The Destruction of Wild Birds in General throughout the World. 851 



communication VV. Bryan states: — "During- the past few years 

 I have visited practically all the low coral islands in the North 

 Pacific, and have been appalled at the destruction of the birds 

 on these islands by Japanese plume-hunters, who make a business 

 of visiting- not only the guano islands of their own possessions, 

 but those of the United States as well, and killing birds by the 

 hundreds of thousands. On Marctis Island, a party had been 

 at work for six years. In that short time they had wiped out 

 of existence one of the largest albatross colonies in these waters. 

 While there, I estimated that they had 40 000 tern skins ready 

 for shipment, which was the second boat-load to be shipped that 

 year. Midway Island at the time of my visit was covered with 

 great heaps of albatross carcasses, which a crew of poachers had 

 left to rot on the ground after the cj[uill feathers had been pulled 

 out of each bird." 



It is impossible for me, in the time at my disposal, to quote 

 further from W. Bryan's report. Suffice it to say that he takes 

 in order all the islands of the chain and shows how each is simi- 

 larly scourged. 



Not long ago a gang of poachers were surprised on Lisi- 

 ansky Island, which is also a bird reservation, and the property 

 of the United States. These men had in their possession 335 cases 

 of skins and feathers, representing the plumage of 300000 birds. 



Later still — this year, to be accurate — twenty three plume- 

 hunters were arrested on the Hawaiian Islands Reservation, where 

 they had already collected 259 000 pairs of birds' wings. • 



I should mention that all the plumage obtained from these 

 islands is taken to Yokohama, whence it is shipped to London 

 and Paris, to be used in the millinery trade. 



Turning to Australia, we find similar destruction of bird-life, 

 similar wholesale robbery, everywhere prevalent. 



Of late years the growth of sentiment in Australia in favour 

 of the king of that country's avi-fauna, the emu, has been extre- 

 mely rapid. LTnfortunately, its destruction for its feathers has 

 proceeded with even greater celerity. A startling index of the 

 magnitude of the slaughter of the emu — always mindful that it 

 has been already exterminated in Tasmania, Victoria, and South 

 Australia, and that it exists only in scattered flocks in New South 

 Wales and Queensland — is given in the catalogues of the London 

 plume sales. During 1909, the skins of 1019 of these faSt-dis- 

 appearing birds were smuggled out of Australia and sold by 

 public auction in London. 



There was no bird in the world to which the eyes of zoologists 

 were turned in more admiring wonder than that pride of Australia, 

 the lyre bird. Yet the rarer the bird became, the fiercer grew the 

 competition to secure its unique tail feathers. A few years back 

 over 400 individuals of this single genus of bird were swept out 



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