Our Vanishing Wild Life - Its Extermination and Preservation by William Temple Hornaday
page 205 of 733 (27%)
page 205 of 733 (27%)
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and enterprise, the shameless feather dealers are ferreting out the
birds whose skins and plumes may legally be imported into this country and sold; but we will meet that with a law that will protect all foreign birds, so far as we are concerned. Now it is time for the universal enactment of a law which will prohibit the sale and use as ornaments of the plumage, feathers or skins of _any_ wild bird that is not a legitimate game bird. London is now the head of the giant octopus of the "feather trade" that has reached out its deadly tentacles into the most remote wildernesses of the earth, and steadily is drawing in the "skins" and "plumes" and "quills" of the most beautiful and most interesting _unprotected_ birds of the world. The extent of this cold-blooded industry, supported by vain and hard-hearted women, will presently be shown in detail. Paris is the great manufacturing center of feather trimming and ornaments, and the French people obstinately refuse to protect the birds from extermination, because their slaughter affords employment to a certain numbers of French factory operatives. All over the world where they have real estate possessions, the men of England know how to protect game from extermination. The English are good at protecting game--when they decide to set about it. Why should London be the Mecca of the feather-killers of the world? It is easily explained: (1) London has the greatest feather market in the world; (2) the feather industry "wants the money"; and (3) the London feather industry is willing to spend money in fighting to retain its strangle-hold on the |
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