378 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



were ostrich feathers. When it was shown that the bird was 

 not of the same order, genus, family or species as the ostrich, 

 the ruling was reversed on iSTovember 9. Possibly it was in 

 effect long enough to allow the South American dealers to dis- 

 pose of their stock. This ruling probably will save the rhea 

 from early extinction unless a third ruling, allowing the entry 

 of rhea feathers on presentation of satisfactory evidence that 

 they have been taken from domesticated birds, leaves a loophole 

 that may be taken advantage of by the importers. 



On the whole, however, the law has operated satisfactorily. 

 The sales of bird skins and plumage in London during the year 

 1914: were failures; prices ruled very low, and a large part 

 of the skins offered could not be sold at any price. In this 

 country manufactured ornaments have been used largely to take 

 the place of feathers. 



The passage by the Congress of the United States of the 

 plumage clause in the tariff bill was followed by a new tariff 

 regulation by the Canadian government, in which was incorpo- 

 rated a clause prohibiting the importation of the plumage of 

 wild birds. This provision became effective January 1, 1915. 

 Australia had already adopted a similar provision. 



While the plumage fight was still pending in the United 

 States, we were furnishing facts and figures for the English 

 campaign for the passage of a bill to forbid the importation of 

 plumage into the British Isles. James Buckland, the Eng- 

 lish naturalist, was prominent in the fight for the bill, which 

 went to a third reading in the House of Commons by an over- 

 whelming majority. Pending the passage of the bill which was 

 looked upon as certain, the British government called an inter- 

 national Congi'ess on the plumage question, to meet in London. 

 It was stipulated that each nation sending delegates must be 

 prepared to prohibit the import and export of plumage. Only 

 France, Holland and Denmark, of the European nations, re- 

 fused to come into the Congress. The British Royal Society for 

 the Protection of Birds received the folloAving from Professor 

 C. G. Schillings, the celebrated German naturalist: — 



The United States has found the only satisfactory solution of this 

 question. We German friends of nature and the birds, con\aneed too 



