Page 156 - Our Vanishing Wild Life

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OUR VANISHING WILD LIFE
The use or disuse of wild birds' plumage as millinery ornaments is another of those wild-life subjects regarding which there is no room for argument. Toassertthatthefeather-dealerswantthebusinessforthe money it brings them is not argument! We have seen many a steam roller go over Truth, and Right, and Justice, by main strength and red- hot power; but Truth and Right refuse to stay fiat down. There is on
—mammal, bird or reptile
can long withstand exploitation for commercial purposes. Even the whales of the deep sea, the walrus of the arctic regions, the condors of the Andes and alligators of the Everglade morasses are no exception to the
universal rule.
In Mr. Downham's book there is much fallacious reasoning, and many
conclusions that are not borne out by the facts. For example, he says that no species of bird of paradise has been diminished in number by slaughter for the feather trade; that Florida still contains a supply of egrets; that the decrease in bird H'e should be charged to the spread of cities, towns and farms, and not to the trade; that the trade was "in no way responsible" for the slaughter of three hundred thousand gulls and albatrosses on Laysan Island
I have space to notice one other important erroneous conclusion that Mr. Downham pubhshes in his book, on page 105. He says:
"The destruction of birds in foreign countries is something that no trade can direct or control."
This is an amazing declaration; and absolutely contrary to experience. Let me prove what I say by a fresh and incontestable illustration
Prior to April, 1911, when Governor Dix signed the Bayne law against the sale of wild native game in the State of New York, Currituck County, N. C, was a vast slaughter-pen for wild fowl. No power or persuasion had availed to induce the people of North Carolina to check, or regulate, orinanymannermitigatethatslaughterofgeese,ducksandswans. It was estimated that two hundred thousand wild fowl were annually
slaughtered there.
WewhoadvocatedtheBaynelawsaid: "ClosetheNewYorkmar-
kets against Currituck birds, and you will stop a great deal of the slaughter."
WecleanedourAugeanstable. ThegreatestgamemarketinAmerica was absolutely closed.
Last winter (1911) the annual killing of wild fowl was fully fifty per cent less than during previous years. In one small town, twenty pro- fessional duck shooters went entirely out of business—because they couldn't sell their ducks! The dealers refused to buy them. The result was exactly what we predicted it would be ; and this year, it is reported over and over that ducks are more plentiful in New England than they havebeenintwentyyearspreviously! Theresultiswonderful,because
,so quick.
Beyond all question, the feather merchants of London, Paris and Ber-
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this earth not one wild-animal species
—
that