THE COMMITTEE FOR THE ECONOMIC PRESERVATION OF BIRDS. [To sea
Maros or rns ..ersorrro.-] SIR,—As you permitted me in August last to explain Llie objects of this Committee, which I helped to establish, may
/ be permitted briefly to reply to your criticisms in last week's Spectator I can assure you that our members are all working towards the same object, and that object the economic pre- serration of birds. We have not turned aside from that goal because of the Plumage Bill. At the same time, it has been necessary to set out our views about this Bill because, if it passes into law, our work in uniting the whole trade of Europe in an undertaking to give protection to the birds we find in danger must fall to the ground. We believe that while the value of plumage may be diminished by a Bill, killing will not diminish, for it is not controlled by European merchants. This Committee holds the formal undertakings of the mer- chants of London, Paris, Berlin, and Vienna to accept its findings. It has issued some two hundred forms of inquiry throughout the tropics, and has already received and sifted nearly one hundred replies. It has asked for and received special information about certain species, and has already secured European protection for the following birds :— the family of chatterers; the cattle egret ; the longtailed trogon ; the lyre bird, the rifle bird, the regent bower bird, of Australia ; the flamingo; the spoonbill. I may say that the value of the imports of the cattle egret to England alone are over 230,000 annually. The Committee is now handling the evidence relating to the white heron and the birds of paradise, and to the best of its ability will deal with the evidence on its merits. Although the Plumage Bill may have received its second reading before this letter reaches you, I still feel that this Committee has justified ita existence, and replied effec- tively by useful action to much severe criticism. In conclusion, may I quote the resolution passed unanimously a week or two ago by the Council of the Selborne Society P-
" That the Council of the Selborne Society, while not departing in any way from its policy of discouraging the wearing of plumage, is of opinion that its object of preserving birds which are harm- less, beautiful, or rare, may for the present be beet accomplished by such international arrangements as are being made by the Committee for the Economic Preservation of Birds."
It was further decided that the Committee should be strength- ened by the addition of other representatives of the Selborne Society. The Selborne Society has taken the trouble to follow our work very closely, and has several of its members
on our Committee—I am, Sir, &a., S. L. BENSUSAN.
Care of the Selborne Society,
42 Bloonzabury Square, W.C.
[We are most willing to give our correspondent this oppor- tunity of restating the view of his society, but we find nothing in his letter to induce us to alter the opinions expressed by us last week..—En. Spectator.]
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