ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



995 



OUR NEW CAMPAIGN: TO STOP THE IMPORTATION OF 

 WILD BIRDS' PLUMAGE FOR MILLINERY 



FULLY one hundred species of the most 

 beautiful and curious birds of the world 

 are now being exterminated to meet the 

 demands of the feather trade, for plumes, 

 feathers and skins to use on the hats of thought- 

 less women. If the American women of society 

 and of fashion could be made to know the de- 

 tails of this trade, and what it means, they 

 would be among the first to support this move- 

 ment for the protection of birds from the 

 feather trade. The stories published by the 

 Audubon Societies, of the starvation of egret 

 nestlings through the slaughter of parent birds, 

 are incontestable true, and those telling of the 

 extermination of certain birds of pardise are 

 also true. 



Remember that the feather trade is attacking 

 the existence of an immense variety of birds, 

 ranging from the condors and vultures, egrets, 

 hawks, owls, birds of paradise and emus, down 

 to the pheasants, ducks, callistes and humming- 

 birds. No beautiful bird is spared unless fully 

 protected by law. 



The New York Zoological Society is strongly 

 and permanently opposed to this slaughter. It 

 challenges the right of the feather trade to ex- 

 terminate the most beautiful birds of the world 

 for millinery purposes. It objects to bird 

 slaughter in New Guinea just as strongly as to 

 bird slaughter in Florida ! Every civilized na- 

 tion has a duty in this matter which cannot be 

 ignored. 



On January 30, the Executive Committee of 

 the Society asked the Ways and Means Com- 

 mittee of Congress to incorporate in the new 

 tariff bill, now being framed, a provision that 

 will absolutely stop the feather-millinery traffic 

 throughout the United States. The argument, 

 brief and exhibits of the Society's representa- 

 tive appear in full in "Tariff Hearings No. 23." 



The full text of the Zoological Society's pro- 

 posed provision is as follows : 



At the end of Section No. 438 of the new 

 Tariff Law. add the following: 



"Provided, that the importation of aigrettes, 

 egret plumes or 'osprev' plumes, and the feath- 

 ers, quills, heads, wings, tails, skins or parts of 

 skins, of wild birds, either raw or manufac- 

 tured, and not for scientific or educational pur- 

 poses, is hereby prohibited ; but this provision 



shall not apply to the feathers or plumes of 

 ostriches, or to the feathers of domestic fowls 

 of any kind." 



On April 7 the nexo Tariff bill that was pre- 

 sented to Congress contained this clause! 



The Society is now endeavoring to place be- 

 fore the American people an impressive sum- 

 mary of facts regarding the awful extent and 

 destructiveness of the feather trade. A large 

 four-page circular, filled with information, has 

 gone to every state, and that portion of the 

 newspaper press which pays attention to the 

 needs of wild life has been asked to assist in 

 spreading the facts. We are asking the People 

 to make their wishes known to Congress, and 

 particularly to members of the House of Rep- 

 resentatives. 



It is important that all the zvorld should know 

 that at least 100 species of the most beautiful 

 and most curious birds of the world are being 

 exterminated for the feather trade. Unfortun- 

 ately, there is not the slightest exaggeration in 

 this statement. No wild-bird species that is pur- 

 sued and killed for valuable plumage can pos- 

 sibly escape ultimate extinction. Even the 

 countless millions of the passenger pigeon went 

 down before the guns, clubs and nets of the 

 market-hunters, and only one bird now remains 

 alive. 



The colored plate presented with this Bulle- 

 tin exhibits five species of the beautiful birds 

 that now are relentlessly being pursued and 

 slaughtered for the feather millinery trade. The 

 greater bird of paradise is already practically a 

 bird of the Past ! The forests of the Aru Is- 

 lands that once were filled with their beautiful 

 forms are now silent and uninhabited. The na- 

 tive blow-pipe, killing for "the feather trade," 

 has done its work. The two living specimens 

 now in the Zoological Park probably are the 

 last specimens of the species that we ever will 

 be able to obtain. 



For years the Royal Society (of London) for 

 the Protection of Birds, aided by Mr. James 

 Backhand, has besieged the British Parliment 

 for a law to stop the London traffic in the 

 plumage of wild birds. While considerable 

 progress has been made, success has not yet 

 been attained because of the fierce opposition 

 of the feather trade, backed by the Chamber 

 of Commerce ! "The Trade" wants the money ! 



