The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1899-11-02
A BIRD In THE BONNET.
MILLlNERs ARE SUBSTITUTING
FEATHERS FOR FLOWERS.

Englleh sparrow ~ ~ Suuerof-feNtn-
cred Creatures Are Becoming Scarce.
Feathers have taken the place of
flowers in the windows Of the millinery
marts, and the heart of the bird lover
is sad. Dame Fashion seems to have
decreed that the songster and the
"soft- breasted birds from the sea"
must be sacrificed that the bonnet and
the walking hat may be made beauti-
full, aud where is the woman who can
withstand fashions fat? In one great
store, from which once went forth the
promise that so far as it was possible
tae sale OF feathers should be limited
TO those OF game birds and domestic
fowl, there are to-day shown the boSies
of birds which when living do az much
attractiveness of nature.
In the windows of the store men
toned and in nearly all the others as
we'll are shown whole closely feAther6d
breast skins ripped ruthlessly from the
birds known as the great northern
divers or looms. The call of this bird,
a weird sort of laugh, is typical of the
wilderness of remote Wisconsin lakes.
The laugh of the lake loon is as much
o part of the charm OF the wild north
ern summer life Gs is the plashing of
the water upon which the bird makes
its home. 1t builds its nest in the
sedge of some little island lake. When
the home is completed something softer
comes into the divers eyes, which be-
fore had mirrored only the wildness of
its surroundings. Before the young
birds appear in the mossy structure on
the shore it is useless for the plume
hunter to attempt the killing of the
looms. They keep long stretches of
water between themselve ands the
prov of his predatory boat. They
laugh and dive at the flash of his rifle.
But the young come, and parental
love makes the birds fearful for the
safety OF their tbrood, and then the
man who shoots that woman's bonnet
may be decked finds an easy prey. 1t
matters little perhaps that, like the
offspring of the egret in the everglades
of Florida, the young of the loon
clamor three days for food which does
not come before final silence falls
!
upon the lake.
In death they are not divided. In
the same windows which show the
beautiful black aud white plumage of
the looms are to be seen hundreds of
terms and gulls, birds which when
flying northward accompany the great
diver in its spring migration. The
coloring of the plumage of these grace
full winged water birds shows that
they were killed at The breeding sea
son. In the spring the Bonaparte
gull, one of the most common of our
northern lake visitsnts, throws off its
winter hood of white and takes on a
cap of black. The contrasting gray
white. and jetty black make one OF
fashions desired contrasts. There
fore the milliners' agents must needs
seek out the haunts of the Bonapnrte
gull while it is rearing its young.
over the bird changes its bonnet once
more. So the plume hunters work,
to be done we'll from their point OF
view, must be done quickly, and the
birds are killed while bearing food to
the nestlines.
Gulls aud terms are confounded by
most people who have. not made q
study OF winged feathered creatures.
The fight of the two species of birds
northward is coincident, but they are
as different in habit as they are in
plumage. They are both beautiful
and both of graceful fight. They add
living interest to the wind-swepi
lake shore. The torn dives for its
food from a height, and shooting
down head hrst disappears under the
water. The gull comes down more
slowly for its food, grasping it with
extended feet. By these characteris
tics the uninitiated may know them
The hocks of gulls and terms that &C
northward in April and southwark in
September are yearly getting smaller
The Illinois Audubon Society is
over two years old. It has many
members and it has done good
work. Last winter, largely through
the efforts of the society, law was
passed by the Illinois Legislature
which makes the possession OF any
harmless bird, living or dead. an OF
fense punishable by fine. Prior tC
the enactment OF this law it was H.
legal to kill any harmless bird, but in
order that punishment might be in
flicted the person must be caught ii
the act of killing. For possession
there was no penalty. 1t must b'
confessed that those bird lovers t.
whom the task will fall look will
some trepidation upon the work ahea(
which involves an attack upon a cita
del in the shape of woman's bon
net. 1t may be that the dealers who
offer this bird plumage for sale in de
tiance of law and the women who weal
it as defantly will say that the feather
covered skin of bird does not con
stitute dead bird in the eyes OF til,
law.
The water birds are moi the onl,
ones which have suffered this season
that hat plumes may be haunted. Th
ranks of song birds have been de
pleted, and 10 the eye of even tn
casual observer the cry OF "dyed Eng
lish sparrows" availeth nothing. l
it be true, as the best scientists de
clare, that mans disappearance fror
the earth cannot be long delayed afte
the disappearance of the birds, the
il is time that the subject of bird pro
lection be considered seriously. Chi