Richmond daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1876-1904, 1884-08-18
coss's ISLAND SHOOTING.
Slaughter Of Sea Birds for Millinery
and Mercantile Purposes.

Baltimore Sun
During a recent trip with the Orpheus
Sailing club of Baltimore TO the well
known Cobb's island, the following facts
were ascertained. and created very un-
pleasant impression: An enterprising
woman from New York has contracted
with a Paris millinery firm 20 deliver dur
ing the summer 10 600 or more skins of
birds al 40 cents apiece With several
taxidermists she was carrying out the con-
tract having engaged young and old 10
kill birds of different kinds. and paying
them 10 cents for each specimen not too
much mu1ilated for millinery purposes The
plumage of most Of the birds TO be obtained
at this island is plain, but with the assistance
of a little dye it is soon transformed into
that Of gayfy colored tropical birds. The
birds comprised in this wholesale slaughter
are msinly the different species of gulls
and terns or seaswallows of which many
species in large numbers could formerly
be found upon this island But now only
few of these graceful birds remain upon
Cobb's island itself, and the pot hunters,
or rather skin hunters, have TO go some
distance to carry out their cruel scheme.
If we consider that with each old bird
killed-and only old birds have suitable
plumage-also many of the young birds.
still unable to take care of themselves are
doomed TO starvation, this wholesale
slaughter is more infamous and criminal
A good deal of dissatisfaction was shown
by some of the guests staying al the hotel
about this matter, but they did not do
anything TO prevent II.
Some contended that no matter how
many gulls and terms would be killed now
there would be plenty more during the
next season. Poor reasoning Gulls, like
all other birds, have certain places to build
their nests and rear they young; further
more all gulls go for this purpose only 10
such places where there We're born and
consequently by killing both parents and
young in one season none remain to return
to their breeding places the following
SON 1t is true, there will be plenty of
gulls at the island during the late fall and
winter; but these are only visitors of diifer-
ent species that nest further north, and
which viii return to their home with the
return of spring The beautiful and PEE
culiar black skinner or cut-water, which
formerly was only found in large numbers
upon the island will soon be a rare bird
in its old home These black skip
pers are more social and move synchron
ously, which is not the case with any OF
the other terms. They feed chiefly in the
dusk of the evening, gliding and skim
ming swiftly along just over the water,
their bill is opened the lower or under
mandible is in the water and so they TAXI
their food in a manner analogous TO the
feeding of whales
The practice of wearing stuffed birds as
ornaments upon the hats of the ladies is a
very cruel one, infiicting an endless amount
of misery and pain upon innocent and
beneficial birds, and such practice ought
to be discontinued Why not start clubs,
the lady members of which agreeing not
to wear any stuffed birds themselves
Such clubs exist in Europe, and American
ladies surely have as much feeling as ladies
elsewhere