42 
the pain and misery and death in the 
bird family. But this is not so, for all 
who wear a feather of any sort, no matter 
whether it is the cheapest obtainable, 
know in their hearts that they would, if 
they could afford it, get the very best. 
The most beautiful of feather orna- 
ments are those known as the ‘osprey 
plume.’ The scientifie journal, Know- 
ledge, says, ‘How this name came to be 
used isa mystery, for the feathers in 
question are not obtained from the 
osprey, which is a bird of prey, but from 
various species of herors, those known as 
egrets furnishing the most highly prized 
varieties. Quite a number of egrets have 
to be slaughtered to produce one pound 
of feathers, only a few drooping plumes 
from, the back of the birds being taken. 
The egrets are wary birds and difficult 
to approach except when they are nesting 
or rearing their young, and it is at this 
time that the collector obtains his 
feathers. 
To give an idea of the appalling waste 
of life for which the trade in ospreys is 
responsible, we may remark that in Lon- 
don alone in one year the produce of 
196,000 birds were sold, and as many 
were probably sold also in the markets of 
Paris and Berlin, since London has no 
longer the monopoly of the feather 
trade. 
Unfortunately for the egrets these 
feathers are only in their prime during 
the breeding season, and by both sexes. 
As a consequence the slaughter’ of the 
adult birds at this time ensures the death 
by slow starvation of of thousands of. 
young. The prosecution of such butchery 
is devilish, but what shall be said of those 
who, knowing this yet purchase these 
ghastly trophies. 
An account published by W. EH. Scott, 
an ornithologist of the highest standing, 
is positively sickening. In his investi- 
gations into the condition of some of the 
rookeries on the coast of the Gulf of 
Florida, he found that since his last visit 
six years previously, whole colonies of 
birds numbering in the palmy days many 
thousands of individuals, had been 
absolutely wiped out by plume hunters. 
These ghouls travelled in bands which 
sometimes numbered as many as sixty 
men, I will quote two or three passages 
from his paper as a sample. Visiting the 
breeding place of the reddish egret in 
Charlotte Harbour, he writes :— 
‘The trees were full of nests, some of 
which still contained eggs, and hundreds 
of broken eggs strewed the ground every- 
where. . . - Lfound a huge pile of 
dead. half decayed birds lying on the 
ground which had apparently been killed 
gome days before. All of these had the 
plumes taken with a patch of skin from the 
back. Some even had their wings cut off. 
. . . The extermination of another 
rookery shows the destruction that has 
been going on, andis still being committed 
to obtain bird plumes. . . One after- 
noon when Johnson (his informant) was 
absent from home, an old Frenchman came 
in with a boat and deliberately killed off 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
the old birds as they were feeding their 
young, obtaining about one hundred and 
eighty of them. The young—about three 
weeks old—to the number of 700 at least, 
and utterly unable to care for themselves 
in any way, were simply left to starve to 
death in the nests, or to be eaten by 
gracoons or buzzards,’ 
On enquiry being made by the New 
York Zoological Society from hunters 
and collectors, the answering correspon- 
dence contained the following facts:— 
‘After having stripped our Atlantic 
coast, the whole of Florida, and the Gulf 
Coast, of egrets, terns, and hundreds and 
thousands of other birds acceptacle to 
milliners and hat trimmers, the plume 
hunters are now at work along the coast of 
Mexico. Central America, ower California 
and upon the head waters of the Orinoco 
and the Amazon.’ 
After learning these terrible truths it 
is no exaggeration to say that unless the 
gentle sex becomes more gentle, the 
tender hearted becomes more tender, 
the one that should be merciful and com- 
passionate more so, some of us may live 
long enough to see the day when our 
forests, as far as birds are concerned, will 
be as silent as the grave. They will not 
be enlivened by their beautiful plumes or 
melodious songs. Are you reader, helping 
to bring thia state of things about? Per- 
haps through ignorance some are, but I 
trust after reading these facts they will 
tear loose from murderous fashion. 
No wonder our birds are becoming 
scarce when we read from “ Chambers’ 
Encyclopedia’ that ‘the value of orna. 
mental feathers and bird + kins imported 
into the United Kingdom exceeds in some 
years £2,000,000.” Truly the relentless 
goddess of fashion has many followers. 
The blood of thousands upon thousands 
of innocent victims has to be spilt, thou- 
sands upon thousands of helpless bird 
babes are cruelly tortured by being slowly 
starved to death because the ones who 
loved them and cared for them have been 
butchered. All this has been done and 
is being done to satisfy the votaries who 
slavishly follow the dictates of this ruth- 
less goddess. 
We learn that the plume hunters are 
hard at work in sunny Australia. If this 
deadly work is allowed to continue, our 
most beautiful and attractive birds will 
goon be as extinct as the moa of New 
Zealand. : 
Investigation proves that feather trim- 
mings are obtained by the most cruel and 
plood-thirsty means. The wearing of 
these adornments is an outward sign that 
we condone the slaughter of these in- 
nocents. We implore our lady readers to 
discard these unnecessary external adorn- 
ments, and show by their actions that 
they are tender-hearted. compassionate, 
and full-of sympathy for our beautiful 
friends, the birds. 
C. HALLAM in the ‘Signs of the Times.’ 
: - t 
The address of Society’s hon. sec. ig 
Miss S. Ware,} 112 South Terrace E., 
Adelaide, aC 
May 1, 1909 
The Most Artistic 
‘House for 
PICTURE FRAMES, 
MOULDINGS, 
ENGRAVINGS, Ete.. 
AN UNLIMITED STOCK TO 
CHOOSE FROM. 
§ag- Very Reasonable Prices. A. 
Trial Solicited, 
K. A. HUNT, 
Gawler Place, Next Hamburg Hotel’ 
Always in Season. 
“Boshter” Beer,. 
A Temperance Tonic, brewed from the 
finest hops grown, matured in our cellars. 
A SPLENDID TABLE or SUPPER BEER. - 
Cased and sent all over the State. 
Awarded Two First Prizes, Adelaide. 
First Prize and Silver Medal, Sydney. 
Co-operative Mineral 
Waters Co., 
ANGAS ST., ADELAIDE. | 
: TEL. 76. 
Go to the 
Dimond Stuaiss 
For Good Work and Up-to-dato Photo- 
graphs, which include i 
POST CARDS from 5s per doz. 
PARIS PANELS, 15s per doz, 
CABINETS from 10s 6d per doz., in 
cluding a beautiful enlargement 12 x 10+ 
BRIDAL GROUPS & FAMILY GROUPS: 
Our Picture Frames are the Best and: 
Cheapest in the City for Artistic Mouldings, 
and an unlimited supply of colored Plates, 
Engravings, Etchings, etc,, at the most 
Reasonable and Ridiculous Prices ever 
offered. 
Nore Apprass— ; 
DIMOND BROS., 
150 Rundle Street. 
