The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-06-02

receipts Of the market are estimated at
about $40, 900 a year.
h traffic in birds in the ~fanciers' stores
on the other side of the Seine is put down
as about 200. 900 francs, or $40. 600; thus the
city's entire bird sales amount TO about
$4,000. The Bourse aux Oiseaux is sub
ject to as many fluctuations as the other
Bourse. Just as continual bad weather
will affect crop reports and prices, acci-
dents OF weather will determine the price
OF birds. Cyclones in the tropics will send
up the figures on parrots and cookatoos;
during the French conquest Of Madagascar
there was a corner in certain popular varie-
ties OF parrot and ~parrakeet. The Boxer
troubles caused a scarcity of Chinese swal-
lows and a great rise Of prices.
Sometimes stress Of weather will delay
the ships that bring in the bird and animal
port together, causing violent fluctuations
In price. In 1904 a ship arrived at Mar
settles one day with is. 900 pairs OF Dominican
sparrows on board. They had been scarce
and a Paris dealer had been holding q couple
OF hundred for the price to Boar. When the
news Of the arrival struck the market the
quotations dropped Immediately from $3.50
to 50 cents a bird.
marseilles and Bordeaux are the principal
points of importation for birds. The house
N~'hO nv VIC bCluto lCgtANbi III blA
months recently $4,000 pairs of Bengalese
fnches, $4,000 pairs Of Japanese nightin-
gales, 10000 pairs OF japanese sparrows,
25,0OO Capuohin pigeons, 10000 ~parakeets,
and perhaps 100, 900 OF other varieties.
These all come from China, Japan and the
Far East, Some are distributed all over
France. The majority are reexported TO
other parts OF Europe and 10 America
They are all brought TO France by the petty
OfIlCara and amnlOvaaa nf tina bio atnarnaA;r
lines. IT is a recognized right OF cooks,
mead waters, carpenters, q~uartermasters
and the like TO add TO their pay by carrying
a cage each with as many birds as they can
get into It.. Some bring over several extra
cage, paying freight for them
When the birds are landed there are four
wholesale concerns, three at Mareeilles
and one at Bordeaux, to compete for them.
These are constantly in telegraphio oommu-
niostion with all parts OF France and Europe
and usually know where to place every
item they buy. Sometimes they have
orders from the United States and Canada
for rare species, which are seldom brought
70 North American ports direct from their
will send out 800 dispatches the day after
the docking OF a ship from the French pos
sessions in Tonquin or from Madagascar,
Many OF these dispatches are sent 70 Ant
werp and Hamburg, which are important
centres for the redistribution OF the birdA,
Lille, France. also has a bird market.
Prices Of exotic birds vary greatly. Those
OF Brazil are perhaps the dearest, being
hard to acclimate in Europe. A touoan is
worth $40 TO $50 Z. o. b. Bordeaux or Mar
settles; trained parrots are often sold in
Paris as high as 600 francs or Sl2O; one bird
OF marvellous eloquenoe IL on record as
bringing $3.50 in a shop on the DUAL de la
Megisserie n several have been bought
Tor the Jardin discrimination at about the
same figure.
Tn buoeros or hornbill Of South America
is worth 300 or 30 in Paris. The nightingale
taken In a snare is quoted at t2S, for he will
surely sing: ~nightingales bred in captivity
are comparatively valueless, for thew seldom
do. IL lie said that there are people in
France cruel enough TO blind captive
nightingales 90 as TO make them sing In