34 
NATURE NOTES 
spot, and reaped a rich harvest among the beautiful feathered creatures which 
here swarmed in countless thousands, and were, as yet, so tame that many of 
them could be knocked down by sticks, or captured wholesale by means of nets. 
Subsequent enquiry confirmed this opinion, for though I could not trace the 
particular men who had been there, I ascertained that many of those who are 
employed by the wholesale dealers travel hundreds of miles to unfrequented spots 
in search of their lovely prey. These men are a sort of petty hunters, and 
employ themselves, in the season, in collecting tortoises, iguanas and their eggs 
for the table, &c., and fill up their time by destroying the birds for the fashion 
merchant. On the Amazon three or four men in a boat take long journeys, being 
absent sometimes nine or ten weeks, and returning with a cargo of from three 
thousand to eight thousand bird skins, all intended as ornaments to ladies’ dress. 
No wonder that some species of birds are almost extinct, even in such a country 
as Brazil. I wish that the ladies who encourage this cruel trade could have seen 
the pitiable sight of those mangled little bodies lying in a loathsome heap, to the 
numbers of several hundreds, while the disgusting vultures lurked in the trees 
close by, ready to resume their horrid meal the moment our backs were turned. 
Near the hut a rough ladder, which had been put together on the spot, was rest- 
ing against the trees, together with several long poles, used, I suppose, to support 
a net for the capture of the birds. As I learned subsequently, many are dragged 
from the holes in tree trunks, where they roost at night ; others are attracted to 
a bright light, and knocked down with a stick, or caught in hand nets. Birds 
of brilliant plumage fetch good prices, and many kinds, particularly humming- 
birds, and small, brightly coloured finches, are exterminated or driven from whole 
districts in many parts of South America. The men who profit by, and instigate 
this abominable slaughter, are said to provide the hunters with preservatives to 
dress the skins with, and instruct them how to strip the birds without injuring the 
plumage. Near the hut was a large dark patch teeming with ants. That was 
the blood of the wretched birds which had been killed by having a penknife 
driven into the roof of the mouth to avoid spoiling the plumage. Some of these 
brutal men are said to skin the birds alive, under the impression that the gloss 
of the feathers is thereby better preserved.” 
Liverpool Kyrle Society, Flower Branch. — We have 
much pleasure in calling attention once more to the useful work 
carried out by this branch of the Kyrle Society, which is in 
need of more country workers to send boxes of common flowers 
once a fortnight to town schools. Care is taken not to endanger 
in any way the continued existence of any species. Those 
willing to help should communicate with the Hon. Secretary, 
Miss Jessie L. M. Bird, 4, Kiversdale Road, Aigburth, 
Liverpool. 
The School Nature-Study Union. — We have received 
the first annual report of this society, which already numbers 
more than two hundred members, is represented in seventeen 
counties, has organised itself somew'hat completely, and has 
made a good practical beginning in its work, at a very moderate 
cost. 
