The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1903-04-07
THE PLUME HARVEST
Hunters in Southern States Furnish
Northern Markets.
Lead Lonely Lives In the swamps'
where They Are Constantly ON
the watch for Feathered
Creatureg.

AT luis cSdspn VI Jtol tAS fte---~
hunters are reaping their harvest. They
are the men who in all of the thousands
Of bays, inlets and bayous of the South
Atlantic coast, on the marshy ponds
Of the interior and in the great swampy
districts shoot shore birds for their
plupage only.
1t is an industry widely spread, in
which good deal of capital is invest
ed and good deal of work done, and
properly conducted it is highly re-
munerative, says recent report in the
New York Sun.
The plume hunter must face all sorts
of weather, of course, except very cold
weather. He must know what birds
are most highly valued and where they
are to be found, how they are TO be APP
preached and how their plumage is to
be preserved after they are dead.
There is nothing difficult about the
work.
Probably there are more plume hunt
ers in Florida than in any other state,
though many Of them operate along
the Mississippi and Louisiana coasts,
down the Atlantic edge of Georgia and
in Texas and Arkansas.
They get all sorts of birds because
of late years plumes have become
scarcer and milliners now use feathers
they would have disdained formerly,
but in the main they devote themselves
to well-plumed shore birds, some Of
which are Of extremely beautifulhues.
| Among the birds of Florida most
steadily pursued are the herons, black,
white, blue and green. These are in
tens of thousands, and though they
are shy, they can be reached by man
who knows how.
Avocats, black and white, are slain
in numbers, as is the whooping crane,
a great stately bird whose body fur
| nishes so many handsome feathers
that 1t is rich haul. Flamingoes of
light pink, those of so dark pink
as TO be almost crimson and the pink
and white and pink and blue varieties
are eagerly sought.
The curlews, sandpipers and other
| trotters along the sands are gathered
In. and fishhawks and pelicans are
knocked down at every opportunity.
There is also relentless war against the
many kinds of southern gulls. In fact,
pretty nearly all feathers are regarded
as good things by the plume hunter
except the buzzard's feathers. or the
feathers Of the yellow-tipped Mexican
vulture.
The skins are rudely bat effectuauy
preserved. They are taken off whole
with the wings left on. and after the
fat is scraped from them they ars
rubbed with salt and powdered arsenic
No further attention Is paid to them
except TO pack them securely, and they
reach New York in excellent condition
With many of the smaller birds more
care is taken, and the plume hunte,
In preserving them may even rise ts
taxidermy. II is often desired to save
these skins with the heads on. so tha'
the whole bird may adorn some WON
ans bonnet. The plume hunters dt
very well. some of them. and are pa
tient about learning. because the bet
ter work of this sort is done the NOR,
money they viii get for 1t when /
reaches the wholesale feather house
IN the north.
AS general thing plume hunter
| lead lonely and exposed lives. camp
ing under ragged tents in swampy dis
tricts. doing their o,sn cooking, stand
ing or snealsing for hours in the mu'
and day and night unspeakably dirty
Some of them have boats and drift NJ
and down the bayous. picking off
crane or avocat here and there, OF the
force their way through tangle'
swamps. where the vines swing low Il
the water. making for some hiddel
lagoon far in the forest, known TO n
man save them.
Some of them have breechloaders
but not many of them, though tn
lpump gun Is finding its way anon
them rapidly. They use cheap, blacl
powder and unchilled shot, but the.
kill all right, and as the cost of am
munition is much of an object wit
them, one viii sometimes put in hal
day trying to geta little nearer.
I Occasionally a small-caliber rife
found among them, and this is muc
the best weapon for their business. bu
commonly they stick to antique. mu'
zle-loading double barrels, with water
: proof caps. A plume hunter with OF
dinary luck win clear up several hur
! dred dollars in winter, and throug
the summer he fishes. half for prof
half for amusement, or loafs throug
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