The Snowy Heron 



39 



That Herons are rapidly becoming scarce and more dirticiilt to obtain by the plume- 

 hunters is shown by the difference in price in the raw material. Twenty years since, the 

 cost per ounce was only a few dollars, now it is more than quadrupled. In circulars 

 sent by New York feather dealers to plume-hunters in Florida during 1903, thirty-two 

 dollars per ounce was offered for fine plumes. This not only indicates the rapidly increas- 

 ing scarcity of the white Herons but also that some dealers are willing, in order to obtain 

 the plumes, to offer special inducements to hunters to violate laws enacted for the pro- 

 tection of these birds. 



The much-sought-after plumes are worn by the Herons only for a very limitetl period 

 during the year, that is, in the breeding season. Unfortunately, during that time the 

 Herons gather in colonies; whether this is for protection or is merely social is not known. 

 During the remainder of the year they are wild and wander over large districts, when it is 

 impossible for plume-hunters to kill them in quantities that would afford pecuniary returns. 

 However, during the breeding season the habits of these unfortunate birds change entirely, 



SCALP,' OR RAW 



PLUMES AS 



TAKEN FROM BACK 



OF BIRD 



PLUMES FROM EGRET; THE 



STUB' PLUME OF 



COMMERCE 



PLUMES FROM BACK OF SNOWY 



HERON; THE 'AIGRETTE' 



OR 'OSPREY' O 



COMMERCE 



and with the growth of the parental instinct they lose all sense of fear or wildness and the 

 hunter has little trouble in securing his victims. The death of the parent birds entails the 

 destruction of the helpless nestlings by the painful and lingering method of starvation. 



Mr. Chapman says, in his 'Birds of Eastern North America,' "The destruction of these 

 birds is an unpleasant subject. It is a blot on Florida's history." The blood stain is not 

 on Florida alone but may be found in every part of the world. A tew years more of reck- 

 less slaughter during the breeding season and the white Herons will be classed among the 

 extinct birds, the number of which is far too rapidly increasing. 



Dealers often state that ' aigrettes' are manufactured, but this is not so; man has never 

 yet been able to imitate successfully these beautiful plumes; all that are offered for sale 

 have been torn from the backs of the smaller white Herons. Even the stiff plumes, which 

 are known in the trade as 'stubs,' are not manufactured but are the plumes of the larger 

 species of white Herons. 



Herons' plumes are often sold as 'ospreys'; this is simply another trade name used to 

 disguise the fact that they are Herons' plumes: the 'Osprey' of science is the Fish Hawk, 

 which produces no plumes of any kind. 



Both 'aigrettes' and 'stubs' are dyed various colors, especially black; however, no 

 matter what is the tint of the plume when offered for sale at the milliners', its original color 

 when on the back of the Heron was white ; the artificial color is merely in response to the 

 dictates of fashion. 



