JANUARY 7 



Southern States. The birds had been well-nigh exter- 

 minated before Congress took the matter in hand, and 

 it is good to read in Nature for 7th December 1917 

 about the vigorous measures adopted to preserve what 

 remained : 



' The activities of the United States Board of Agriculture 

 cover a wide field, and happily their behests are promptly 

 attended to. Originally, the preservation of wild birds 

 was undertaken merely from the point of view of economic 

 zoology. During recent years, however, the Board has 

 taken over the charge of numerous and extensive reserva- 

 tions for the protection of birds to save them from the 

 ravages of the plume-hunter and the egg-collector, and they 

 have done magnificent work in that direction. How great 

 are the difficulties of the Board and how wide its powers 

 may be gathered from a statement in the American Museum 

 Journal to the effect that news reached the officials that a 

 Japanese poaching vessel had been seen in the neighbour- 

 hood of the Hawaiian Islands, where a reservation has been 

 established. At once the revenue cutter Thetis was ordered 

 to cruise to the bird islands. In due time she returned 

 bringing twenty-three Japanese feather-hunters captured in 

 the work of destruction. In the hold of the vessel were 

 stored 259,000 pairs of wings, 2 tons of baled feathers, and 

 several large cases of skins, for which the Japanese, had 

 they escaped with their booty, would have realised more 

 than 100,000 dollars (20,000). 



In Florida, we are glad to learn, the white egrets are 

 slowly recovering from the ruthless slaughter to which they 

 have been subjected ; though the warden charged with their 

 protection goes in daily peril of his life from desperate and 

 lawless agents of the plume-trade.' 



Mention of Lord Avebury reminds me how much I 

 owe him for insight into many of the less obvious facts 



