The Hawaiian gazette., 1910-02-01
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20 r. ~. w Al1hEh VI
10 OF
10 100000 90 o 20 o o .
Johnston Island, one Of the little
ispecks to the southwest. is in need Of
visit from the revenue cutter Thetis,
if the information given in the above
letter from Captain Walker is correct,
and when it comes to the news of what
is happening on the various islands of
the Hawaiian Archipelago, Captain
Walker is usually in position TO know
what he is talking about.
| To the information given out short
while ago by Captain Walker and by
the prompt use made of that informa.
ton and Of other first-hand information
by Prof. W. A. Bryan, the despatch
of the Thetis 10 the islands of the
bird reservation is due. Professor
Bryan was in the East when the first
definite reports of the return of the
bird poachers was received and he inn
mediately took up the matter Of the
preservation of the birds with the pres.
ident of the Audubon Society and the
head of the Biological Survey.
| The result was orders from Washing.
ton for the Thetis cruise and the re.
suit of that cruise was the capture of
a band of bird pirates and the seizure
of evidence of the slaughter this season
on Laysan Island alone of over quar-.
ter Of a million sea birds, as reported
some days ago in The Advertiser.
Professor Bryan has taken an ornith.
ologist IS interest in the preservation of
the Hawaiian birds and has made a
scientific study of Hawaiian bird life.
In 1902, he visited Marcus Island, sent
out by the Bishop Museum, and while
4 there he gained much in formation as
to the way of Japanese bird hunters.
Cruel Goddess of Fashion.
In a monograph of Marcus Island,
written by Professor Bryan, he says:
/ SIN certain centers of fashion there
exists great demand for the skins and
wings of this particular tern; they are
made use of in producing some Of the
V onderful creations of the milliner g
art. AS a result of this demand the en-.
terprising, though destructive, colony Of
Japanese, previously referred to, had
Eeen established on the island to, kill
birds and prepare their skins for ex.
port to New York, Paris and Berlin, by
way of the home Office in Japan. While
we were there some thirty men were en-.
gagged in the work. Certain members OF
the party did nothing but catch and
kill the birds for the especially trained
| tfxidermists TO skin. The biId-catchers
cid their work for the most part early
III the morning or during the evening
hours. This enabled them to select fine
adult specimens that were at sea fish
ing during the day. Their equipment
consisted simply of bamboo pole, OF
, occasionally a net on a long pole, and
/ n large light basket. One man in two
! hours will kill basketful of birds. In
{ one of these baskets / counted seventy
, FIVE perfect specimens. The skinning il
accomplished at an astonishingly rapid
rate. One man, they assured me, held
the worlds record for making bird
Z skins, having made in one day of ten
| hours, under test conditions, one hun
q dred and thirty complete skins. The
i average days work fefl far below thii
record pace; probably the usual number
would not exceed fifty skins. Still dur
ing the six months from March to Sep
q TENDER not less than fifty Thousand
rds are there slaughtered as a sacri
0 fee to the cruel goddess of fashion. ;
| oodbu
"The store of the Marcus Island col
= Cny of goonies is one of death and ex
termination. In the beginning of thu
operations of the japanese company OF
q the island goonies were fairly abundant
= Not being able TO find guano by thei
crude methods, they developed n schem,
whereby they were able to make
!, marketable commodity by killing tn,
: birds and boiling them down in grea
y kettles. The resultant, consisting of thu
flesh, bones and viscera, was barrelet
! and shipped 10 Japan where Il was uset
as fertilizer. The long wing feather
:, Of all the birds were pulled out an'
!. carefully preserved 10 be shipped Il
America aud Europe and sold as 'eagll
n feathers which were In great deman'
= for trimming on ladies' hats. The feath
. cra from the breast were plucked Of
q rpd sold by the pound, A profitable
= business was thus developed, with ih
. doplorable result that within ~ year
! Tho entire colony of these splendl'
4 blrds has been eKiermlnatod,
: ~ was told thai they had been ~
fHeerdlug'y abundant IN fnrrf1r year
That man could KIN three hnndre,
= lrfda In day Tie last year ~ IN
4 20 the eol9ny had dslndled down, I
J hsd leen tbs practise 30 Mn the bird
a f0r the feathers only All over the lpl
= aad Nrfe found ihr hpaps N shit
! iopss NJ ihe birds that bad thus hael
a destroyed
n Qenaillans GA hidwax
\ fufiher ilghi an ihp natter IN Hhiel
. 40 lid Aiilfn 40 ihelf Nnlk y g|lpl
W lfFofi NIllifp hY Professor hgpl