Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-11-30
BIRDS AND BONNETS.
The Existence OF the Feathered Songster.
Threatened by a Female Fad.

In the millinery world. as in nature.
there are seasons for all things-the
season of ribbons, leaves and flowers,
but this may very appropriately be
called the season of wings, feathers
and birds No lady thinks her hat a la
mode unless it contains an entire bird.
the head set square in front and the
wings and flowing tail feathers con-
cealing the whole hat.
There is no conformity to nature,
however, in the general makeup of the
birds. Birds with four wings and
three tails. birds with top-knots of
jewelled tulle. gowls with parrot 5
heads. and even little sparrows with
bills two inches long, would certainly
make any naturalist stare. Could
Audubon enter any smart milliner $
parlor just now he would believe him.
self wandering in a land of wonders.
What. however, seems distorted to the
scientific mind is beautiful and becom-
ing in the sight of dressloving eyes.
But it is not this distortion that makes
the ornithologists heart sink, but the
realization of the threatened annihila-
ton of the bird tribe to satisfy for one
short season the gay, beauty-loving
girls fancy.
The other day a. a fashionable open
ing in Atlanta a young lady was adj
miring and trying on one hat after
another until she found one that struck
her fancy.
"Oh. how elegant, What beautiful
and varied colors in those soft. droop-
ing feathers, | just must have this
hat. ! have never seen any like it.
What is the price,"
Fifty dollars" replied the girl in
waiting.
Fifty dollars" gasped the other
thunderstruck. Why, what makes
this hat So much more expensive than
the one l have just tried ont has
long flowing plumes and bright, shin
ing buckles"
Yes, was the answer, but this is
very rare bird, the only one of the kind
in the house"
Yes, it is this very scarcity that sets
a price on all things. When one looks
around at the autumn hats the heart
cries out in distress at the evidences Of
destruction of our happy, cheerful
companions of the woods. At the pres
ent rapid rate Of slaughter, for pur
poses Of millinery and for the hunters
amusement, there must soon disappear
from the face of the earth the whole of
the winged tribe, and the world will be
forced to go to the geological gardens
to see even our most common birds.
Surely if the world knew what a great
loss it is sustaining, this wholesale
slaughter would be stopped at once.
Could the farmer realize what saliva
ton the birds are to his crops he would
never permit one to be killed. They
are protected by law in many states.
but it remains for the rural citizen to
see that these laws are observed.
1t is the opinion of many farmers
that birds eat a goodly part of their
crops. Not so. While a few eat 4
little fruit and grain. the little loss
they sustain in that respect is far out
balanced by the many injurious insects
and weeds they destroy. Even the
much despised jay and crow pay dearly
for their living. 1t has long been
known that birds play an important
part in the agricultural world, but
there is tendency to dwell on the
harm they do and to overlook the good
God in his wisdom seemed always to
nave III IIllIld iHdI > COHlIOTt anu III
terest when he made the world, and if
the latter fails to find the good it is
only because he is blind, for on in
vestigation he will find that there is a
wise purpose in all plant, bird and
animal life.
The biological survey of the national
department of agriculture has for sew
eral years been conducting a system
attic investigation of the foods of
species which are believed to be of
economic Importance. In investigating
the food habits of birds, field observa-
tions will not always give proof of
what is consumed for it is not easy to
determine what birds eat by watching
them. To be positive on the subject
a few should be killed and their stom-
ach contents examined. This will show
whether or not the birds are guilty
If a blackbird is seen in grain field
or a woodpecker is noticed in an or
chard, they are accused at once of do
ing harm. but on investigation it is
found that they are actually DESTROY