BIRD NOTES AND NEWS. 



27 



adds: "I have seen the cliffs absolutely 

 spotted witli the fledglmgs which liad died 

 of starvation." It is possible that in half 

 civilized lands, where there is neither law 

 nor public opinion to be faced, the hunter 

 is wentle and tender and merciful ; but it is 

 not probable. 



Such slaughter of Kittiwakes and other 

 sea-birds as now goes on round the British 

 coast is due to one or other of two causes. 

 Tlie statutory Close-time ends on August 1st, 



before the nesting-period is over ; many of 

 the young birds can scarcely fly, while others 

 are still in the nest. As, however, County 

 Councils can prolong the Close-time, or can 

 protect the species all the year, the remedy 

 lies in their hands. The second danger is 

 created by a defect in tlie law, which in one 

 or two instances lias frustrated the action of 

 Councils ; but tlie Royal Society for the 

 Protection of Birds hoj)e to see it speedily 

 remedied. 



UcT 



The Plume Treide. 



UcT 



The Committee which has been appointed 

 by the Earl of Crewe, consisting of representa- 

 tives of the Colonial Office and of the Natural 

 History Museum at South Kensington, to con- 

 sider the whole question of the protection of 

 plumage birds, has received two additions, 

 in the persons of the Hon. E. S. Montagu, 

 M.P., Parliamentary Under-Secretary for 

 India, and Mr. Percy Illingworth. The 

 first-named has for many years past made 

 a sj)ecial stud}^ of Ornithology, \\iiilst 

 Mr. Illingworth has been added to the 

 Committee as the representative of the Board 

 of Trade, which, it may be recalled, was con- 

 sulted with respect to the Bill dealing with the 

 same subject which was introduced by Lord 

 Avebury. The object of the Committee is 

 to see how far it may be possible to devise 

 means either by legislation or departmental 

 control to prevent the indiscriminate 

 slaughter of j)lumage birds ^^-hich is taking 

 place in almost every part of the world. 



The Observer (August 7th) understands 

 that the Committee have already decided to 

 recommend very strong measures in order 

 to put an end to a system mainly dependent 

 upon illicit traffic. There is a strong feeling 

 that the Colonies should give effect to legisla- 



tive measures to prevent the exportation of 

 bird skins for millinery purposes, and if this 

 is done, the Government wiU see -that the 

 possibility of smuggling feathers into the 

 English market is reduced to a minimum. 

 It is realised that one of the most j)opular 

 artifices is to get the feathers forwarded 

 throu^i indirect channels, and the co-opera- 

 tion of European Governments is therefore 

 essential before any prohibitory plan can be 

 made of value in the desired direction. Hence 

 it is proposed to call a special international 

 conference, at which resolutions will be 

 moved pledging the British Empire, the 

 Continent and the United States to 'united 

 action. 



Autumn is being ushered in with even 

 more than the usual display of feathers in 

 the milliners' shops, chiefly in the form of 

 huge wings and fans " shoutmg " the blatant 

 vulgarity of such adornments. 



The season is also marked bj'' a great 

 display of activity and eloquence on the 

 part of the plume-trade, who have laid 

 some curious statements before the news- 

 paper public. The narrative of " moulted 

 plumes " mysteriously circulated two years 

 ago by a person or persons too modest to 



