296 



Bird - Lore 



aigrettes, rose to be a considerable busi- 

 ness in Venezuela. It was injured by 

 legislation against the importation of 

 plumage of wild birds, first in the United 

 States and then in Great Britain, while 

 the outbreak of war closed the Hamburg 

 market and greatly decreased the demand 

 in Paris. Venezuela's exports of Heron 

 aigrettes in 1908 were valued at $187,005 

 in 1909 at $230,265; in 1910 at $168,287 

 in 1911 at $309,532; in 1912 at $373,312 

 in 1913 at $627,440; in 1914 at $31,461; in 

 1915 at $166,339; ^nd in the first six 

 months of 1916 at $37,059. 



These feathers come exclusively from 

 the states of Bolivar and Apure, where 



there are many bayous along the Orinoco, 

 and many lakes remaining after the annual 

 overflow of the plairis, to which Herons 

 and other birds resort in great numbers. 

 The importance of the feather-trade to this 

 district can be judged from the fact that 

 the total population is only 100,000, and 

 that the only other resource is the cattle 

 business. A serious decline in the com- 

 mercial prosperity of Ciudad, Bolivar, and 

 San Fernando du Apure has come about 

 since the practical extinction of this 

 trade in 1914, and the people of the dis- 

 trict have been urgent in their appeals to 

 the Federal Government to do something 

 to obtain the repeal of hostile foreign laws. 



BATTLE FOR THE CROPS-FARMERS VS. INSECT PESTS 



'•■^•k^ 





ik 





— Cou t sj Count y Gentlemiini 



Note, that the firmerb ire shown also shooting the birds that are coming to help fight the insects 



