The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-12-17
FEATHERS on your HAT.
How They Get There and Where
They Come From.

and with them frequently in thcatcrs OBJ
structing the view and exciting the pro
family Of men-if not uttered, at least in
wardly given thought to-ever think OF
the world Of labor and the amount of eX-
pense involved in the feathers which be-
deck them? Probably not. any more
than she gives a moments thought to the
enormous expenditure of time, money and
labor represented by the newspaper which
she finds at her door in the morning
costing but a penny, and which uufolds
before her eyes a Kaleidoscope view Of
the doings of the entire civilized world Of
the previous tweny-four hours-yes, and
the uncivilized world also
But as to feathers.
They are brought to mind by the fash
ionable craze of them in the way of head
gear at the present time and by informa-
ton CLEANED from a well-informed Eng
liShman regarding their commercial birth
and progress He knows what he is talk
ing about and is in position TO give us in
teTesting facts, up 90 date. London, you
must first know, is the mart to which is
drawn almost all the ostrich and other
rare feathers that aid in the adornment of
beauty the world over. Let US listen to
what he has to tell us
The feather trade is practically in the
hands of four great firms OF London brok-
ers. Six times year the sales take place
in The Mincing Lane rooms but for about
a fortnight before that time the intending
buyers are spending their days al these
warehouses inspecting the various lots. it
is dusty and dirty work to examine them,
but large buyers have to do so very thor
oughly looking at each bundle of plumes,
judging of its eVenness and quality and
estimating it's market value. The Gala
m a6 with annie margin tO1
notes, which the customer makes. and by
which his bids win be made at the actual
sale A motley throng it is that Wends
through the rooms for this purpose and an
wearing long brown Holland smocks TO
protect their garments from the fluff ana
1ue of the feathers There is the solid
English buyer. controlling perhaps, dozen
factories in London, with houses in halt
the important commercial cities of the
continent, Canada and America. There
may be the smart little Parisienne, on the
outlook for plumes of some particular type
to suit a novelty she has devised; there
may be the Berlin dealer, who wants only
the cheapest kinds; the keen-visaged Wen
nese merchant, looking for bargains that
others may not notice, or The shrewd
American, buying in view OF coming
fashion.
The quality of the plumes is, of course,
very varied, and one must be an expert
before one may, speculate in "bOos" or
"feminas," the latter being the plumage
of the hen-bird ana Of mixed color, while
that of the cock is a direct black or white.
The very best feathers are the thirty-four
which are taken from the wing, and where
these reach an exceptional standard of
excellence it is usual to distinguish the
bundles by tying them with pink or blue
ribbon instead of twine SO that those
looking for the choicest lots in the sales
may quickly recognize them. 1t Is barely
twenty years since the finest white Cape
feathers were worth from 80 to $50 a
pound, as all are sold by weight, and this
is the unit adopted. To-day 60 and 40 a
pound are the highest figures that are
usually made and il would be something
extraordinary that would bring ia or Els
But prices begin as low down as u shil-
lings pound for the short black feathers,
which are gently currycombed out or drop
ped at mouting time The wing and tail
feathers are cut off, it may be mentioned,
close TO the skin, and in due time the quill
falls out to make way for the new growth.
Statistics are not very interesting reading,
as rule, and it is not necessary to give
a number of them, but it win convey some
idea of the vastness of the industry to
state that in the December sale of this
year there were 5000 pounds weight of
feathers. When it is borne in mind that
there are from $50 to 200 feathers in a
pound advordupOis one is well within the
mark in estimating the plumes that pass
through London in the year at about
60, 900 900.
The concluding days of the sales are al
ways devoted to what the trade knows as
"fancies," these denoting such plumes as
| those of bird of paradise, osprey ana coll
! lored skins of parrots, pheasants (from
| the Himalayas). humming birds and the
/ like Let the humanitarians take heart
| of grace at one fact-there is not the
/ slightest demand at the present moment
! for little birds. one great merchant in
! fact who happens to have a few cases, ia
/ which he speculated about year and q
| half ago, of parrakeets, grasshnches and
! other lovely little fiuttering gems, finds
| them absolutely unstable in face of pres
| ent and probable fashion. The real birt
! Of paradise is exceedingly costly, ant
! uine-tenths of what are termed paradise
| plumes" are limitations as clever and eX
| act as electric rabbit is of true sealskin
But it is over the ospray and egret tha
| women have been most rated for barbarit,
| and thoug htlessness, and weird stories o
| the hen-bird ruthlessly slaughtered on he
| nest are brought up at meetings and /,
| pamphlets, and tales of complete eXter
| mlnation are told Yet the birds whicl
| produce the plUmes OF this type-the cran'
! and heron orders-are almost UNIVERSAL,
scattered over the world, ard alike from
Brazil, Venezuela, Burmah and South In
da from Florida and South and West AT
RIGA, from Turkey In Europe and Southern
Russia supplies are drawn A broker o
worldwide dealings says: 81 have mad
special inquiries of some of our agent
and buyers, some of whom have been act
ually i'm the West Indies and seen th
birds and conditions of capture.
They all agree that the idea of cruelt
is a fallacy, at any rate. a very gross ex
aggeration. For instance, in the case o
osprey feathers, we would specially br.u
to your notice, a point Of which the onpo
neuts Of their wear make such capital. an
that is the killing Of the female bitd o
her nest. Common sense, If nothing else
should point out The stupidity of such
proceeding, as, If such were the case, th
bird would have been pretty wei eXtermi
mated by now. The proof that 81 IS no
done Is afforded by the increasing amour
that IS coming into the market from a
parts in obedience 10 a larger deman,