Page 144 - Our Vanishing Wild Life

Venezuela
Brazil
Japan
China
Tripoli
Egypt
Java, Sumatra, and Borneo Cape of Good Hope British India
Hong-Kong
British West Indies Other British Colonies
* Chiefly Ostrich feathers.
Potmds. 8,398 787 2,284 6,329 345 21,047 15,703
709,406* 18,359 310 30 10,438
Value. $191,058 5,999 3,830 16,308 900 89,486 186,504 9,747,146 22,137 3,090 97 21,938
:
122 OUR VANISHING WILD LIFE
It is to be remembered that the sales listed above cover the trans- actions of four firms only, and do not in any manner take into account the direct importations from Paris, Berlin and Amsterdam of manufac- turersandotherdealers. Thedefendersofthefeathertradeareatgreat pains to assure the world that in the monthly, bi-monthly and quarterly sales, feathers often appear in the market twice in the same year; and this statement is made for them in order to be absolutely fair. Recent ex- aminations of the plume catalogues for an entire year, marked with the price paid for each item, reveals very few which are blank, indicating no sale! The subtractions of the duplicated items would alter the result only very slightly.
The full extent of England's annual consumption of the plumage of wild birds slaughtered especially for the trade never has been deter- mined. I doubt whether it is possible to ascertain it. The information that we have is so fragmentary that in all probability it reflects only a small portion of the whole truth, but for all that, it is siifficient to prove the case of the Defenders of the Birds vs. the London Chamber of Com- merce.
IMPORTS OF FEATHERS AND DOWN (ORNAMENTAL) FOR THE YEAR 1910
The above does not take into account the feathers from game birds received in England from France, Germany, Austria-Hungar^^ Belgium and the Netherlands.
As a final side-light on the quantity of egret and heron plumes offered and sold in London during the twelve months ending in April, 1912, we ofi'er ths following exhibit
"OSPREY" FEATHERS (EGRET AND HERON PLUMES) SOLD IN LONDON DURING THE YEAR ENDING APRIL. 1912
Venezuelan, long and medium Venezuelan, mixed Heron Brazilian
Chinese
Birds of Paradise, plumes (2 plumes = 1 bird)
Offered. 11,617 ouncet;
4,043 " 3,335 " 641 "
19,636 ounces 29,385
Sold. 7,072 ounces 2,539 " 1,810 "
576 " 11,997 ounces 24,579