 

 up on the Continent in foreign facto lies ; 

 if Lord Avebury's Bill becomes law, these 

 feathers worked up in Paris or elsewhere, will 

 not be able to enter British ports ; but no 

 British workers will of necessity lose thereby. 

 On the other hand, as one witness said, 

 " substitutes must be found," and there- 

 fore labour generally will undoubtedly benefit. 

 The small amount of making up of 

 foreign fancy-feathers now done in England 

 is a seasonal occupation '- for girls engaged 

 at other times in manipulating Ostrich 

 feathers. If British manufacturers can 

 supply nothing to replace the fancy-feather 

 scraps, the cheap mount business may suffer, 

 but it will be strange if British manufacturers 

 do not welcome the opportunity to supplant 

 Continental imports with goods made by 

 British workers. 



The feather merchants naturally take their 

 trade very seriously, as though " ospreys " 

 were the staff of life instead of a profitable 

 " trimming." When the Bill has passed, 

 tens of thousands of women will cease 

 wearing pieces of dead birds in their hats 

 without giving so much as a thought to the 

 matter, and will still find new hats desirable 

 and charming. Milliners will experience a 

 happy relief in no longer being compelled to 

 apologise or lie in order to sell their wares. 

 No one credits the picture of Englishwomen 

 of all classes swarming over to France in 

 order to persist in a discredited " mode." 

 The " fashion " will have changed, and birds 

 will " go out," as crinoline went out after 

 its dangers and ugliness had tired the public, 

 and as yellow ruffs went out when a celebrated 

 murderess was executed in one. 



i On one point the feather merchants were 

 noticeably embarrassed. They were loth 

 to acknowledge the truth of figures showing 

 enormous bird-destruction. They could not 

 dispute them for fear of indicating that the 

 supply of birds was being reduced. It is 

 also worth noting that not a single state- 



ment advanced by the Royal Society for the 

 Protection of Birds has been disproved or 



shaken. 



BIRD PROTECTION IN AUSTRALIA. 



"The protests against the shameful des- 

 truction of birds for their plumage for the 

 purposes of millinery have so far," says the 

 Sydney Worker (July 23rd), " been futile as far 

 as Australia is concerned. A few insect-eating 

 birds have been protected, but nothing has 

 been done to protect many beautiful species, 

 which have, in consequence, become almost 

 extinct. A deputation representing the 

 Ornithological and Natural History Societies 

 of the Commonwealth was to wait this week 

 on Mr. Deakin to request legislative restric- 

 tion on the trade in plumage birds. Legisla- 

 tion is proposed on the lines of Lord 

 Avebury's Bill, recently introduced into the 

 British Parliament." Mr. Deakin has also 

 been questioned on the matter in the House 

 of Representatives, and expressed his 

 personal sympathy with the movement. 



"OSPREYS" ON THE STAGE. 



" There are many people at work producing 

 fashion," said one of the trade witnesses to 

 the Plumage Bill Committee. Some of these 

 people are undoubtedly connected with the 

 theatre, where coming styles of costume are 

 commonly seen in such sumptuous extrava- 

 gance as impresses the public mind. Several 

 leading actresses have declared themselves 

 against the wearing of ospreys and the like, 

 but it has been said that many are in the 

 hands of managers and costumiers, and 

 cannot exercise their own taste or preference. 

 It is the more interesting to know that a 

 clever young actress, who is playing a leading 

 part in one of the most popular plays now 

 running, and who was allotted in one scene 

 a hat trimmed with osprey plumes, at once 

 went to the manager, and as an adherent of 

 the R.S.P.B., asked to be allowed to change 

 the feather. No difficulty was made in 

 granting the request. 



