Vivisection

Abstract

As no one has made any remarks upon the passage in Mr. H. H. Johnston's letter, in which “a distinguished man of science” is said to have twitted a lady with “wearing ostrich feathers which are plucked from the living bird, causing most exquisite pain,” will you allow me to inform the fair portion of your readers that they may wear ostrich feathers with clear consciences if they can make sure of these having been taken from living birds, i.e. from those kept on ostrich farms. It used, I believe, to be the practice to pluck out the feathers; but the inflammation set up proved injurious or fatal, as must be obvious, and the life of a bird worth perhaps 60l. or 80l. was endangered for a crop of feathers worth 7l. or 8l. When the feather is quite ripe and at its best, the quill is cut with a pair of scissors or sharp knife about half an inch from the skin, and the stump moults out in the ordinary course. Probably by far the larger quantity of plumes come from tame birds. In 1878, 57,144 lbs. were exported from the Cape, and there are probably considerably more than half a million of tame birds in South Africa at this moment.