244 Notes and News. [adtU 



of bird wings in various stages of curing. Two armed boat crews from the 

 Thetis landed on the island under the command of Second Lieutenant 

 George E. Wilcox, who arrested the fifteen Japanese subjects and seized 

 all the plumage. There were taken 65 bales of birds' wings, 28 large 

 and 3 small bags and 13 bales of feathers, and two boxes of stuffed birds. 

 It is estimated that the number of wings was 119,000. It appears that 

 the Japanese killed the birds during daylight with a stick and then cut 

 off their wings and plucked them. 



"The Thetis then proceeded to Lisiansky Island, where an anchorage 

 was found on the morning of January 19 last. An officer and an armed 

 boat crew were sent ashore at once to investigate conditions there. A 

 party of eight Japanese was arrested, and the amount of plumage seized 

 consisted of nineteen bales of bird feathers, one box of stuffed birds, one 

 box and sixty-five bags of birds' wings. The number of wings was esti- 

 mated at 140,400. Four small buildings were found on this island, one 

 of which was used as a dwelling by the Japanese. A number of other 

 islands was visited by the Thetis, but these were the only two where 

 poaching was found to be carried on. 



"From information obtained through interpreters it was found that the 

 Laysan party was at work on the island from April 17, 1909, to January 17, 

 1910, a period of nine months. In August last the island was visited by a 

 Japanese vessel, which brought nine new men and took away nine of the 

 old party. The amount of plumage shipped from Laysan in August 

 appears to have been 30 bales of feathers, aggregating about one ton, and 

 70 bales of wings, aggregating 128,100 bird wings. The same procedure 

 took place at Lisiansky Island, a Japanese vessel reaching there with a 

 relief party in August. The number of bird wings taken from this island 

 in August is estimated at 108,000. 



"The system followed in the process of curing the bird wings is, when 

 the wings are cut off, the bone is removed and a small amount of lime is 

 sprinkled on them or rubbed into them. They are then spread out on the 

 sands to dry. If the weather continues good, the wings are cured in from 

 four to five days and are then packed into bales. During the process 

 of packing naphthaline powder is sprinkled over the layers, and when 

 filled the bales are sewed up and are then ready for shipping. If rains 

 occur during the curing time, the wings are covered with several thick- 

 nesses of mats, which are held in place by rocks. At the time of the arrival 

 of the Thetis, being the rainy season in those latitudes, a considerable 

 number of wings was found under mats in various stages of curing." 



A press despatch from Honolulu, dated March 16, 1910, states that the 

 twenty-three Japanese poachers captured by the officers of the ' Thetis ' 

 were sentenced the preceding day in the Circuit Court to twenty-four 

 hours imprisonment, the judge being satisfied that they were ignorant 

 tools of others " higher up," whose indictment will now be attempted. 



