47 



from a vast extent of bog and jungle and swamp. Moreover, 

 any such feathers are dirty and comparatively worthless. Refer- 

 ring to a highly imaginary picture of Egrets and native hunters, 

 which appeared on the fashion page of a London weekly journal, 

 Mr. Pam added that it was a pity the artist did not go a little 

 further and represent the birds as flying over the water and 

 shedding their plumes carefully into the hunters' boats ! 



Protection of Herons in Apure. 



Beyond the statements of Mr. Laglaize and M. Grisol, the 

 evidence brought together in " The Feather Trade " consists 

 of a decree made in 1910 by the authorities of Apure in Venezuela, 

 prohibiting the shooting of Herons, and imposing a tax on all 

 feathers collected. Throughout Mr. Downham's book this new 

 departure of a single State is spoken of as the action of " the 

 Government of Venezuela .' ' 



One statement made is as follows : 



"The Government of Venezuela has taken cognizance of the valuable 

 trade in moulted plumages, and has decided to profit by the establishment 

 of garceros, and at the same time to strengthen the hands of the land- 

 owners and lessees by enforcing the rules they have made for themselves." 



And another is : 



" Throughout countless miles of well-nigh trackless land in the South 

 American Continent, the birds exist in vast companies and are protected 

 by law and custom." 



Now Apure is a district or small sub-State, consisting of one 

 town San Fernando, on the junction of the Apure and Orinoco 

 Rivers, and for the rest of wild jungle country very thinly 

 populated and, of course, wholly unpoliced. Fifty governors 

 might make decrees, but there is no one to see that they are carried 

 out. The character of the land where " law and custom " is 

 supposed to ensure bird-protection is indicated by the fact that 

 a messenger sent by a Venezuelan merchant from Caracas to 

 San Fernando (a distance of about 200 miles) travelling overland, 

 was twenty- three days on the journey. A decree of the Federal 

 Government of Venezuela might, under certain circumstances, 

 be a pronouncement carrying some weight ; but a decree issued 

 in a small and half unexplored district is, unfortunately, prac- 

 tically worthless. Who is to execute it ? 



