The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1873-04-10
sOmething About Feathers.

Something About Feathers.
Ithas been observed that a love for
feathers is amongst the prettiest vani-
ties, the daintiest whims of men and
women. From a strictly philosophical
and grimly utilitarian point of view, it
may be considered exceedingly absurd
to rob poor bird of his clothes, and
use them as additional adornments to
our own attire. But fashion, both in
savage and civilized circles, enforce
strange vagaries. The aboriginal races
of North and South America, Africa,
the islands of the Pacific and Indian
archipelagoes, gloried in their feather
plumes and coronets, long before our
European bellies increased commerce so
largely in this direction. The jaunty
hat, which has been now so long worn
by young ladies, has given great i'm
petus to every novelty in the shape of
feathers for decorating it. It is strange
how persistent this fashion has been,
having now lasted more than ten years.
First, the pheasant plume was intro
duced as an ornament for hats; then
followed the ptarmigan, peacock, tro-
gon, impeyan, and argus pheasants,
ibis, heron, sea-gull, black-cock, and
owl, and now almost every variety of
plumage may be seen in the hats of
ladies and children. According to
scarcity and fashion, some kinds of
feathers occasionally command fabu-
lous price. Thus certain sorts for hats
have reached eight to ten pounds the
pound weight. The greatest novelty
this season has been the feathers of the
sapphire, cockatoo, with the adjuncts
of other birds feathers, many greatly
changed and disguised by the skill of
the dyer.
Paris enjoys a high reputation for
the preparation, bleaching, dyeihg, and
arrangement of the feathers, q great
number of persons being employed in
the feather trade there, which was recl-
oned to have reached, before the late
war, an annual value of nearly a half
million sterling. The largest portion
of these were exported to North Ameri-
ca and the colonies. A new and very
pretty ornamental application of bird
skins is that of the entire head and
plumage of some snowy bird for fans
and fire screens and the brilliant little
heads of the humming bird family,
handsomely mounted as necklets, ear
pendants, brooches, ETC., form a novel
species of bird iewelry.
The elegance of the feathers of the
ostrich, arising from their slender
stems and graceful barbules, has caused
them to be priced in all ages. They are
the dearest and most sought after of
any feathers, in consequence of their
fneness and elasticity, being employed
for court plumes and head-dresses, as
well as the nodding plumes on the
hearse. Their value is enhanced be-
cause they can always be cleaned, dyed,
and re-made into larger plumes, by pa
thence and assiduity in the attachment.
Vulture plumes, or bastard os.
trieh, as they are called in trade, are
employed in large quantities in France
and form the most important branch il
the commerce in feathers there. They
are obtained from the American ostrich
which inhabits chiefly the pampas an6
the vast plains of Patagonia, the Argen
tine confederation, and the adjoining
republics It is smaller than the tru,
African ostrich, is without q tail, anC
the feathers are not of the same ricl
and costly kind. The Patagonians anS
Indians make plumes, parasols, snt
many beautiful ornaments of them. TIL
feathers are imported in the rougl
from South America, under the dis
tinction of large and small vulture. TIL
former is commercially known as "dry
or " white foot, the lower part of tn
plume being white and the head black
They are used for coiffures, the whit
part in its natural state, or dyed som
light color, and the dark part as black
r The bad feathers are worked up int
, plumeaux or busting brushes. The aN
G erage value of these feathers in the las
twenty years has ranged from four shi
}, lingsto fifteen shillings the kilogral
d Cof about two pounds), according TO tn
> demands of fashion and the quantit
; received from Buenos Ayres. TIL
n small vulture feathers are exclusivel
II used for head-dresses, and are rattle
1t higher in price than the large ones.
$ The trade in cocks feathers is ven
q Important France receives supplies
be made up, from nearly all Europ,
y Poland and Russia send her about II
600 pounds weight a year. and
= France itself, as q great poultry bree'
= ing country, the quantity received
: considerable. In commerce they a
4 c.assed into several kinds, the saddl
and the hackle feathers being especial
in demand Large white, Of a pui
a solor, fetch eight shillings to twent,
1t four shillings the pound. They a.
g used for parures, military plumes, an
"a feather brushes. The generals plum
n is of cocks feathers, white and dye
e red those worn by officers on the me-
N ieal staff are dyed black and bronzei
. STAFF officers and deputy lieutenants
n counties wear piumes Of swans feat
Il ers.
8. Feather flowers are not so mu,
lie priced Row, owing to the great beau
9 and cheapness Of the common artifci
a flowers. They are chiefly made at NJ
deira and in Brazil the latter are 4