THE WHITE IBIS. 



(Guara alba.) 



LYNDS JONES. 



THE white ibis might well serve 

 as the text of a symposium 

 upon the evils of plume-hunting 

 to supply the constant demand of the 

 millinery trade. Suffice it to say here 

 that this species, in common with many 

 other members of its family, and many 

 other birds as well, has decreased to 

 the point of almost complete extermi- 

 nation within the last fifteen years from 

 this cause alone. Surely it must be 

 true that the living bird in its natural 

 environment is far more pleasing to the 

 aesthetic sense than the few feathers 

 which are retained and put to an un- 

 natural use. 



As lately as i88o the white ibis was 

 decidedly numerous in the various 

 rookeries of the southern states, wan- 

 dering as far north as the Ohio river, 

 and touching southern Indiana and 

 southern Illinois. Two were seen as 

 far north as southern South Dakota. 

 They are now scarcely common even 

 in the most favored localities in Louisi- 

 ana and Texas, being confined to the 

 gulf states almost entirely, and even 

 there greatly restricted locally. 



Like many of their near relatives, the 

 herons, the ibises not only roost to- 

 gether in rookeries, but they also nest 

 in greater or less communities. Before 

 their ranks were so painfully thinned 

 by the plume-hunters, these nesting 

 communities contained hundreds and 

 even thousands of individuals. But now 

 only small companies can be found in 

 out-of-the-way places. 



The nest is built upon the mangrove 

 bushes or -upon the broken reeds and 

 rushes in the swamps, and is said to be 

 rather more carefully and compactly 

 built than are the herons' nests. The 

 eggs are three or four, rarely five in 

 number, and are laid about Mav i in 



many localities, later in others. They 

 appear large for the bird. In shape 

 they are usually rather long ovate, and 

 in color are gray or ashy-blue, irregu- 

 larly and rather heavily blotched and 

 spotted with reddish and umber browns 

 of various shades. Some specimens 

 are very pretty. 



The story of their great abundance, 

 persecution, rapid decline, and almost 

 death, if written, would read like some 

 horrible nightmare. Confident in the 

 apparent security of their ancestral 

 gathering-places, they fell an easy prey 

 to the avaricious plume-hunter who, 

 from some vantage-point, used his 

 almost noiseless light rifle or air-gun 

 with deadly effect, tallying his victims 

 by the hundred daily. We are some- 

 times led to wonder if there is anything 

 so sacred as money. 



We might be able to derive some 

 comfort from the thinning ranks of 

 many of our birds, perhaps, if we could 

 be sure that when these were gone the 

 work of extermination would cease. 

 But when one species disappears an- 

 other, less attractive before, will be set 

 upon, and thus the crusade, once begun, 

 will finally extend to each in turn. 

 This is not theory but fact. Nor will 

 the work of extermination cease with 

 the demand for plumes. Not until 

 repeated refusals of offered plumes 

 have impressed upon the mind of the 

 hunter the utter futility of further ac- 

 tivity in this line will he seek some 

 other occupation. It is a shame upon 

 us that killing birds should ever have 

 become an occupation of anyone. A 

 strong public sentiment against feather 

 adornments will yet save from destruc- 

 tion many of our native birds. Can we 

 not arouse it? 



