Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1907-04-27
= - y
THE WAR ON THE BIRDS
Havoc Wrought Among Them by the Demands OF WOanMnd

olina Audubon society In lhe tali
bushes" he says, growing In Sc
cluded pond in a swamp, little
colony of herons had their nesting
home. with a squirrel hunter l
went to the spot and saw a pitifui
sight. / had expected to see some
of the beautiful birds, but Instead
beheld in the mud eight of them
stretched dead and partially skinned.
: Worse still, in four of the nests poor
little orphans we're seen clamoring
piteously and in vain. On higher
! ground we saw the embers OF the
plume-hunter's camp fire"
And so the white heron bids fair
20 become extinct as the buffalo or
Great AUX, unless the demand for
plumes dies down. Twenty years
ago the cost per ounce for Osprey
| was only few dollars; now 1t Is
more than quardupled A recent cir
cular sent out by Now York feather
dealers to Florida plume hunters Of
fered S32 an ounce for fine plumes!
As fashions change, so are the
death warrants sealed OF countless
winged thousands. Thus one year
saw a sudden demand for the breasts
and wings OF swallows, and birds
were billed by agents of the millin-
cry taxidermists In countless hosts
The sea-swallow or tern especially
suffered. It's slaughter was carried
on from Massachusetts TO Florida;
and today the small remnants OF
myriads are carefully guarded by
wardens of the Audubon societies.
Even in our remotest possessions
has the slaughter gone on, truly
without conscience. Captain Ham
LET, OF the revenue cutten "Thetls,'
found hordes OF Japanese pirates on
the Hawaiian isle OF Lislansky, which
belong to us. He computed they hal
killed nc least 5000 plume-birds. and
their spoil was put up In 80 cases
ready for shipment. They were ar
rested after having abandoned $20.-
900 worth OF spoil. and confessed
they were employed by Tokyo firm,
who at heavy expense had fitted
out an expedition in the schooner
"YeIju Maru," OF Yokohama.
And right well equipped were
these fellows for their nefarious
worker. Their stan comprised not
only hunters. but also taxidermists
and skinners. They found the birds
very tame. being unused TO the sight
of men; and they collected wings
and skins in appalling quantities for
tho millinery markets of Paris. But
a fierce gale struck the island one
January morning; the "YelJu Maru'
dragged her anchors, struck a cora
reef, and went down with ten OF hel
crew, leaving 75 men stranded on th'
island.
Woman's Indifference 10 these hor
rors has been a thing OF wonder fo
years. have before me repor
from the state of Michigan. whicl
tells me that n colony OF blue heron
was being steadily destroyed a
Clarkson simply because the house
wives of the community had remark
ed complaeeuuy that their beautiful
wings would make good dusters'
Then there was the wholesal
grebe and tern hunting on the lake
! of southern Oregon. one year $50
= OOO worth OF grebe skins were see
piled mp ready for shipment Mt Mel
rill; and at the same time there wer
no less than IL hunters at wor
along the north end of Tule LAKE
, The business was enormously profit
= able, for the skins at first brougt
= 60 TO 70 cents each,
y Among the other birds shot ia
= pmmage. Forster's tern decreased M
u an only few were left on what ha
been the greatest feeding and bree'
ing ground for waterfowl on the Ia
oinc coast The wings and tails {
70 the tern sold for 25 cents, and emo
nous numbers were killed and shiI
ped out with the grebe-skins.
The efforts TO stay or suppress tn
slaughter have been going on Il
many years. In England Quee
Victoria had already issued an arm
: order approving the substitution
ostrich for osprey plumes in n
head dress OF officers; and the vic'
roy OF India abolished similar plume
!. in the stately bonnets OF his persons
bodyguard.
The duchess of Portland, pres
dent OF the British Royal Society IL
the Protection OF Birds, presented
special memorial 10 Queen Alexal
dra. describing how the nestlin