THE TRAFFIC IN FEATHERS 



United States who are guilty of taking part in the 

 destruction of birds for millinery purposes. In ad- 

 dition to the feathers of American birds already men- 

 tioned the feathers of certain foreign species have 

 been very much in demand. 



Paradise Plumes — One of the most popular foreign 

 feathers brought to this country is the Paradise. 

 There are at least nine species of Paradise Birds 

 found in New Guinea and surrounding regions that 

 furnish this product. The males are adorned with 

 long, curved delicate feathers which are gorgeously 

 coloured. As in the case of all other wild birds there 

 is no way of getting the feathers except by killing 

 the owners. Much of this is done by natives who 

 shoot them down with little arrows blown through 

 long hollow reeds. The high price paid for these 

 feathers has been the occasion of the almost total ex- 

 tinction of some of the species, as indicated by the 

 decreased number of feathers offered at the famous 

 annual London Feather Sales. Travellers in the 

 regions inhabited by the birds speak of the distress- 

 [155] 



