ADDRESSES OF MAJOR LACEY 147 



phan family is destroyed that the mother's plumes may 

 decorate the headgear of humanity. 



There is one feature of bird protection with which this 

 bill does not pretend to deal. 



The plumage merchant has held out inducements to 

 hunters which have well-nigh exterminated some of the 

 most beautiful creatures in the world. 



In a single sale in London, in 1898, 116,490 skins of 

 humming birds and 228,289 bundles of Indian parrots 

 were sold for decorative purposes. In that sale over 

 500,000 bird skins were disposed of. 



It is a pitiful thing to contemplate the slaughter of 

 such a multitude of these beauties for the gratification of 

 human vanity. Many people are deeply interested in the 

 proposition to forbid the importation of the plumage of 

 foreign birds, but that would involve the attempt to re- 

 form the world before purifying ourselves. 



We should cast the beam out of our own eye first. 



Let us take care of our own birds and game before at- 

 tempting to go into the fields and forests of other lands. 



By taking this course we will set an example to other 

 countries and the good work of bird and game protection 

 in America may serve as a model. 



We have given an awful exhibition of slaughter and de- 

 struction, which may serve as a warning to all mankind. 

 Let us now give an example of wise conservation of what 

 remains of the gifts of nature. 



It is late. It is too late as to the wild pigeon. The 

 buffalo is almost a thing of the past, but there still re- 

 main much to preserve, and we must act earnestly if we 

 would accomplish good results. 



To the last section of this bill, which was designed to 

 obviate the effect of the " original-package" law in pro- 

 tecting the pot-hunter, I have agreed to offer an amend- 

 ment, putting it in such form as I think will remove the 



