BIRD NOTES AND NEWS. 



19 



held in Norwich by the artificial flower makers con- 

 nected with the Flower Girls' Mission, says : — 



" On my way home I passed a shop window and 

 was shocked and disgusted at the sight presented ; 

 there were the mutilated remains of birds crushed 

 and distorted .... on one were the ill-assorted 

 fragments of no less than eight bullfinches, and on 

 another a like number of small birds distorted out 

 of all recognition. Contrasting these two exhi- 

 bitions, I asked myself, can such things really be ? 

 Is it possible that from the mere point of artistic 

 beauty the women of the present day will prefer 

 these abortions to the beautiful flowers I had been 

 looking at ? In the one case, too, there was the 

 knowledge that in adopting the handiwork of the 

 girls they were helping to render lighter the afflic- 

 tions of their less fortunate sisters, and in the other 

 they were giving their countenance and encourage- 

 ment to the perpetration of cruelties unspeakable. 

 How long will this heartless fashion endure?" 



In a letter addressed to the Hon. Sec. of the 

 Society for the Protection of Birds, the Hon. Mrs. 

 Boyle writes, on October 12th :— 



" The distress and indignation I feel about the 

 barbarous use of birds in hats makes me write 

 strongly. Birds have ' come in ' worse than ever, 

 though not, I see, in the best Bond Street shops. . . . 

 The utter callousness to all that is refined and 

 merciful and in good taste of the whole world of 

 women is as hopeless as it is disheartening." 



Despite, however, the fact that the best-class 

 milliners have little display of bird-fragments, many 

 ladies declare they find it difficult to get hats and 

 bonnets without ospreys and other bird trimmings. 

 On the other hand, Miss Dickenson, of 12, Duke 

 Street, Manchester Square, a milliner who uses only 

 the feathers allowed by the Society, states that she 

 has lost many customers through refusing to supply 

 ospreys and wings. 



Go, Lovely Bird. 



Go, lovely bird, 

 Speed from my lady warily, 



For she hath heard 

 That finches dainty decking be, 

 And her sweet charms mean death to thee ! 



Cares she that's young, 

 And seeks to have her graces spied, 



That thou hast sung 

 In woodlands where the violets hide ? 

 She loves thee better stuffed and dyed ! 



For at the sight 

 Of ruffled breast and stiffened limb 



Her eyes grow bright. 

 A wreath of death will bravely trim 

 The circlet of my lady's brim ! 



Punch, Oct. 28th (Reprinted by percussion). 



At the sixth ordinary general meeting of the 

 Scottish Natural History Society, held at Edinburgh 

 on November 5th, it was unanimously agreed to 

 protest in the strongest possible terms against the 

 indiscriminate slaughter of birds for millinery 

 purposes. 



The Bradford Scientific Association, at their 

 meeting" on the 16th October, unanimously carried 

 the following resolution : — "That the members of 

 this society look with concern upon the wholesale 

 slaughter of birds for millinery purposes, and 

 resolve to use their individual efforts to stop this 

 slaughter, which is thinning the ranks of some of 

 our most beautiful and interesting species." Local 

 evidence was quoted showing the enormous number 

 of birds killed annually to supply this trade. The 

 Secretary was instructed to send a copy of the 

 resolution to the Society for the Protection of 

 Birds and the Selborne Society, and the hope was 

 expressed that steps might be devised to make 

 the Wild Birds Protection Acts rather less of a 

 dead letter than they are at present, which could 

 only be done by arousing public opinion on the 

 matter. 



The Rev. E. J. Houghton, of St. Stephen's 

 Bristol, delivered at a harvest festival service a 

 scathing indictment of modern fashions, and 

 appealed to women to do all in their power to 

 stamp out the practice of trimming hats with 

 birds. 



THE "ARTIFICIAL" CANARD 

 AGAIN. 



The colloquy appended took place a few days ago 

 between a Branch Secretary of the Society for the 

 Protection of Birds and the forewoman of one of 

 the leading drapery establishments in London. 

 The lady selected this shop for her purchases 

 because there were fewer ospreys than usual in 

 the windows, and on entering at once gave the 

 reason for her preference. 



Forewoman. — " Oh, I suppose, madam, you are 

 one of the ladies who have conscientious objections 

 to wearing them ? We have heard a good deal 

 about that from some society — the Society for the 

 Protection of Birds I think it is called. But it is 

 entirely a mistake. The ospreys are not real ; 

 they are all manufactured." 



Branch Sec. — " Are they, indeed ? That is very 

 interesting. I am greatly interested in manu- 

 factures, and like to encourage the wearing of 

 manufactured articles. What are they made of ?• " 



/\— "Simply quills, madam." {Taking up a 



