Arizona republican., 1922-04-28

been cut, so that a new spread can
be grown.
Except at their dancing parties,
the birds of paradise are naturally
cautious and we'll able to protect
themselves They have but few nat
ural enemies. but their families are
small, being limited usually to two
offspring per season, so that they IN
crease but slowly. This is all the
more reason why they should be pro-
tected from human depredations."
The new tariff law viii provide
this protection, at least so far as this
kcountry is concerned. According to
Mr.. Pearson, it will "end the 35-year
battle against the slaughter of wild
birds for millinery A few feathers
will be smuggled in and peddled from
house to house, as aigrettes are at
present. But for practical purposes
| the commerce in forbidden feathers
will be at an end.
Law Saved Gulls
An example of how legislation may
save a species threatened with ex-
| tinction is to be found in the case
| of the sea gull which, several years
ago, was nearly wiped out OF exis-
/ tence by the demand of New York
! milliners for feathers. All along the
Z
| thousands to supply the trade until
legislation was put into effect in the
coastwise and Great Lakes states, as
! well as by the federal government
making it a crime to kill sea gull OF
to destroy its eggs. As a result. the
species was no longer molested, and
now there are million of sea gulls
again to be seen along our coast.
Experience has shown. moreover
| that public opinion regarding the use
of feathers is usually strongly influ-
enced by legislation. There is, fol
i instance. no longer much demand for
/ the aigrette, although once 1t en-
! joyed a tremendous popularity. The
/ same is true of other species which
were formerly killed with impunity
! In order to crafty the feminine pas
sion for fine feathers.
Thus, back in 1856, DIR. Frank M
! Chapman, naturalist, walking through
/ the shopping district of New York
/ upon a spring afternoon, discovered
and identified feathers from robins
| thrushes, bluebirds, tanagers, swal'
lows, warblers, waxwings, bobolinks
| larks, orioles, doves and woodpeckers
/ on womeO's hats. Altogether he was
/ able to count at least 40 different
species.
/ This was a period says Mr.. Pear
/ son, when people seemed to go mad
on the subject Of wearing birds and
| feathers. They were used for femi-
/ nine adornment in almost every con-
.ceivable fashion. Here. for example
| are two quotations from daily papers
| of that date, the names only being
| changed:
" Miss Jones looked exceedingly
well in white, with a whole nest oi
sparkling, scintillating birds in hel
! hair, which it would have puzzled ar
| ornithologist to classify
{" Mrs. Smith wore a gown of un-
relieved black. looped up with black
birds. A winged creature so dusks
that it could have been intended fol
nothing but a crow, reposed among
( the curls and braids of her hair
Today, these society notes are more
likely to excite mirth than indigna-
tion. yet they were written less thar
40 years ago SO fast does public
| opinion change-who knows per
haps In few more years, the vogue
for paradise plumes, which has al
most annihilated q whole glorious
species. may also seem less tragic
than ridiculous.