Evening star., 1886-11-27
CITY AND DISTRICT.
To SAVE THE BIRDS.
An Organized Fight Against Fashion |
and Vanity.

WHAT THE oRSITuoLoGIcAL UNION AND THE
AUDUBON SOCIETY ARE DoING-THE DE-
srRUCTIoN OF AMERICAN BIRDS-rHE LOVE
OF FASHIONABLE WOMEN FATAL TO THEM.
Ii the craze for things English would lead
women to wear nothing bus English sparrows
on their hats all the other bird families the
farmers and the OrnitholOEcai Union would be
well 81 is:ied. pT. Merriam, the ornlthoiog Isl
Of the agricultural department. Is still
taking testimony concerning the habits OF
this pestiierons little creature. Thousands o.
reports have been received from every part OF
the country, and not one is favorable To the eul
prit. In the report soon to be issued sentence
will be passed upon him 1t will be that he be
elected from whatever quarters he may have
settled in, his house To be coutscated, his per.
sonal effects To be destroyed, and he himself to
be shot on sight, or poisoned when that is more
convenient. small boys are 10 be turned on
him also. Sheriffs TO be appointed in
various parts OF the country to see that the
sentence is faithfully executed.
But none of these penalties are as severe a
punishment as would be the favor OF f;ishiona-
Tile women The reports of the Ornithological
union show that for a bird to attract the atten-
lion of women is to court annihiiation. The
American song birds of fine pluma,e were on a
lair way to determination before the ornitholo-
gists took the matter in hand, and unless they
succeed in breaking up the fashion of wear ng
dead birds
THE PROGRESS OF THE MOVEMENT.
A STAR reporter was talking the other day
with DIR. Merriam about the progress made by
the society for the protection OF song birds.
I've are meeting with great success, he said.
"The best ladies are refusing to wear stuffed
birds and wings on their hats, and soon,
expect. no respect able woman will wear hat
so trimmed. There are already fourteen thou
sand members OF the society, who are fighting
the fashion. and with such good effect that
mlliners find IL difficult to get rid of their old
stock. They can find scarcely any sale for birds
frimrninVS
market 10 escape Il loss / heard just the other
day OF a dealer who was selling off his stock
Of stuffed thrushes at two cents apiece.
At that rate there will soon be motive for
destroying birds. Ladies in the bird society
leaders OF fashion, are taking up the cause of
the birds and are pledging themselves not to
wear them. AS said before, it will soon not
be considered respectable TO wear birds in hats
the way birds have been slaughtered for FASH
lon. Some families have been almost driven
OF the continent, and nearly every bird used
tor trimming is of a useful species. Our finest
songsterS and most valuable insect eaters have
been the victims. In fact, there are few
DO per cent of oil the North American song
birds, so called are useful. The number that
do damage is exceedingly small. The English
sparrow Is the only one that Is utterly useless
and bad"
THE AMERICAN oRNITHoLoGICAL UNION
and the Audubon society are trying to educate
society so that the value of the small birds will
be appreciated. Small boys and women are
among the worst enemies of the pathological
kingdom. Both must be taught to be humane.
The skins OF robins. blue birds, swal-
lows. larks, orioles, blue jays, bObolinks,
terms and hundred Others are worn
by fashionable women. Even the crow
did not escape, and the owl sits in sober judg-
ment upon light heads. The tern, or small gull,
which at one time thronged our coasts, fell .ntO
woman's favor and has been nearly destroyed.
A hundred beautiful native birds have fallen
In the same way. Women jealous OF their
beauty have stolen it tor their own personal
adornment. The ugly mud cOlOred English
sparrow Is about the only one that has escaped,
and he has prospered wonderfully by neglect.
Clubs for the protection of birds have been
formed In New York. the District of Column bia,
Massachusetts, Ohio. Pennsylvania, New Jer-
sey, Connecticult, Maine, Rhode island, Iili-
nois, Georgia, Vermont, New Hampshire, Mich
igan, Minnesota, Kentucky, Indiana, North
Carolina, South Carolina, Missouri, Maryland,
and even in Dakota. Colorado, Indian Territory,
Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa. California
Virginia and West Virginia, Florida, Tennes-
see, Louisiana and Canada.