184 Conservation Reader 



once belonged, would she enjoy it so much? Could the 

 wearer of that gay hat, for the making of which not only a 

 mother bird, but perhaps a whole family of little ones, gave 

 up their Hves, take so much pleasure in it if she knew the 

 history of its plumes ? 



It is not the desire for warm furs about our necks or for 

 beautiful feathers in our hats that is wrong. It is the need- 

 less suffering that those who hunt and trap cause the wild 

 creatures that we should be ashamed of and insist upon 

 having stopped. 



The work of the trapper and hunter is nearly done. These 

 men have despoiled for money the life of a whole continent 

 in a few short years. The fur-bearing animals, if hunted 

 in moderation, would have continued to people the wilds for 

 all time to come. But neither the wearer of furs nor the 

 hunter has given one thought to their preservation. 



In the getting of bird plumage for millinery purposes we 

 find cruelties practiced which are almost beyond our belief. 

 The lowest savage that ever lived on the earth could be no 

 worse than many of our bird hunters. 



Birds have habits which make them easier to kill than 

 fur-bearing animals. Although the modern fashion for 

 feathers began less than fifty years ago, the birds that afford 

 bright and graceful plumage have already been nearly ex- 

 terminated. Now most of them are protected in our coun- 

 try, and the sale of feathers from other countries is pro- 

 hibited in our markets. But there are some places where 

 the law is not enforced, as well as many other countries 

 where there are no laws, and thoughtless women still wear 

 plumes. To supply the demands of fashion all the remote 

 lands as well as islands of the sea are being searched. 



