12 
MURDEROUS MILLINERY. 
diamonds of the earth just as we are begin¬ 
ning to love them. It is shameless irrever¬ 
ence of life. These are the words of the late 
Prebendary Gordon, who adds that in no age 
have birds been more idolised than in ours— 
every periodical shows that they are in 
special favour. Yet it is often the “ mock 
homage ” that kills its object. 1 
There is, however, no mock homage in 
the resolute action taken by the Middlesex 
County Council, to whose vice-chairman, 
Mr. Montagu Sharpe, birds and their friends 
have much reason to be grateful. The 
regulations which he was largely instrumental 
in framing have proved a successful and 
popular lead in local bird-protection. The 
London parks are becoming bird-sanctuaries. 
The arrival of an unwonted visitant is 
welcomed with delight, and chronicled in 
the newspapers; and yet so large a propor¬ 
tion of the women of all ranks, who drive or 
walk about these same parks, wear aigrettes, 
as to lend credit to the assertion that not¬ 
withstanding the increased difficulty of pro¬ 
curing “ osprey ” plumes the trade has 
actually doubled itself during the past two 
years! 
It has been recently urged that the best 
hope of saving bird life lies in the enactment 
of a law similar to that now in force in the 
State of New York, which would make it 
penal to sell, or to have in possession for sale, 
any part of the plumage, skin, or body of any 
wild bird, other than certain species which 
might be named in the Act. 
Such a measure would no doubt need careful 
consideration, but there seems no reason why 
1 Papers of the late. Rev. Prebendary Gordon. Leo 
tures and Notes, chiefly MSS. 
