GREAT SEIZURE OF SMUGGLED PLUMAGE 

 AT LAREDO, TEXAS 



rlE following letter from Mr. Edw. Cotulla, Special U. 

 S. Deputy Collector of Customs at Laredo, Texas, gives 

 very admirably the history of the most important seizure of 

 birds' plumage that thus far has been made under the terms 

 of the plumage clause of the tariff law, or for that matter 

 under any other law : 



Laredo, Texas, April 2, 1917. 

 Mr. W. T. Hornaday, 



Director of the New York Zoological Society, 

 New York, N. Y. 

 Sir: 



This office has the honor to acknowledge receipt of 

 your telegram requesting details of seizure of 527 birds 

 of paradise from Mr. Abraham Kallman. In compli- 

 ance therewith, the following is submitted for your 

 information : 



On January 3, 1916, this office received an entry for 

 Immediate Transportation, in bond, without appraise- 

 ment, No. 16,399 from New York to Laredo, Texas, 

 covering four cases of feathers (light plumes) marked 

 A. K. Nos. 12-15, valued at 1856 pounds, 17 shillings, 

 10 pence, and consigned to A. Kallman, Mexico City, 

 Mexico. 



On January 14, 1916, Warehouse and Immediate Ex- 

 port entry was filed for the four packages of feathers, 

 consigned to A. Kallman, Mexico City, Mexico, the same 

 being exported via International Foot Bridge on Janu- 

 ary 22, 1916. 



Prior to the exportation of the feathers, Mounted 

 Inspector of Customs, Robert Rumsey, Jr., (to whom 

 credit must be given for making the seizure), stated 

 to the undersigned that he had information that four 

 trunks of aigrettes were to be smuggled in from Mex- 



