The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1913-05-13
CRUELTY OF WOMEN
Methods by Which Birds Are Hunt
ed For Piumes.

~ ~
Members of the Audubon society
are deeply interested in legislation
relating to the protection of birds.
AS Colonel Roosevelt has said: at
Is disgrace to America that we
should permit the sale of the air
grettes." When some aigrette com
pany tried to establish itself 10 New
Jersey, President Wilson, who was
then Governor of, that State, vetoed
the bill that would have allowed
this indecent traffic, and expressed
himself in these words; 81 think
New Jersey can get along without
blood money"
The aigrette is torn from the I've
mother bird in the nesting season
and the little ones are left to
starve. One of the plume hunters of
a southern country writes: "The
natives of the country do virtually
all of the hunting for feathers. /
have seen them frequently pull the
plumes from the wounded birds,
leaving the crippled birds to die of
starvation, unable to respond to the
cries of their young in the nests
above, which were calling for food,
have known these people to tie
and prop up wounded egrets on the
marsh where they would attract the
attention of other birds flying by.
These decoys are kept in this posi-
ton until they die of their wounds
or from the attacks of insects. /
have seen the terrible red ants of
that country actually eating out the
eyes of these wounded, helpless
birds tied up by the plume hunters
within sound of the call of their
young. / could write you many
pages of horrors practiced in gather
| ing aigrette feathers in Venezuela
| by the natives for the millinery
trade of Paris and New York"
Intelligent, kind-hearted women
wear these aigrettes, birds of para
disc and other hat adornments be-
cause they are ignorant as to the
manner in which these things are
obtained. No self-respecting wo-
man land, above ALL no mother)
with anything resembling heart,
will consent to wear aigrettes "a
1 certain furs, once she has learned
of the unspeakable horrors that at.
tend their procuring. Ostrich feath.
ers are humanely obtained and may
be worn with clear conscience.
There is need for immediate &C
| ton on the part of those interested
in striving to put an end to this ne
| farious aigrette traffic in the United
States.
President Wilson has this month
| convened a special session of Con
gress for the purpose OF passing the
revised tariff act. The Officers of
the Audubon society have strong
grounds for believing that it viii
be possible to have inserted in this
a provision prohibiting the importa-
ton Of aigrettes, provided q wide
campaign of publicity can be i'm
mediately inaugurated.
No woman who has seen the
mother seal skinned alive because
the writings make the work o.
skinning easier than II 1t were dead
no woman who has seen the timid
ermine, with its tongue fast to the
metal that has been smeared for lis
capture; no woman who has evei
looked at the steel trap ready and
set for work: no woman who is hall
a woman can know of these things
and consent to wear furs. IL Is 10
be hoped that enlightened women In
all our cities will meet( as a mum
Der Of women In New York recent
ly metz In order to discuss ways and
means of putting a stop to these
unspeakable things.
| AS to the aigrette, American wo'
men can help this movement by no.
tifying milliners that they will with
draw patronage from any millinery
establishment that permits the sale
of aigrettes or other plumes bar.
barously obtained. Women entering
a strange millinery establishment
can be of the greatest service il,
before making any purchase, they
will inquire whether or not aigrettes
are sold by the establishment.
| There will undoubtedly be strong
opposition to the proposed law-op
position on the part of merchant
milliners who encourage the aigret.
te atrocities as a seource of revenue
| The matter Is In the hands of the
American women.