Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-03-19
SAVING THE EGRET
Movement to Discourage the Use Of tt
Plumes in Millinery.
the British Army Omcers Required to
Wear Heron and Egret Plunes
ON Their Helmets.

1 ION Sketcn.
Mr.. Sydney Buxton is>an authority on CO.
lonial questions. AS a vice president of the
/ Society for the Protection of Birds, he has
undertaken to conduct a crusade against
the fashionable use of the 'ofprey" plumes.
Mr.. Buxton has always been interested in
natural history, and especially in birds.
Although disclaiining any expert knowl-
edge, and protesting merely to be lover
| Of birds, his fondness for the feathered
| creatures has led him, while going about
| In the country travelling in foreign
eye. II
| In view of facts so distressing to those
| who seek, in Ruskin's words, ito save and
| comfort all gentle life and guard and per-
fec, all natural beauty upon the earth" l
members lobby of the house of commons.
He was willing to discuss the subject quite
| readily and heartily. being only too glad,
/ as he said. 10 encourage any interest in it.
For several years." he said, I'VE have
been making more and more strenuous ef-
| forts to attract public attention. We be-
neye 1t is entirely due to Ignorance that
those nerons are getting exterminated. If
people knew what it cost TO procure the
plumss there would be less inclination to
wear them"
DO you think 'they are still as fashion
able as ever?' l asked.
The movement has had some effect" re-
Piled Mr.. Buxton. This year, so far as /
can judge, there are fewer aigrettes worn
Their place has been taken by ostrich
feathers, to which we have no objection,
and by ribbons. laces, and SO forth.
What We want to emphasize" Mr.. Bux-
ton went on to say, lis that ladies are mis-
led. They are perpetually being informed
that the feathers supplied to them are what
are called artificial feathers. Artificial
feathers means feathers made out Of other
material, but we don't believe that these
plumes are artificial in that sense. There
| is no doubt tl:at the feathers are very
largely manipulated In order that they may
be made still prettier and more effective.
That is probably what the miliiners have
| in their mind; when they talk Of artificial
they really mean manipulated. The pre-
tense about the plumes being artificial is
really intended to salve the conscienceS of
customers"
What" asked, sis the special cruelty
in this case?"
Cruelty" said Mr.. Buxton, lies chiefly
in the fact that the feathers grow at the
time when the egrets are nesting and
breeding. The best plumes are taken from
the upward tuft at tine back, which is de-
veloped at the breeding season, though
| feathers are, of course, taken also from the
wing and the breast. They are common to
both sexes, and it is impossible to distin-
euisn between the male and the female. An
egret Is shot, the few coveted feathers are
torn from its back, its body Is left to rot
on the ground, and the young ones parish
| of starvation. 1t is quite true that these
ledlHcTS are 10 DE IOCUu at OtNeT seasons.
No doubt they are not cast for some
months; but the point really is that at the
breeding time the herons congregate to-
gether, and people can get at them and kill
them much more easily. Moreover. at that
season the plumes are found to be best
Are the birds shot entirely for the
feathers?"
''Oh, yes-entirely! I do not mean that
occasionally a sportsman may not shoot
an individual bird, but nobody would really
| shoot them for pleasure; they are not a
| sporting Bird
where are the egrets commonly found?'
| They are found in Egypt and India, but
more particularly In South America
have seen large numbers in the Argentine.
They are found also in North America, but
are rapidly disappearing there, because
they can be CO. at SO easily.
There Is another point" said Mr.. Bux-
ton, as I was coming away, ito which
should like you to draw attention. That Is
that. the officers Of certain regiments 0he
Horse Artillery. the Kings Royal Rifles,
the Rife Brigade and the HuSsars) are re-
Qaired by regulation to wear egret and
heron piumes in their BUSHES. 1t seems to
me a scandal that officers should be forced
| to wear such plumes. In the first place,
they are expensive as an ornament, and.
| in. the second place. this practice encour-
concerned don't war the plumes from
vanity; they have really no option in the
matter. Representations have been made
On the subject to the war office, and pos
sibly the regulation will be altered