THE LITTLE EGRET. 17 



and Little Egrets are ruthlessly shot or caught during the breeding season when 

 alone their ornaments are developed in all countries where they nest, by " bird 

 plumers," for the purpose of providing female adornment in hats and otherwise. 

 The patch of skin on the back, from which spring the plumes, and occasionally 

 the wings, are hastily torn off, and the remains of the bird, often still alive, are 

 thrown aside. As many as two or three hundred dead bodies of Egrets and 

 White Herons have been counted, in a heap, near their heronry, after the hasty 

 visit of one of these devastating parties. No consideration is had for the helpless 

 young in the nest, whose pitiable cries for food may be heard miles away for days 

 after, gradually waning till death relieves their agony, and silences the heronry. 

 These plumes were formerly sold without disguise by plumassiers and milliners as 

 " Aigrettes " ; but it would appear that the sympathy of many of their more 

 gentle and tender-hearted patrons has been aroused, and brought a lucrative trade 

 into danger. The dealers have, therefore, adopted the deceit of assuring (of malice 

 aforethought) their customers that the "Aigrettes" are either cast off feathers 

 which would, of course, be too worn or draggled for wear, or, that they are 

 " Ospreys " and " Brush Ospreys," names adopted for manufactured imitations, and 

 that the plumes are no longer taken from real birds. Nevertheless these " Ospreys" 

 and "Brush Ospreys" are the true nuptial plumes of White Herons and Egrets. 

 The abundance of these birds and their slaughter may be estimated when, as Mr. 

 Litehfield, of Kensington Square, London, has lately pointed out in a letter to 

 the Times, their plumes may be purchased retail, at from sixpence to sevenpence 

 apiece, in shops in such expensive localities as St. Paul's Churchyard, Kensington 

 High Street, Edgeware Road, Oxford Street, and Wigmore Street. It is almost 

 hopeless to stop the cruel trade, so long as " ladies " will exercise only the slight 

 care they do, to discover whether the plumes they are offered, are artificial or not ; 

 and until, indeed, those whose example is powerful in the social world, refuse to 

 wear feathers altogether, and express their abhorrence of this cruel destruction of 

 the most beautiful birds going on all over the globe. The extent to which the 

 slaughter of birds of bright plumage many of them after all, never used because 

 not "in fashion " solely for plumassiers' purposes, is carried, is almost beyond 

 belief. The present writers witnessed the shipment, in one vessel, of a consignment, 

 for London and Paris, of numerous cases, containing, they were assured about five 

 hundred thousand skins, from Rio de Janeiro ; and they have seen equally great 

 numbers from New Guinea, Aru, and Ceram, laid out in long sheds, awaiting ship- 

 ment for Europe, at the Moluccan Islands of Ternate and Banda. We may perhaps 

 be allowed to quote here the late Lord Lilford's remarks in this connection. The 

 Little Egret " in habits is by far the most confiding and fearless of man of any of 



VOL. IV. 



