THE WHITE IBIS. 
(Guara alba.) 
LYNDS JONES. 
HE 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 
zsthetic sense than the few feathers 
which are retained and put to an un- 
natural use. 
As lately as 1880 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 May 1 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? 
