82 Miss L. Gardiner—Milestones towards the Plumage Bill


we have to leave the tent for a dry bed, then we left it standing in a

foot of water ! Luckily we saw no snakes, but previous to this I did

a few weeks’ harvesting, when we killed some rather large ones. Often

when resting we watched a species of Quail that roosted on the stooks

of wheat and copied the call of a number of other birds. I think it

was a Lesser Quail.


The water we drank was not good, we boiled it for safety, and only

drank tea. We had to drive 30 miles for our bread, and often pro¬

cured a Murray Cod when near a fishing spot; they are a great luxury

well known throughout the south. Now I think I may give one little

tale just to end with. We were calling early one morning on a distant

neighbour. After breakfast he showed us round ; his huts were of

bark over rude poles, but weather-proof, and no bigger than 6 by

12 feet. He had an unusually large number of chickens, and knowing

he had no way of marketing the eggs I asked him what he did with

them. He casually said, “ I reckon I feed the dog on them ! ”



MILESTONES TOWARDS THE PLUMAGE BILL


Communicated by Miss L. Gardiner


1868. Professor Newton’s protest, at the British Association meeting,

against the slaughter of Gulls off the British coast.


1869. Sea-birds Preservation Act passed.


1876. Professor Newton’s protest in the Times against the destruction

of Egrets and other exotic birds, as demonstrated by the

catalogues of the London feather-sales.


1885. “ Plumage League ” formed by Lady Mount-Temple.


1886. American Ornithologists’ Union Bird Protection Committee

organized (New York).


First Audubon Society formed (Massachusetts).


1887. Reports published in the Auk (American Ornithologists’ Union)

of the wholesale slaughter of Herons, Ibis, Spoonbills, and other

birds, by plume-hunters in Florida.


1889. The Society (now Royal Society) for the Protection of Birds

founded primarily as an Anti-plumage-wearing League.



