71 



Mr. Downham and Dutch New Guinea. 



In connexion with the destruction of Paradise Birds in 

 Dutch New Guinea, the following two statements made by 

 Mr. Downham may be compared : the one contradicting and 

 ridiculing the other. 



Mr. Downham before the House of Lords Committee, June 24th, 

 1908: 



" The shooting of Birds-of-Paradise is controlled, to a very large extent, 

 by the Government of Dutch New Guinea. . . The Dutch Government 

 very recently offered to sell to one firm the whole of the shooting rights 

 of Dutch New Guinea, but they asked such a price for it that it would be 

 impossible to accept their terms, unless they could be sure of killing every 

 bird." 



Mr. Downham, in " The Feather Trade," p. 44 : 



" The freedom with which ridiculous or misleading statements are 

 bandied about may be gauged from some of recent date. In a lecture 

 before the Selborne Society it was stated that ' the Dutch Government 

 had offered to one firm of feather merchants the right to kill all the Birds- 

 of-Paradise in Dutch New Guinea.' The Dutch Government promptly 

 denied the absurdist atement," 



