FEATHER FEVER by Marisa Masterson

 For years, a pair of cardinals has nested in my tree. A mourning dove pair finishes each summer day by sitting on the power line over my backyard. Those birds, the robins, the chickadees, and others  like those have become part of what makes summer for me.

I cannot imagine trapping and hunting the birds to satisfy a fashion appetite. However, that was the very thing that happened in late 1800s America. Some were driven nearly to extinction.

A fashion appetite? Amazing, huh? Some feathers were worth more than their own weight in gold. Whole birds, wings, or just plumes--all were worn by fashionable ladies.These Society mavens craved more and more of the bird. As colorful and as exotic as they could get. And the more of the bird they could wear, the better.

Carolina Pigeon by Audubon

It was because of this thirst that conservation societies sprang up. Socialites hosted parties to convince their friends to stop purchasing and wearing the fashion. From this, state Audubon societies were formed.

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