168 YEARBOOK OF THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



American birds has been entirely abolished. Occasionally a small 

 consignment of mockingbirds or cardinals is smuggled to Hamburg 

 or some other European port, but the life of the trade is gone. 



TRAFFIC IN FOREIGN BIRDS. 



The importation of foreign cage-birds has grown to its present pro- 

 portion, not only in this country, but iu Europe as well, within the 

 last fifty years. Up to the middle of the last century, apart from 

 parrots and some other of the larger species, few birds were imported 

 into Europe, and as late as 1860 only about 60 different kinds of for- 

 eign birds were brought in, and these in moderate numbers. But 

 about this time a rapid increase began, and by 1880 the species im- 

 ported approximated 700 and the individuals from 500,000 to 800,000. 

 The Japanese robin, a favorite cage-bird of to-day, was first brought 

 to the London Zoological Gardens in 1886, and the shell parrakeet of 

 Australia, now one of the best known of exotic birds, and sold at whole- 

 sale in London for about 11.37 a pair, was first brought to England 

 by Gould in 1840, and for the next ten years commanded $100 to $125 

 a pair. 



In the United States the growth of importation has undergone a 

 similar development, lagging, however, slightly behind the Euro- 

 pean growth. In both cases the sudden invasion of the markets by 

 f oi'eign birds was due to the advantages of quick transportation. When 

 supplies from distant lands were brought by sailing vessels but few 

 birds survived the long voyages. But the steamship afforded oppor- 

 tunity for conveying birds with speed and safety, and dealers were 

 quick to avail themselves of the changed conditions. As long ago as 

 1865 there .was a brisk American trade in foreign cage-birds of all 

 kinds, and by 1880 this had so increased that a single dealer in New 

 York City handled 70,000 canaries each season. 



NUMBER Of BIRDS IMPORTED. 



The decline in the trade in domestic cage-birds has doubtless 

 stimulated the trade in foreign cage-birds, which advanced from 

 235,433 imported under permit of the Department of Agriculture in 

 the year ending June 30, 1902, to 322,297 in the year ending June 

 30, 1906, an increase of 37 per cent in four years. At the beginning of 

 this period the model bird-protective law previously mentioned had 

 been adopted by 16 States; at its close it was in force in 35. 



Of the birds imported in the year ending June 30, 1906, 274,914 

 were canaiies and 47,383 miscellaneous birds. The canaries were 

 nearly all raised in Germany. Thirty-three per cent of the miscella- 

 neous birds were from the Orient, 30 per cent from Europe, 22 percent 

 from Australia, 7 per cent from Cuba and Mexico, 6 per cent from 



