19 



SEVENTH WINTER MEETING.— MARCH 13th, 1906. 



"PLUMAGE."— By MISS TURNER. 



Mr. Sidney Harvey, F.S.A., F.I.C., presided on 

 Tuesday, iMarch 13. The attendance also cotn- 

 prieed Mr. W. P. Mann, Miss Proudfoot, Mrs. 

 Harvey, Mr. and Mrs. H. Biggleston, Miss Hook, 

 Mr. and Mrs. Marsh, Mr. Lander (Hon. Secretary), 

 Mr. Leeming, Mr. P. C. Snell, and Mr. W. Sarry. 



The President directed attention to the very 

 beautiful specimens of Samian ware recently dis- 

 covered in the neighbourhood of the Recreation 

 Giound. The specimens excited a great deal ct 

 interest. 



The Secretary also referred to the lecture of Mr. 

 Kearton, F.Z.S., announced for the following week. 



The lecturer for the evening. Miss E. Turner, 

 of Tunbridge Wells, was next introduced by the 

 President, who referred to the fact that she was 

 one of the Srst ladies admitted to membership of 

 the Linnsean Society and that she was also a 

 medallist of the Royal Photographic Society. 



Miss Turner's lecture dealt with the subject of 

 the plumage of birds and was illustrated bj means 

 of about fifty beautiful slides, several ot which 

 were specimens of colour photography. She 

 explained very interestingly the various features 

 of the arrangement of feathers and also of the 

 colouring of the plumage, much of which, she 

 explained, was for protective purposes. Miss 

 Turner mentioned that one photograph of a hen 

 pheasant cost hpr nearly an hour's search, although 

 she had been told that the bird was sitting in a 

 certain hedge between two marked trees. Shs was 

 told to look for " something like an old straw hat," 

 and she did eventually find and photograph her. 

 In fact, if it were not for the twinkling of a bright 

 eye, many a bird would be entirely overlooked. This 

 fact seemed to be known to them, for when conscious 

 of eye meeting eye, a bird always ducked its head, 

 or drew it back until almost hidden in its own 

 plumage. Miss Turner thus proceeded : 



Omariventation. — We now come to the subjpct 

 of ornamental feathers, those gorgeous dresses 

 which the dau'iies of the bird world either wear 

 habitually or assume merely as wedding garments. 

 During the brief period of courtship some male 

 birds put on extra feathers, mere outward decora- 

 tions that vanish as soon as they have dazzled 

 the eye and turned the brain of some one of the 

 weaker sex of the bird world. Naturally the first 

 of the-e that presents it.self to our mind is the 

 unfortunate egret or white heron, whose beautiful 



plumes have brought upon the species such 

 wholesale and wanton murder, but whose blood — 

 thanks to men of science like Professor Newton — 

 is at last beginning to cry out loud enough to 

 rouse the world. These plumes, generally 

 known as the " osprey," are no longer 

 used for the decoration of army headgear 

 ( nor, by - the - bye are even the wings of 

 the jiy to be used for the Baden-Powell hats). 

 Other birds, like the Argus pheasant, are able, by 

 a series of most wonderful evolutions, to turn their 

 decorative feithers inside out and upside down (so 

 to speak), thus bringing into sight those marvel- 

 lously-pencilled plumes that are scarcely visible 

 when the ownei is not showing off. Is it to be 

 wondered at that tbe ordinary female brain (bird 

 brain) should be completely turned by the sudden 

 bewildering flash of those hundreds of eyes, or 

 that she should meekly bow her head in silent 

 adoration before her wondrous lord P Alas' poor 

 lady, she will find him but a sorry husband. 

 There is another gorgeously decorated bird — one 

 of the birds of Paiadise, whose extraordinary 

 dancing parHes have been described by Wallace. 

 And our oock pleasant, too, is at all times a beau- 

 tiful bird, and although brilliant in colouring, 

 his plumage seems to exactly tone with our 

 autumn foliage. As for our friend the peacock, 

 no duubt you have all seen him displaying bis so- 

 called "tail" (whi(;h after all is not his tail 

 proper) and rattling every feather in the peculiar 

 shivering fashion he deems attractive. How he 

 poses and struts and rattles in order to win a look 

 from his apparently uninterested lady love. For 

 it is evidently a mark of superior breeding in 

 the very highe.st ranks of bird society not to 

 betray the slightest interest in all this fuss and 

 display. But yos may depend upon it, the lady 

 takes it all in, that not a disordered feather escapes 

 her critical eye, not a false step in the curious 

 dance but is noted, and ridiculed by-and-bye when 

 she and her particular lady friends come to dis- 

 cuss matters quietly. For 



Though she doesn't attend when he talks, 

 And only looks bored when be smgs. 



She's impressed when she sees how he walks ; 

 And admires the good taste of his '' things." 

 Miss Turner, in conclusion, dealt with tb& 

 moulting changes m the plumage of many birds, 

 and was at the conclusion accorded a hearty vote 

 of thanks for her interesting lecture. 



