284



Correspondence.



“ etc. in person, and would see to the management of the birds on the voyage.*

“I should certainly prefer to spend my money in securing a healthy bird,

“ properly brought over, than to bestowing it in return for a ragged skinful of

“ septic fever ! ! ”


SlB,—From Dr. Butler’s article, Love of Science does not seem compati¬

ble with Love of Birds to say the least, and it would be a great pity if many

adopted the views enumerated by him.


Indiscriminate taking of clutches of scarcer and rarer birds’ eggs can

only lead to extinction of that species in England, and prevention of any of the

species of birds once common in this country being re-established.


The egg collector, who takes clutch after clutch, to show some slight

difference in colouration or marking, is clearly diminishing the breed.


Wholesale “scientific research” only equals wholesale scientific destruc¬

tion. The fact that the owner of the estate where certain rare birds breed, may

desire to retain them (and is willing to run the risk of “ inbreeding of brothers

and sisters”) does not appear to come in for consideration.


Man may possibly not succeed greatly by attempting to assist nature ! he

succeeds admirably though when he attempts to wipe out nature.


With regard to Egret plumes, it may not be necessary to kill the bird, but

I have little doubt which method is quickest and generally adopted by the plume

hunter, and I do not think it will be that of gathering up stray moulted half-

broken feathers ! Let us hope the Egret appreciates protection. R.


Le Clienil in a leading article “ Pour et contre les Oiseaux,” criticizes Dr.

Butler’s views, and makes the following remarks with regard to the ‘ aigrettes.’


Mais la ou le Dr. Butler est inexcusable c’est lorsque lui, naturaliste,

accepte les grossiers mensonges de la plumasserie, a savoir que les crosses

d’aigrettes sont ramassees par les sauvages dans les marais apres la mue et, aux

nombreux temoignages des voyageurs impartiaux qui out assiste aux massacres

de ces echassiers pendant l’incubation, qui ont vu l’agonie des milliers de jeunes

oiseaux prives de leurs parents, qui ont constate l’abandon des heronnieres que

peuplaient naguere d’innombrables colonies, il prefere les assertions cent fois

dementies de voyageurs de commerce pourvoyeurs de la plumasserie que leur seul

interet aurait du lui rendre suspects.


Dans la meme livraison del’Avicultural Magazine ou le Dr. Butler plai '.ait

la cause de la plumasserie, le directeur du recueil, M. Hubert D. Astley, consac ;ait

quelques pages a la petite Aigrette. On y trouve une refutation indirecte de

plusieurs des assertions ou mieux citations de l’article “ en faveur de la scienc e”



* This idea has been mooted ; but what if only one rare specimen arrived,

subscribed for by three or four members ? Personally, one would never spe; -k

again to the one who obtained CEthopyga ignicauda, or some such beauty whi, h

my soul yearned for ! ! ! Major Perreau and Major Boyd Horsbrugh have do .e

much towards importing rare and healthy birds. Ed.



