The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-05-13
BIRDS KILLED FOR PLUMAeE
Controversy in RELATION to Destrue-
ton by Foreigners.

tlOH ny FOiC'9HOio ..
Charles w. Farmer, secretary of
the Millinery Merchants Protective
association took exception to state
ment which he understood was made
by me in a recent letter, to the effect
that immigrants from certain portions
of Europe kill birds for millinery pur-
poses. Owing to the omission OF
word by the typist or the printer the
statement that certain of these people
kill birds for millinery purposes IN
their native country was mlsprlnted.
| hope that in justice to the Ameri-
can milliners you will give this eX-
PLANTATION the same prominence you
kindly gave to the original article. Mr.
Farmer stamps as false what | nelth-
er wrote nor intended to write. There
fore there is no controversy between
as in regard to my letter; but he takes
occasion in his letter TO make the
statement that no dealer in raw
feather stock nor any manufacturer
of fancy feathers or any one in the
wholesale millinery business, or even
retail milliner, will buy, sell or use
robin or any other song bird or in
sectivorous bird of any kind or des-
cription." This statement | am con-
strained to refute.
While | believe the milliners of this
country as a class are honorable and
that the majority of them do not in
tend to use insectiyorous birds and
while ] have refrained in these letters
from attacking the millinery business
il now seems necessary TO state
few facts regarding the feather trade
in this country, TO show that Mr.. Far
mer is mistaken.
Going back to 1875 when my expert
ence with the millinery business be-
gan, the milliners were using insec-
tivorous birds in large numbers. Mil
linery drummers carried tanagers, or
ioles, bluebirds, cedar birds, thrushes,
etc, which were sold, as were for
eign insectivorous birds. in such guam
titles as they could be obtained Even
as late as the SOS native insectivorous
birds, gulls, terms, small owls, etc,
were used in numbers and 1t was not
until public sentiment was stirred by
the Audubon movement, and existing
laws against the destruction of birds
were enforced in some states and
better laws enacted in others, that
the milliners of the United States
began to give up the use of the plu-
mage of native wild birds During
the SOS and COS enormous numbers
of harmless and useful birds were
killed along our coasts. Not less than
10000 terms, and probably many more,
were killed in one year, during the
breeding season, along the coast of
the New England and Middle States.
Within thirty years the millions OF
egrets formerly existing in this coun-
try have been practically extermina-
ted, and, despite all laws passed to
the contrary, the plume hunters are
still following the remnant of these
birds.
The law is as well enforced in Mas
sachusetts as in any state in the un-
ion, but, nevertheless. milliners are
still arrested and fined, after repeated
warnings, for exposing the sale the
feathers of terms. gulls, useful owls,
herons and egrets as well as larks,
finches, thushes and other insectiv
orous birds. The smaller owls are
among the most useful of all birds.
The gulls and terms are of great val
ne in the West as insect destroyers
and the utility of larks, finches and
thrushes is well known. In many ca
ses their feathers are dyed and man.
ipulated beyond recognition except
by the expert ornithologist. Recent
ly in New York City ] saw mass
of small birds upon one woman's head
gear and trimming of many small
wings on another, while the feathers
of gulls, terms. owls, egrets, etc, were
seen in quantities.
The destructiveness of this trade
in wild birds feathers lies in the fact
that the greater part of them are OBJ
tanned by killing the birds during the
breeding season. while they have eggs
or young The birds are then in fine
| plumage and are most readily OBJ
tanned in numbers on their breeding
grounds The young die by starva-
tion, and extinction follows. Ostrich
plumes are taken mainly from domes-
| ticated birds.
| Edward IInufa INorhrch