The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1903-04-10

any demand for little birds. II is known
| that one European merchant has sunk
en- more than quarter Of million
dollars i'm the feathers of parrakeets
/ grashnches and other pretty it'll,
fluttercrs; for which he has been un
able TO find a market in the past -four
years. Humaniiarians and other NOR
alists will be well pleased to know that
the little birds are now comparatively
safe from the assassins who cater to
he fashions.
AT the conclusion Of the Mincinp
Lane sales the feathers Of the 'fancies
are put up; and 10y that the trade I'M
derstands the plumes of the bird OF
paradise. IIimalayan pheasants, hum
ming birds. colored skins ofparrots and
the osprey. The real bird of paradise
is so rare and costly that you may be
sure that nine-tenihs of the paradise
plumcs that you see are limitations;
they are as clever and exact a. are the
electric rabbit of the true sealskin.
eft is not true that egrei and osprey
hen birds are ruthlessly slaughtered
on their nests. On the contrary they
are cared for and protected; proof Of
this j. afforded in the increased supply
which meets The increased demand. If
the hen birds were killed on the nests
the supply would decrease 10y reason
of the determination of the birds.
Osprey feathers are sold by the ounce.
the long osprey having been repre-
scented hy about 1000 ounces al So
shillings an ounce this past year. There
have been about 5000 ounces each Of
the heron and short osprey at p shill-
ings per ounce. Most valuable of all
Is the fbre-fine plume OF the egret of
which here have been GOO ounces which
sold at four pounds sterling per ounce.
you have DO idea how much max
iug-up' there is about these feathers
before they reach the retail market
For example. take one Of the upstand-
ing plumes. II has gone through not
less than a dozen hands and processes.
One girl pares down the superiluous
quill with a razor-like blade; another
rubs it the wrong way o obtain It's best
fullness: another cuts two feathers of
the tip and inserts them lower down
so that IL shall be thick and full while
they go TO another to be sewn to-
gether She passes il to another table
where II is scraped smooth with glass,
and a little black varnish conceals all
OF the stitches. Then wire is inserted
to give il a graceful curving droop at
the top, and it is dextrously curled by
drawing each fue over a smooth blunt
knife"
The ladies with the plumes bowling
or futtering over their heads never
think Of the world Of labor and the
great investment Of money involved
in their bedecking. They are as care
less Of the cost and labor thus involved
as they are of the feelings Of the gen.
ilemen whom they incommode in
church and theater. whose unexpected |
profanity they often excite with those
same plumes; as careless Of all these
matters Of detail as they are Of the
made for the sacrament |
,r other solemnities Of Easter morn /
ng.
But maybe this also Is an exaggera-
ion. Let it pass for that, anyway.
BY courteous attention 10 the words
IF the man Of experience in fcathery
fairs we have at least learned con-
iderahlc about these fluffy necessaries
u fashion and religion. Haven't we?
SMITH d. FRY.