The Audubon Societies 



79 



of value to trade. Of course, they would 

 hide their booty until the expiration of 

 the close time. 



"Special evils exist near the Dutch 

 border. During my somewhat prolonged 

 stay in this neighborhood, Malay hunters, 

 who had come over from the Dutch ter- 

 ritory, were behaving outrageously. Not 

 only did they shoot every bird they saw — 

 of course without a license — but they ter- 

 rorized the natives into doing the same. 

 It is always the hunters of the Birds-of- 

 Paradise who give occasion for punitive 

 expeditions against the natives. In forc- 

 ing these poor fellows to bring in skins of 

 the Birds-of-Paradise, they proceed 

 against them in the most brutal way. At 

 length their victims turn upon them and 

 kill them. Then the Government sends 

 out an expedition for execution of punish- 

 ment, and a few dozen natives are shot 

 down. 



"The Professor concludes his com- 

 munication to the Imperial minister by 

 remarking that if these miracles of Nature 

 are to be saved from extermination a 

 speedy and general prohibition against 

 all shooting is absolutely necessary." . .. 



"When these atrocities are brought to 

 the notice of the feather-dealers, they say 

 blandly that is something that no trade 

 can direct or control. This is on a par 

 with the shuffling excuse of the craven 

 Macbeth, when he cried to the spirit of 

 Banquo, 'Thou canst not say I did it! 

 Never shake thy gory locks at me.' Not 

 only are these revolting massacres and 

 sickening cruelties something that the 

 trade can control, but, what is more, the 

 trade is directly responsible for them. 

 Let the dealers refuse to profit by this 

 bloody business, and the horrifying 

 brutalities that have scandalized the world 

 will come to an end in an instant. 



"The immense commercialized slaugh- 

 ter of valuable and beautiful birds for 

 the feather trade that has been going on 

 for years with constantly increasing 

 barbarity, as the wild beast temper of 

 the killers rises more and more to the top, 

 serves no defensible purpose. All the uses 



of ornament and millinery can be served 

 as well by ostrich plumes, by the feathers 

 of poultry and of birds killed for food, and 

 by other means. The argument that 

 the prohibition of the importation of 

 feathers will throw many hands out of 

 employment is fallacious; on the contrary, 

 there will be an increased demand for 

 labor for the making of ornaments for 

 hat-trimmings as substitutes for the 

 excluded feathers, and for the making up 

 of the feathers that are not excluded. 



"There was a time — a time well within 

 living memory — when it was thought no 

 shame for Englishmen to regard the 

 Colonies simply as a means to an end — 

 as something to be exploited for private 

 gain. But those days, happily, are past. 

 The Empire now is one; its interests are 

 one; and no one part has any legal or 

 moral right to profit by the theft and 

 Ulict export of one of the natural resources 

 of another part. Instead of attempting 

 to justify such nefarious practices as 

 these, it would be more seemly in Eng- 

 lish merchants — since it is manifest that 

 it is not within the power of our dominions 

 to protect themselves and secure the bene- 

 fit and protection to which they are justly 

 entitled — to come to their rescue in their 

 distress. 



"With what is taking place in India in 

 my mind, I will, before I pass on to other 

 matters, ask the trade one question. 

 Does the material prosperity of the Em- 

 pire depend on agricultural pursuits, or 

 does it depend on the profits of a few 

 feather merchants? 



"The only other serious argument 

 brought against the Plumage Bill is the 

 contention that even if it became law in 

 this country no other European power 

 would follow England's lead. True, none 

 of us is a seer; but I know, as well as 

 anyone, what is going on on the Conti- 

 nent, and it is my belief that if Great 

 Britain passes this bill it will be a writing, 

 not on the wall, but on the northern sky. 

 The people of the United States gave their 

 answer yesterday; Great Britain must 

 put the question tomorrow. The salva- 

 tion of the birds of the world has become 



