The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-06-03
PROTECTION OF BIRDS
MEETING OF THE NEW YORK STATE
AUDUBON SOCIETY.
Letter from Gov. Roosevelt and an
Address by Ornitho1ogist Chapman
-Agreemnt with MilIiners.

NEW YORK, June 2-The annual meet
| ing of the State Audubon Society was held
| to-day. Governor Roosevelt, as vice presi-
dent of the society. sent a letter speaking
OF his pleasure in signing the Mallock bill
for the protection OF bros, which recently
passed the Legislature, and complimenting
the society upon its valuable educational
work. Half the beauty of the woods ard
fields is gone when they lose the birds" he
said. '"To net out all the fish from the
streams and to kill off half the game birds
is not much more sensible than TO kill
milk cows and brood mares"
The agreement of the Millinery Mer-
chants Protective Association. formulated
after the passage of the Mallock bill. con-
corning the protection of birds, was read.
They agreed to use the plumage only of
North American edible birds, domestic
fowls and game birds in season If the So
ciety will agree not 10 work TO curtail
these privileges. Frank NJ. Chapman, the
ornithologist, suggested a fair and unbiased
treatment of the proposal as calculated TO
do more for the protection of American
birds than the society could do by itself in
years of work The merchants associa-
ton promises to do police duties within its
own lines, and will heavily fine any mem
Der evading its terms.
The domestic fowl has a great deal to
answer for" said Mr.. Chapman, address
ing the meeting. A kinds of feathers,
from those of the humn1ing bird to the
aigrette or the heron, have been said to
come from the barnyard fowl, but any one
going out in the street in a season when
feathers are worn on the hats, IL he has
any knowledge of birds, will see. in a short
walk. hundreds Of many varieties. AS for
the aigrette, or heron, where on the gulf
coast and In the tropics there were count
less thousands twenty or thirty years ago,
it is now difficult to find one to obtain a
photograph.
Different feathers are in demand at diff
ferent seasons the speaker continued.
Recently quilts nave been in fashion.
Those from the domestic fowls were not
long enough. and those of the eagle, hi wk,
owl and brown buzzard were used. The
buzzards of the South were much in
demand. If women who wore the feathers
had known the bird 1t would hardly seem
that they would have cared for the feath-
ers. The bird is a great s~cavenger, and
there is a law against killing them. as we'll
as an unwritten law among the people who
know the value of the bird for sanitary
purposes. But they were trapped. a pro-
cess against which there was no law, the
feathers pulled out. and then they were
let go, but were unable to fly. As they
soar high in the air looking for food only
one thing could have happened to them in
this condition.
Funds are now being collected by the
society for the preservation of seagullS,
ana watchers are hired to protect them on
the islands where they nest. During last
winter an enormous number of gulls'
breasts were worn on hats, and thousands
were killed. On one afternoon. or Hogs
island. Virginia, 1.4Oo of the birds were de-
stroyed