The Saint Paul globe., 1900-06-03
DOOM OF A|1RET SEALED
NO MORE BIRDS TO BE
WORN ON WOMEN's
HATS
AUDUBON SOCIETY TRIUMPHs
MfIIfners' Association, Alarmed by
Lacey Bill, Before Congress,
Makes Compact With
AudubOnites.

CHICAGO, June 2.-Red birds need not
hide out any more when they see the
milliner coming. Hereafter the people
who trim women's hats are not going
to kill the pretty little wild singers or
any other kind of birds that are good
for making high-priced bonnets.
The milliners are going to be as kind
to the feathered tribe of North America
as other people after this.
The members of the Audubon societies
are happy now. They had hard time Of
it fighting to save the birds, but what
they regard as nearly a full measure
of success came to them when the Mil
Iinery Merchants Protective association
declared it would agree to truce with
the Audubon societies.
A bill was pending IN congress that
would make trouble for the milliners If it
ever passed. The Audubon societies were
urging the passage of the measure known
as the Lacey bill. 1t was so sweeping
that it would prohibit the use of bird
plumages for mercantile and manufac-
turing purposes in the United States.
MILLINERS TOOK ALARM.
The milliners took alarm, and Charles
w Farmer, secretary of the Millinery
Protective association, wrote to RuthVen
Deane, the Chicago member of the BIRD
protective committee Of the American
OrnithologicaI union, saying the members
of the milliners association would agree
to not use any more insectivorous or song
birds for hat ornaments If the Audubon
ties would not insist on the passage OF
the Lacey bill.
For answer to this Mr. Deane said
there were other kinds of birds than the
insectivorous and song birds that needed
to be saved from women's bonnets, ana
the bird defenders wanted them saved.
The result of the correspondence was
that the milliners' association made
pact with the bird protectors By the
terms of it no bird of all North America
is to be dragged into millinery shop
after this if the milliners' association can
prevent it. More than 80 per cent OF
all the millinery business is represented
in this association.
The Audubon folk drove a close bargain
with the milliners. They stipulated that
while foreign plumages might be bought
and sold by the hat dealers, 1t did not
mean that any foreign bird of variety
found in North America could be dealt
in This was to prevent wicked persons
from killing birds in this country and
sending them to Europe, for instance, to
be reshipped here.
TAKES IN EVERY Wb4D BIRD.
BY this bargain protection is given to
every sort of wi1d bird on this continent.
The sea gulls, terms, pigeons, swans ana
all are taken in under the treaty.
One of the features of this truce is the
complete prohibition of the buying or sell
ing or having in stock the stylish algrette,
for which women who buy high-priced
bonnets evidence great admiration. Inc
aigrette is ripped from the backs of birds
which are to be found in North America
That means that they are on the torpid
den list and cannot be dealt IN, no mat
ter where the bird was found from which
the aigrette was torn.
In making the agreement the miliinefs
asked for a liberal time of grace to DIS
pose of the feathers and dead BIRDS they
had in stock Since the manufacturing
milIiners keep Cneir work one season IN
advance Of the retail trade it will be
months yet~before the display of birds IN
millinery windows will begin to decline.
II is understood the Milliners association
will have to meet to ratify the agreement,
but the Audubonites say they have no
doubt the agreement will be approved by
the association.
DUE TO THE AUDUBONITES.
This important decision by the miHiners
is to be traced to the active influence Of
the Audubon societies, which Lave been
growing stronger with amazing rapidlty
in recent years. These societies have set
about to obtain legislation for the protec-
ton of birds and they have had success.
When they appealed to congress for pro-
hibitive measure it was taken for granted
the law would be passed as they asked for
it, Then the miIliners asked for an ar
mistice.
Mr.. Deane, of the Illinois Audubon So
ciety, said yesterday mat he now regard
ed the birds of North America as saved
from the destruction that was rapidly
overtaking them in response to millinery
demands. while we are not saving the
foreign birds by this agreement" he add
I'd, I'VE are doing well to save the birds
of our own country.
The Illinois Audubon society will hold a
meeting soon to PASS upon the proposition
of the Milliners' association and decide
whether ii will refrain from urging the
passage of the Lacey bill, in view of the
promise of the millinery folk to let t!:e
pretty little birds alone.