HAMLYN'S MENAGERIE MAGAZINE. 
Hamlgtt's fflmagmt Jitaga^itu. 
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The Editor will be glad to receive for publication articles 
and all interesting photos, the imports and exports of all 
stock, and foreign adventures with all wild stock. 
and, in the breeding season, vicious and danger- 
ous. 
I have in several places advocated similar 
treatment of Egrets, the producers of the well- 
known "osprey' plumes, but Egret farming has, 
sa far as I know, not been taken up anywhere but 
by some Natche Indian fishermen in Sind, and I 
can't claim credit for that, as I don't suppose for 
a moment they have ever heard of my views on the 
subject ! However, the great point is they are 
keeping the birds alive for the profit of the plumes, 
and finding it pays to do so; they feed them on 
small fish, which are no doubt a by-product of 
their own industry, and not only rear the young 
of wild birds, but even breed from the captive 
ones which they keep in runs like poultry-pens. 
It would be better to clip the wings of such cap- 
tives and let them roam about and find part of 
their own food, confining them if necessary at 
night in a roofed pen with perches placed low to 
accommodate them when rendered unable to fly, 
and littered with whatever material would best 
blend with their droppings to form manure. 
Small fish are, of course, the best food for 
Egrets, and they can be got almost anywhere; 
but they will also take raw meat and larger fish 
or trimmings cut up, while they also feed on in- 
sects, so that they could really be kept practically 
anywhere, like fowls; water is not necessary, 
except a pan for them to bathe or soak their feet 
at times. Another breeder that might be, and per- 
haps is, kept for its plumes, is the Marabout Stork 
of Africa, which bears under its tail the exquis- 
itely delicate fluffy marabout plumes. This is a 
huge greedy bird, and would only pay to keep 
where a lot of garbage had to be disposed of some- 
how, a job which the Marabout, as a carrion- 
feeder, would undertake with enthusiam. 
Most of the Marabout that is made up into 
articles like stoles, however, comes from the hum- 
ble Turkey, which alone can supply it cheaply and 
abundantly enough — everyone must have noticed 
the fluff which is left on in two bunches on the 
hips even in the otherwise plucked turkeys one 
sees in the shops at Christmas. 
It seems, also, that in France feather-dealers 
will pay a few francs annually to owners of white 
turkeys for the privilege of taking some of their 
fluff, as no doubt this figures somewhere under a 
more high-sounding name. The game and poultry 
tribe of birds are indeed laid under contribution 
very largely by the feather trade, without suffering 
thereby, as they are artificially reared; everyone 
must remember the handsome boas made of cocks' 
feathers that were so. fashionable some years ago, 
and the feathers of the common pheasant seem 
never to go out of fashion completely. Moreover, 
I have of late found that Gold Pheasants are being 
kept in this country by some people for their 
feathers, which are obtained from the live birds; 
and this does not involve any cruelty, for the 
plumage is taken just at moulting time, when 
this pheasant parts with its plumage so abundantly 
that it could hardly be handled at all without los- 
ing a lot of it. 
Kept on these lines, as feather-producers, 
several birds of this family would be a good specu- 
lation, such as the Amherst and Silver Pheasants, 
whose plumage is much in vogue just now, and 
more appreciated than that of the Golden; and no 
doubt some at least of this comes from tame 
birds, both of these species being well established 
among us. Recently also there were to be seen 
here and there in the shops the tail feathers of the 
Blue-eared Pheasant of China (Crossoptilum auri- 
tum), very like dark slatey, rather coarse, egret 
plumes, with drooping heavier tips; this bird is 
said to be kept for the plumes, and ought to be 
imported and bred here. Its loose blue-grey body 
plumage much resembles that of the Crowned 
Pigeon (Goura) and might well be substituted for 
it. The Manchurian Crossoptilum, a brown and 
dirty-white bird, is already kept, but its less 
pleasing plumage would need dyeing. 
Indeed, with tthe art of the dyer, the plum- 
age of birds of the pheasant and fowl tribe would 
really supply all the trade could reasonably want, 
such is the variety of colour and texture they pre- 
sent; while they are easily kept in numbers for 
the plumes, since the males, although so quarrel- 
some when mated, can be kept together for as long 
as one likes if hens are excluded so that there is 
nothing to excite their jealousy. Moreover, they 
are easily bred, and their management is well 
understood. 
It is very doubtful, however, if in the interest 
of bird life and its admirers it would be desirable 
to limit the feather trade to ostriches and the 
pheasants and poultry tribe; for if other birds 
used for their plumage but not kept, or not easily 
kept, for it, were properly looked after as game 
birds are, and only killed, like them, in modera- 
tion, and encouraged in every way during the 
close season, they have a far better chance of 
survival, owing to being regarded as sources of 
