Evening star., 1916-04-30
De ROBERT RDGWHY
0HIEFU.S. OpNITHOLOGIST

5000 specimens. showing the extreme
types. enough and of kind to inter-
est the casual visitor to the museum.
You seem to think we have a great
number here vet it may surprise you to
know that for the purpose of making
a complete record of the birds of North
and Central America we have found 1T
necessary to borrow specimens from
other museums from all countries as
we'll as from private collections: Four
thousand birds were borrowed for the
preparation of single volume.
we have here. too. series OF speci-
mems of each species sufficient to snow
the special plumages depending on sex,
age and season. geographic variations.
range during the year, variations OF
color according to climate, etc
Although the number OF specimens
preserved in these cases may seem
great, the total number We have here is
not nearly equal to the total mum Der OF
birds killed in single season by sin
gle man in the west coast of Florida in
a single spring for the millinery trade.
And that man is only one of great
many at such work in each section in a
single season. The proportion of birds
slaughtered for purely scientific pur-
poses is very small, indeed. in com
parison with those destroyed for the
millinerS' trade.
Il am glad to say that this wholesale
slaughter of our birds for the decora-
ton of womens headgear is not prac-
ticed so much in the United States now
as formerly; but the work of extermi-
nation goes rapidly on in Central and
South America. On the coast of New
Guinea the bird of paradise. the most
beautiful bird in the world. is being
gradually annihilated to satisfy wom-
ans vanity.
Thousands of our selections of rare
plies. / will give you illustration of
this" DR.. Ridgway walked through
long aisle of cases to particular one.
where from a particular tray in the
series, which. tier upon tier. fills every
case. each filled with birds of a species
arranged in exquisite order, he selected
a brilliantly hued bird of about the size
of a native robin. The pTumage form
ed a radiant assemblage of yellow,
orange. blue and green, relieved with
touches Of black here and there to
bring out more effectively the wonder
ful coloration.
There are only two specimens of
this beautiful bird in existence today,
this one and an inferior specimen pos
sessed by the American Museum of
Natural History in New York. The bird
Is native of Colombia, and is related
to another beautiful tanager called by
the natives 'Seite Colore,' meaning
seven colors. Where do you suppose L
found it? In a milliner's shop in New
York city, where its price was marked
as 81,
Now here is another instance" and
DR.. Ridgway walked rapidly down an
other long lane of cases, and, unlock
ing one, withdrew a tray full of ex-
quisite humming birds. their ruby and
topaz piumage glistening like rides
cent gems.
This is one of the most beautiful of
the humming birds. and perhaps you
know that the humring bird exists
alone upon the American continent.
and that, in common with most birds
of brilliant plumage. the male only. as
rule, is brilliantly colored. In
single shipment from the port of
Bahia, in Brazil. to a single Paris mil
liner were three thousand males Of
this species. We're il not for the fact
that IL is widely distributed it would
long ago have been eXterminated.
Our own magnificent North Amer
lean parrot has nearly completed its
sacrifice upon the same altar. the Car
olina paroquet being nearly extinct. 1t
was once found as far north the
Potomac valley and the great lakes,
and nsed n in hOCkS like