MASON AND LEFROY. 23 



" It has been argued by certain people, interested in agriculture, 

 that insectivorous birds, which are so directly important as insect 

 pest destroyers, should be protected by law, but the question arises 

 as to whether insectivorous birds are destroyed for their direct 

 prolucts in any quantities which would make it worth while to 

 introduce spacial legislation for their protection. In considering this 

 question, the first thing to do is to find out what birds are destroyed 

 in any large numbers in India. 



" There are only two purposes for which this is done. 



1. For the sake of their skins or feathers, which are export- 

 ed in considerable quantities. 



2. For eating purposes. 



The following are the principal birds killed for their skins and 

 feathers : Herodiis albi, Herodiis intermedia and Herodias gnr- 

 zett i (Egrets), all of which have in the breeding reason a dorsal or 

 p33fcoral train of what are known as decomposed feathers ; that is, 

 feifch^rs whose barbs are not connected with one another. These 

 eathers are sold and exported in very large quantities and fetch 

 very high prices. 



" Other birds of the heron family such as Buphus coromandus 

 (the Cattle Egret) Ardeola leucoptera (the Pond Heron), Ardea cine- 

 re i (the Blue Heron), all produce feathers which are sold in large 

 quantities but not at such high prices as those of the egrets proper- 



" Another bird whose feathers have a certain market value is the 

 Indian Snake Bird [Plotus melmogaster]. The lengthened scapular 

 feathers, which are the only ones sold for export, are also according 

 to Jerdon, ' looked on as a badge of royalty by the Khasias, and 

 were once the badge of one of the Bengal regiments of Irregular 

 Cavalry/ 



" Many of the pheasants are exported in large quantities, more 

 especially the Monaul [Lophophorus impeyanus]. The bulk of the 

 specimens of the pheasants brought down to Calcutta are shot, I 

 believe, in Bhutan and Nepal, and I have been offered as many as a 

 thousand skins at once. The other pheasants occurring in any 

 quantity likely to be exported are the two species of Ceriornis 



