The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-09-12
BIRDS KILLED FOR WoMEy.
Some Figures on the subject That women VIII
Wind Pleasing.

HiHu iE1NluE.
I've been figuring a little on the subject Of
women's hats and bonnets as persistent destroy
ers Of our bird population. - said a man whose
manner seemed 70 denote that he had plenty Of
time on his hands. and l have reached a con-
clusion that ought to make me popular with
the fair sex.
How many Of our American women Of bird
wearing age and proclivtty DO you think there
arei silly question. OF course, for you have
never thought anything about it. No one has
but me. Well. I'll tell you. As near as I can
cipher 1t up-and l base my calculation on data
collected at theatres. camp meetings. churches.
horse races, women dress reform conventions.
country fairs, and every other sort OF gathering
where women go with their best and most
fashionable clothes on-there are NOT fewer
than 900. Now you might hold up your
hands in pious amazement and cry, What!
10000 OO birds slaughtered annually to satisfy
the demands OF female vanity Shame upon
the sex : II you should. | would instantly re-
mark: Pause Not 20 fast: Because there
are 1000 OO wearers OF birds, 1t does not
necessarily follow that it requires 10000 900
birds a year TO supply their demand ; NAtur-
ally: then. you would say. Why and l would
AZ once proceed to tell you why. As / shall. any
how.
who are bird wearers. | have figured them up.
ami | know. Now. II that aggregation OF beauty
and fashion could only have IL own sweet way.
AA@ * W VI 'FF4 L'sVpp.'Dv b4E.s Al the
sacrifice would not satisfy its demands. have
intimate and exact knowledge OF the own sweet
ha.1 EiySs..., aat tae father OF five grown
tanshters, none married 50 know what | am
birds a year would meet the demand. But there
Is the little matter OF husbands who scrutnize
milIiners' bills with a hard and unreientins eye,
and fathers who clutch the purse strings tight.
Then there Is that large. portion OF the fair sex.
husbandless and fatherless, whose taste and in.
cliHat!on are all right, bat whose incomes are
all wrong and fine feathers come high. Thus
We have the situation that compels at least one
half OF the bird wearers OF our country 20 De
what I call the hoId-overs'-those who must
make this seasons blri do for the next season.
holding it over from one TO the other. per.
hAps two or three years in succession. - have
figured 1t down that out OF 10000. 600 women
x;es. of birds. not more than 5000 55oS Of hem n.it
average a new one every year.
any one North American locality ar. migrants,
passing from North to South America and vice
versa, a. their instincts prompt Take them a.!
mostly 20 De exotic. chiefly terms, Su!ls. sreb.-,
shorebirts, Erovebirts, Jaws, black wood.
course. that there are $1,000 900 square miles
on the American continent. What do you
TANK, thrn, o., my estimate Of 10 pirds-taAe
square mile | can't heio what you think. |
have hgnre.i On 1t and know, The estimate is
small. Well. them that ~ould make The bird
population OF those Is. 900 square miles
NOT a plnfeather fewer than 5000, 600. 900.
Way Because there are no Wild pigeons.
Well. O.OOO birds without the wild
pigeon. What are these birds there for To
increase and multiply, gorge grain. catch lsh.
dig Eruhs. pull mp corn, EI!. on bees, steal fruit,
please generally. I have nothing TO do with any
OF these missions OF the bird family except the
one Of increasing and multiplying, and. 70 give
carping criticism and mlUClin Gisputation NOT a
leg TO stand on. see how lightly / tax ths birds
IN that respect. don't ask 4 thing more IL
them than that they stand the demands OF my
figuring. that each pair OF EN- Will ne reEponsi-
Bile for an increase " two. Only two! Why, the
tiny song sparrow would regard itself but
lightly IL its coy nest IN the wayside bush did
not hold i've reGSilngs-, Bat the song sparrow
d"esh I come INTO my ct'EnIatl"n tlthtr' Tor II -
a song bird. and song oirds-but II! see You
about that later.
Two, then, for each pair OF those 1900, 900.
900 birds. II IL only The trii!nS task. then. OF
two into 3,Oo0,O 600. 900. how many : and twice
that, how many to show what the increase
Will ne, and we have IL right down in black and
white-3,OO 900. 900. There you are. There
what the ruthless hand OF female vanity
must clutch 70 keep down even the natural in
crease OF the bird il totes on. That's the figure
as I've ciphered IL down. IL must stand. |
won't take on one single bird, not even A lay.
birf, and. between YOU and me-, Id ike To- 20 DIT
with a gun, or a battery OF guns, and take Of
every Iayhtrd there Is bet Seen the shores n the
Gulf OF Mexico and the estuarics Or Hudson
Bay. 30 Won see I'm honest. That 3 . OfH-
900 figure must siar6. along with the 5000
OOo,OOO or Its pres anitOrs, which are left To ns
clULched after the other , 900. 900, 900 IRE gone.
Now. look! There We have 6,ooo,oo0,OoQ
Rave SHOWN YOU hhoT. out o. he 10. ooo'0o6
Of our fair sex that will have birds on their hats,
Whrther or nor. only n.bJD.WO are 1uch PAM
peret pets ~ fortune ~ 10 have An average Ot
one new bird every year. Can the walters
tEYrei Itrhey can. let them grab their states
And take 5000, 900 from 5000 900. 900! WHY,
say! Let en- throw IN south America, Mexico,
the West Indies and Canada. I've figured them
down. 100. and know how many birds their fair
sex demands every year and how much IL gets.
Nevrr mind how many 1t demands. It gets
5000, 600. 50 let the walters throw in thar, and
then wipe AL the bird family OF the slate but
the 5000. DoO,0OO Increase. Then let EN- fIure
that ont ~ thar Increase 10000, 900 are ruth
lessly haSRer! every year. Then what will they
see They Will s'e that the slaughter has carried
of one bird out ~ every 300, an enforced death
rate OF 3I in 1000! Why. great dOI0, The
fair ones whose vanity Demands this sa'ri-
ice themselves peg ouS every year aJ the rate ot
20 in the l.GOO. Why dOe5n Z sonic one raIS: NJ
his voice and howl about that r.