Los Angeles herald., 1906-11-27

WASHINGTON, Nov. 2O.--A national
movement for legislation to prohibit the
use of bird plumage OF any description
for millinery purposes, as the only
means to prevent the determination of
rare species of American birds, is about
to be undertaken by the National AS
ISOLATION of Audubon societies.
Confirmation Of this statement has
been given by the president Of that or
ganization, William butcher of New
York city who has been i'm Washing
ton attending the congress Of the Amer
ican Ornithologists union, in session
at the National museum. He showed
his personal enthusiasm for the pro-
hibitive legislation referred to in al
conversation this afternoon. He said:
The necessity for legislation of this
sort is readily apparent when one has
looked into the existing conditions in
detail. The Audubon societies have
been endeavoring for years past tol
limit the use of bird feathers for milli-
merry purposes to the plumage of game
birds killed for food. We were willing
to come to such an agreement with
those who were not I'm sympathy with
our own ideas, and to raise no objec
ttion so long as the spirit of this un-
derstanding was lived up to. Yet we
found that so many thousands of shore
birds are killed purely for their plun-
age, and no use whatever made of their
bodies, that we now object to the kill |
ing of any of these birds under any
preteXt.
80 much difficulty exists in enforcing
any halfway sort of rule that it has
been found to be weli-nigh impractiC |
able to attempt it. The layman buying |
feathers in a millinery shop does not
know if he is buying prohibited plum
age or not. In manufacturing it is |
often found that the commercial firms
dye the plumage so that it is almost
even for an expert to tell |
whether the feathers are those of a |
prohibited species or not. In view of
this difficulty it cannot be expected |
that the layman will know, and it |
would not be proper to saddle the |
whole responsibility upon him. The |
only way, after having investigated all
the possibilities of the situation is to
urge the adoption of restrictive legis-
lation which will prohibit the use of
plumage so effectively that there will
be no chance for any divided respon-
sibility."
Resources of the Association
Asked as to the powers and resources
which the National Association of
Audubon Societies is able to employ
for the protection of bird life in Amer
lea, Mr.. butcher said the work de-
pends in the main upon the thousands
of paying subscribers who contribute
So year at the minimum as member
ship dues. Many members subscribe
larger sums in various amounts up to
$3.50, which is the annual evidence of
one members abiding interest in bird
protection. The fiscal year begins on
October 20, and the annual income
now reaches $25,000 The principal is
invested in high-class securities and
only the interest expended in the prose-
cutioh of the current work. Large
bequests to the society have been re-
ceiVed from time to time, one of $331-
BOO left to the national association last
August by the will of Albert Wilcox
of New York city. In the expenditure
of it's annual income the association
strives primarily to obtain the strict
and gradual expansion
of the game warden system, especially |
along the sea coast and at the breed |
ing grounds of birds in the interior of
the country.
Systematic efforts are made to keep
track of the bird laws in every state, !
and to improve these laws by keeping |
in touch with local game officials |
ever y NHSIG, anu NY SNGly |
from the first day of each
session to the last. One especial aim al
ways in view is to obtain legislation to
shorten the open seasons and to pro-
hibit the shooting of all kinds of game
in the spring of the year. The latter
plan is advocated mainly to prevent
the shooting of migratory birds after
they have spread their wings for
northern flight at the breaking up of
the severe winter weather Bird low
ers know that these migratory birds
are invariably mated before turning
their heads northward, so that if one
Of a pair is shot by some needless, So
called sportsman, the remaining one
of the pair is left alone with little
chance of finding another mate. Some
birds, it is known, mate for life, and
in such cases the shooting of either of
them when they are setting out to