The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-16

that has been domesticated with success. The
hotels and restaurants here probably import
those they use from EnElana. and you may be
women are not English pheasants, but wild ones
killed for millinery purposes.
owls are also very fashionable now, and
they are among our. most useful birds, because
their food consists Of animals Injurious to sgri.
the sSs' BARRED or boot owl. The barn owl, and The
Vicinity, Some Of them are forty inohcs across
their outstretohed wings and. twenty inches In
length. Anybody can understand why q woman
wants to wear the graceful aigrette OF a beauti-
s sstl sn SS oSf, So sifd claws S%s S SnS s e TG Sf such S%Sh isosS no
sions on her bead, is past finding out; and yet
q psir d o9 these 4; oS SIrd, 'T nsstoS in %i the T i6SSr
tom. About the nest was found 200 pellets, con:
which 2SS' were skulls Of destructive feidi or
meadow mice. Perhaps II women knew that
WON the mouse n they would not countensneo
whole trouble lies in the fact, believe and hope,
use of birds to mankind.
MANY women have bsen told that a~Igrettes
herons have shed them, and they believe these
stories. The Audubon Society docs not propose
no ,ss the w Seh sFs S en.l%lfn sr material up ~ ms sHsh , K,
State superintendent, of Public Instruction,
Charles X. skinner, will publish. in, the annual
entirely devoted to birds. 1t will be shown how
birds protect the trees. In other words. there
will be considerable space devoted to tho rela-
I'VE can hardly expect the destruction Of birds
TO stop when the feathers of some bring their
the chief feather. brokers in London recently
offered the following for sale at auction, Parrot
skins, 125. 800; humming birds. 81 800: birds of
paradise. 5000; creepers and tanagers, o 200;
jays,b. 400; pigeons. 3.40O; owls. 300; kinRfsh-
ers, 900; impeyan pheasants, 300; %trojens.. 600;
magpies, 5o0;h hawks, 500; cocks of the rock and
Of the jungle; 500; others unnamed. 10000. The
aigrette feathers at this sale alone comprised
PAS lots, ranging from 205 ounces each down
ward. 1t was tho ospreys. which is merely the
eJt competition. Unfortunately for the herons,
they are aristocrats Of fenthered creation. The
greatest number Of the lots sold at this auction
brought more than 81 an ounce; many sold at
81. los. and upward. while the highest price
paid pei, ounce was "a los. This price did not
another sale a choice south American variety OF
a~iRrettes brought SO an ounce. These feathers.
IL should be explained. are not 'dusted.' and MS
they lose in weight by that process the actual
named.
each. The parrots didn't prove such good sell
ers. The best of thom were sold for a few
pence, and there is something saddening in the
lures were ruthlessly killed in their tropical
home to be sold at the rntc Of one penny each.
That sale was BY no means the largest Of the
ago the same firm put up this consignment:
Aigrette plumes, IL 1852 ounces; ~vultnro plumes.
ddsi.6sa Be" and Ps sH1eooks, gl5.o' J5s birds bsa. Of hI para,
Birds. il6.40o;' Jays and kinghshers. 4s.75S;;
7,l6S. These figures toll the tale Of the heart.
lessness or ignorance of womankind. Let us
hope that 1t is tho latter. and that she will soon
ment the feathers OF any bird except the ostrich
or those killed primarily for food"