Vitter abs BIOeNee BW Te lente oN 11 
Illegal Plumage 
EARLY IN January several of the Directors of the Society were invited to 
meet with Mr. Richard H. Pough, director of the department of persecuted 
species for the National Audubon Society, and at a dinner conference he 
told us of his investigation into the revival of the use of illegal feathers 
in the millinery trade. A federal law enacted in 1913 had outlawed the sale 
or importation of the plumage of other than domestic fow], and an Illinois 
law also prohibits the sale of feathers of “wild birds.” But the millinery 
trade has recently been encouraging their use and the inquiry set on foot 
by Mr. Pough had, after a study over a period of fifteen months, definitely 
established that many varieties of feathers were being commonly used that 
were outside the law. 
In his capacity as a federal deputy game warden and accompanied by 
local, state and federal officers, the Chicago wholesale and retail dealers 
were visited and their stocks examined for contraband goods. Following 
is a list of the illegal species found and identified by him: Formosa teal, 
faleated teal, common teal, golden eagle, griffon vulture, Laysan albatross, 
blackcock, golden pheasant, Cooper pheasant, Lady Amherst pheasant, great 
bustard, rhea, great horned owl, eagle owl, grey hen, starling, silver 
pheasant, snowy owl, grebe, crested screamer, bald eagle, common crane, 
Reeves pheasant, magpie, mallard, sooty tern, glossy starling, peacock, and 
ring-necked pheasant. Several were from species that are facing extinction 
if the killing for plumage is permitted to go on, and it is to be hoped that 
the whole campaign which preceded the enactment of the 1913 law will not 
have to be again undertaken. At that time the beautiful American egret 
was hunted for its plumes and had been killed off to the point where the 
reestablishment of the species seemed almost impossible, but it has been 
accomplished, and after many years is once more fairly common. 
The cruelties that accompanied the destruction of that day have, 
unfortunately, been pretty much forgotten and must again be brought to 
the attention of our ladies. Their refusal to wear such ornamentation in 
their millinery is the one great force that will stop the trade which is on 
the way to be disastrous for many of our large species, especially. The 
condor, for example, is limited in this country to probably less than a 
hundred individuals and would soon be exterminated if this is allowed to 
continue. Let us wake up and see that the public conscience is aroused to 
the point where the wearing of such feathers for ornament will no longer 
be considered proper or in good taste, and not depend upon the enforcement 
of law to stop this destruction of our birds. 
ft ft ia 
A Friendly Tanager 
By GORDON STASTNY 
ONE DAY last spring, while we were in the midst of a baseball game, one 
of the boys saw a red bird pecking at something in the grass. I, being 
interested in birds, was called to identify it. It was a beautiful male scarlet 
