The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-06-05

The great merchant milliners Of New York
who do 90 per cent of the feather trade.
have Joined hands with the Audubon So
cieties-twenty-two strong. in twenty-five
States-to stop the killing Of American
birds for their plumage
This was announced at the annual meet
ings Of the New York Audubon Society.
held at p. n. in the big Iecture-room of
the American Museum of Natural History.
Seventy Street and Columbus Az
enue- So the time is not far distant when
the American woman can have no feathers
in her hat that are American save those Of
the barnyard fowl, the game bird or the
ostrich.
Three years ago the allied Audubon So
cieties OF the United States started to &C.
complish this end. The miiliners laughed
There were no laws then TO stop the
slaughter OF birds for their plumage. Au-
dubonites had laws passed. The last was
the Hallock law in this State which for
bids the killing CT sale Of birds that are
not suitable for food
And SC the merchant milliners gave In
and formed the Millinery Merchants Pro-
tective Association of which Charles w
Farmer is secretary. They signed the 9TH
er day a regular form Of contract with the
Audubonites In it they agree not to buy
bic for the table. reserving the right to sell
such stocks Of feathers as they now pos
seSS- They agree TO use feathers only from
game birds. domestic fowls that are used
for food. and ostriches. Ostriches of
course. are rot killed for their feathers.
nor do they suffer when their plumes are
plucked in captivity.
The MERCHANTS furthermore agree to
pay fine Of $500 il they are caught selling
or buying birds for their plumage Trey
also agree 10 use every effort to pro e,ute
dealers not signing the agreement wfo are
caught violating any American bird Ia VS.
In return they are allowed to buy pIumage
of any birds not found in North America.
This is the only concession they get; il Is
almost unconditional surrender
But the milliners admit that 90 per cent
or the feathers used are from the humble
hen and rooster. They are dyed. curled
twisted. painted, wired-anything to inli-
tate nobler birds. Anything from humming
birds wings to ostrich plumes are made
from them.
Saturdays meeting was an enthusiastic
one The other event was a talk with
stereopticon views on Birds of Fashion. 4"
by Frank NJ. Chapman. Ornitho,osiss at the
Museum He tod how ostrichss are raised
and how they are kept in captivity
their plumes. There are $4,000 900 worth
OF these feathers sold every year, OF which
Fashion demands" sad he, Certain
feathers at certain seasons Of the year.
just now there is a great denan1 fer Gu lis
Consequently, eagles, hawks owls and tur-
Key buzzards suffer The great American
blrd, the bald eagle. and his Cou in, the
golden eagle. are being slaughtered for
their feathers. and the turkey blzzards.
the wonderful scavengers OF the South. are
sunerlnS similarly Twenty years age the
white heron. CT egret. was c3rntle-s in
floiida- When was there this year w.tS
ell my efforts could not find a single mir
Fashion is to blame"
Mr. Chapman told of the slaught-r of
guils, and threw on the screen a tvnicsI
hat OF the period tricked cut with tia
wings CT three white beauties Of the deem.
Morris X. Jessup was elected president
OF the society. Miss Emma II. lockwood
secretary and treasurer, and Mr. Chapman
Chairman Of the Executive Committee.
congratulatory letter from Governor Roose-
welt on the work of the society, was read.