94 Notes and News. Auk 
Jan. 
cil’ to assist bird students by placing them in ‘‘direct communication 
with an authority on the bird-life of their region who has consented to 
aid them,” the announcement of which Council will be made in the 
next issue of ‘ Bird-Lore,’ 
* 
Ir 1s announced that ‘The Odlogists Association’ proposes to hold its 
first meeting, probably in Washington, at some yet to be assigned date 
next fall. The Secretary-Treasurer of the Association is John W. Daniel, 
Jr., Lynchburg, Va. 
Tue magnitude of the business of destroying birds for millinery pur- 
poses has recently been illustrated through the accidental destruction by 
fire at Wantagh, Long Island, N. Y., Nov. 22, 1899, of a factory for the 
preparation of the skins and plumage of birds ‘‘ for the purpose of orna- 
menting women’s hats.” This establishment is said to have been the 
largest of its kind in the United States; it was a one story building, 100 
feet long and fifty feet wide, in which about fifty persons were employed 
in the preparation of birds’ plumage for the milliner. At the time of the 
fire the stock is said to have contained ‘‘ 10,000 stuffed sea gulls, 20,000 
wings of various other birds, 10,000 heads of birds, representing many 
varieties from the beautiful plumaged birds of the South to the plain 
Long Island Crow. The resources of the establishment had been severely 
taxed during the past year to provide long wings and single feathers, and 
a number of special gunners were sent out to provide a supply of those 
birds that would meet the demand. Long Island baymen all last winter 
made more money shooting birds for Mr. Wilson than they did at their 
regular callings of oyster gathering or fishing. ° The establishment had 
men stationed at Cape Cod, the islands off the coast of Maine, the shores 
of Virginia and on the Florida coasts. ‘These men were kept busy filling 
special orders for certain varieties of birds found in those localities.” A 
few days before the fire *‘several gunning outfits were sent out from 
the establishment for the winter’s work. One party went out in a big 
sloop to secure a cargo of water fowl of different sorts, and another party 
was sent south with a naphtha launch to explore southern rivers for 
birds, and the Florida coasts will be hunted by still another outfit. Some 
of these gunners kill a large number of birds ina season. The greatest 
record made by any one man was 141,000 killed in a single season in 
Florida.” 
The owner of this establishment is William L. Wilson, and it is 
announced that he will at once rebuild his plant. His nefarious work 
has long been known to our bird protectors, and various attempts have 
been made to entrap him in the meshes of the law, but through defects 
in the New York bird law he has always, by the aid of able lawyers, 
found a loophole for escape. The wide publicity given to his work by 
the press in describing the destruction of his factory should have the 
effect to arouse public sentiment against it, and greatly increase the danger 
