In order to throw a spot-light on the most recent transactions in the London wild-birds'-plumage market, and to furnish a clear idea of what is to-day going on in London, Paris, Berlin and Amsterdam, I will set out in some detail the report of an agent whom I engaged to ascertain the London dealings in the plumage of wild birds that were killed especially to furnish that plumage. As one item, let us take the sales in London in February, May and October, 1911, because they bring the subject well down to date. My agent's explanatory note is as follows:

"These three sales represent six months. Very nearly double this quantity is sold by these four firms in a year. We must also take into consideration that all the feathers are not brought to the London market, and that very large shipments are also made direct to the raw-feather dealers and manufacturers of Paris and Berlin, and that Amsterdam also gets large quantities from the West Indies. For your purpose, I report upon three sales, at different periods of the year 1911, and as those sales do not vary much, you will be able to judge the consumption of birds in a year."

The "aigrettes" of the feather trade come from egrets, and, being very light, it requires the death of several birds to yield one ounce. In many catalogues, the word "albatross" stands for the jabiru, a nearly-exterminated species of giant stork, inhabiting South America. "Rhea" often stands for vulture plumage.

If the feather dealers had deliberately attempted to form an educational list of the most beautiful and the most interesting birds of the world, they could hardly have done better than they have done in the above list. If it were in my power to show the reader a colored plate of each species now being exterminated by the feather trade, he would be startled by the exhibit. That the very choicest birds of the whole avian world should be thus blotted out at the behest of vain and heartless women is a shame, a disgrace and world-wide loss.

LONDON FEATHER SALE OF FEBRUARY, 1911
Sold by Hale & Sons Sold by Dalton & Young
Aigrettes 3,069 ounces Aigrettes 1,606 ounces
Herons 960 " Herons 250 "
Birds of Paradise 1,920 skins Paradise 4,330 bodies
Sold by Figgis & Co. Sold by Lewis & Peat
Aigrettes 421 ounces Aigrettes 1,250 ounces
Herons 103 " Paradise 362 skins
Paradise 414 skins Eagles 384 "
Eagles 2,600 " Trogons 206 "
Condors 1,580 " Hummingbirds 24,800 "
Bustards 2,400 "
LONDON FEATHER SALE OF MAY, 1911
Sold by Hale & Sons Sold by Dalton & Young
Aigrettes 1,390 ounces Aigrettes 2,921 ounces
Herons 178 " Herons 254 "
Paradise 1,686 skins Paradise 5,303 skins
Red Ibis 868 " Golden Pheasants 1,000 "
Junglecocks 1,550 "
Parrots 1,700 "
Herons 500 "
Sold by Figgis & Co. Sold by Lewis & Peat
Aigrettes 201 ounces Aigrettes 590 ounces
Herons 248 " Herons 190 "
Paradise 546 skins Paradise 60 skins
Falcons, Hawks 1,500 " Trogons 348 "
Hummingbirds 6,250 "
LONDON FEATHER SALE OF OCTOBER, 1911
Sold by Hale & Sons Sold by Dalton & Young
Aigrettes 1,020 ounces Aigrettes 5,879 ounces
Paradise 2,209 skins Heron 1,608 "
Hummingbirds 10,040 " Paradise 2,850 skins
Bustard 28,000 quills Condors 1,500 "
Eagles 1,900 "
Sold by Figgis & Co. Sold by Lewis & Peat
Aigrettes 1,501 ounces Aigrettes 1,680 ounces
Herons 140 " Herons 400 "
Paradise 318 skins Birds of Paradise 700 skins

If I am correctly informed, the London feather trade admits that it requires six egrets to yield one "ounce" of aigrette plumes. This being the case, the 21,528 ounces sold as above stand for 129,168 egrets killed for nine months' supply of egret plumes, for London alone.

The total number of bird corpses auctioned during these three sales is as follows: