MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 94o 



Local Governments, particularly the Punjab and Assam, Societies, traders and 

 individuals in North and South America with a \iew to introducing the system 

 in those countries. The facts mentioned in the articles received Independent 

 corroboration from many officers, several of whom are close observers of bird 

 life. The only public criticism which appeared at the time was by Major 

 Lindsay Smith who, while expressing doubt as to the possibility of breeding 

 egrets, said that if the writer of the article could state that he saw the birds 

 incubating the eggs and took the photographs himself, the matter would be 

 placed beyond doubt. This criticism was answered by Mr. Birch in the fol- 

 lowng letter, dated 13th August 1914, to the Bombay Natural History 

 Society- : — 



" The photographs printed in the Journal were all taken on surprise visits 

 to different farms. Plate A at a place 7 miles from Rohri on th? bank of th° Wes- 

 tern Nara. Plate B at a village 6 miles from the town of Larkana. Plate C 

 at Rahuja on the Sukkur canal, three miles from Sukkur. The tirst two 

 photographs were snapshots by myself. I had to procure the help of the profes- 

 sional photographer to take Plate C as my kodak was not large enough to get 

 an interior ^^ew but I visited this farm myself also. The other photographs 

 sent to you wliich were not i)ublished were taken by me personally." 



The question of egi-et farming was discussed shortly afterwards at a conference 

 of Naturalists in London who succeeded in convincing the House of Commons 

 Committee that egi-et plumes can be taken without any cruelty and that it is 

 unnecessary to hurt the birds, that in the wild state the birds are killed as the 

 only way of getting the plumes ; but in farming this is of course not done. 

 Owing to the war no action was however taken. 



Last year when the Plumage Bill was the subject of v'olent controversy at 

 home the existence of egret tarms in Sind was strenuously denied. The facts 

 stated in Mr. Birch's article have been hotly de])ated in ParHament and in 

 particular the tale of four moultings of the plumes per year is regarded as incorrect 

 and impossible. The latter point is always cited by excited opponents as 

 showing the falsity of the evidence of the existence of the farms. No words 

 are minced in the controversy and charges of corruption and perjury are hurled 

 about wholesale. Enquiries have again been made this year regarding the 

 following points : — 



(i) How many farms exist in Sind at present? 



(n) Are such farms migratory according to the supply of water or fish or 



according to the movements of the Muhanas ? 

 {Hi) Are the birds well treated or is such cruelty as blinding practiced 



, upon them. 

 Hi) What is the dietary of the birclfe ? 



{v\ What is the growth of the plumes and how many moultings take place 

 in the year. Is it possible that artificial feeding and restraint may 

 lead to special moultings 'i 

 The following are the answers to these questions : — 



[i) The existence of about at least 100 farms has been verified. The 



average number of birds in each farm is about 100. 

 {ii) The farms are migratory ojily according to the supply of water and fish. 

 i.e., the fishing stations. If the water and with it the fish supply 

 of a particular lake dries up, the farm is moved to another place where 

 water and small fish, the food of the birds, are available. Where a 

 supply of fish and water is permanent the farm remains permanent. 

 {Hi) The birds are well treated ; of tliis there can be no doubt. They are 

 comfortably housed in well ventilated structures, well looked after 

 and well fed. Amongst 1,700 birds personally seen by the Collector of 

 Thar and Parkar in 19 farms no case of blinding or ill-treating wag 



