The evening times., 1900-10-10

Women will wear fewer birds and
feathers on their hats this season as
result of the operation of the Lacy act
for the protection of birds and game gen
orally, which was approved late in the
last session of Congress.
Ever since it was assured that the Lacy
law would go into effect On October L as
an aid to the efforts of the State game as
sociations in preserving birds and other
game, agents of the Government have been
quietly at work in their, efforts to uphold
the enforcement of State laws on the sub
jeet- This law as passed by Congress pro-
Vided that the provisions OF the inter-
State Commerce act should not be con-
strued as permitting the shipment OF in
terdicted game from one State to an
other That is, if IL was unlawful il one
State to sell OF have in possession Ger
tain bird or animal the defence could not
be made that the bird or animal was kill
ed in another State where such slaughter
was permitted and then shipped across
the border.
One Of the first results of the .pera-
ton of the law, so far as known in Wash
ington was the recent seizure OF ship
nlent of $500 guiis, or gull skins, con-
signed to a Baltimore firm. This was fol-
lowed by Il charge laid against the firm
Of violating the State law by having the
gulls in their possession. The case was
to have been heard last week. but was
postponed on account OF the absence OF
one of the members of the accused firm
and Will come up for hearing IN lew
days.
1t is said that cases of similar nature
are also pending against dealers in birds
pIumage in New York. Philadelphia, and
Chicago
The law IN Maryland is explicit on the
subject and might be interpreted as ap-
plicabIe to the woman who wears bird
on her hat as we'll as to the dealer who
supplies the skins 10 the EiIiiner. or the
mlliner who puts the birds on hats ana
the hats in her window. However, it is
scarcely probable that the individual wear
er will be arrested and fined except as
! last resort, although it has been done IN
Boston. There is a probability that the
millinery and other stores will be pro-
ceeded against III the general effort to stop
the slaughter of the innocents.
Here is the Law on the subject, being
Section 15H Of Chapter 2S3 OF the Acts OF
1895 of Maryland
No person shall in this State at any
time shoot or in any manner catch or kill.
expose for sale, sell or buy or have in pos
| session. alive or dead, humming bird, blue
| jay migratory, Or other thrush, wood
! robin red-breasted robin. martin, mock
| ing bird, catbird, swallow. oriole, redbird,
| lark indigo bird. j0ewink pewitt, sap
sucker, whiDpooTwill, goldfnch, yellow
| breasted chat. cedar bird, herring gull or
mackerel gull or any gulI of any descrip-
| ton under . penalty OF not less than 81 nor
more than 50 for each such bird shot,
| caught, killed. exposed for sale, sold.
| bought or had in possession; and no per-
| son shall. under like penalty, have in his
Z L.
| the skins, plumage, wings or feathers of
! any of the birds the catching or killing Of
/ which is prohibited by this section; proyf-
! ded, however, that nothing herein con-
| tanned shall he so construed as TO make it
| unlawful to shoot, eaten or kill or in any
| manner destroy, at any time. any hawk or
| other birds destructive Of domestic pouI-
| try or any English sparrow or crow or
/ blaclsbird; provided, that this section shah
not apply to s.. Narys county and Calvert
county; provided, that it shall be lawful to
| have mocking birds or redbirds CT other
song birds in cages or stuffed specimens
of any said birds in educational institu-
tions, in public or private museums"
Bird lovers say that there is no telling
when some other variety of birds may be-
come fashionable and its slaughter begun
because of the brilliance of its plumage.
Then. like the gull, its determination will
commence unless ztmilar means are ia
ken TO prevent it. as is being done. The
killing of the eUlls has been likened to the
determination of buffaloes in the West. and
it is feared that in a short time these
| birds would became extinct if miliineTs
and skin hunters were allowed to have
their own way
T. s Palmer. Assistant Chief in the
Biological Section of the Agricultural De-
! PaTtment, is engineering the prosecutions
in Baltimore. In response to the request
Of ba Uric napar+rr,a,+ he
waTdens OF several States have been ad-
ded temporarily 10 the Governments
forces for detecting violations of the law
The Maryland State Game and Fish Pro-
tective Association last year set a watch
on a dozen CT the principal breeding places
of gulls and the skin hunters as they are
called, were prevented following their
trade in those localities But there were
many places where the breeding birds
could net be watched and in these the
slaughter went on as before.
The slaughter Of the gulls takes place
in the spring during their breeding sea-
son and when the plumage is most bril-
liant Then the birds are gathered in
great numbers at favorable poin-s al ng
the Atlantic coast and will not be much
disturbed while the slaughter gees on as
they sail back and forth in the air near
their nests. Upon such favorable
grounds the skin hunter sets forth, and
birds are drawn and the skins as they
are called, are dried and roughly stuffed
with cotton wool. In this shape they are
shipped to markets in :he large cities.
But the breeding grounds nests are
left cold by the slaughter of the mature
birds. Whether they contain eggs or new
ly-hatched young birds the result is the
same-neglect and starvation destroy the
remainder OF the bird family. Last year
the dealers figured that 2.00G, 600 gulls
were put on the market for the adorn-
ment of hats and bonnets. Natuyalists
estimate that this meant the des@ rue ion
of at least 100000 gu11s as a contribu-
tion TO my lady's costume.
The rough skins are sold to Wholesale
houses. where the plumage is snoothed
and feathers Strengthened. Big glass eyes
are set in the heads to represent the bril-
liant eyes of the birds. The next step
is to arrange the bird in an attitude CT
flying and perch it upon a hat of some
shape or other.
The game laws of the District are
strict, and it is said are well enforced
The authorities are on TIE alert for any
yiolator who may be reached in accord
ance with the provisions of the Lacy
law.