"One London dealer in birds received, when the fashion was at its
height, a single consignment of thirty-two thousand dead humming birds,
and another received at one time, thirty thousand aquatic birds and
three hundred thousand pairs of wings."
Think what a price to pay,
Faces so bright and gay,
Just for a hat!
Flowers unvisited, mornings unsung,
Sea-ranges bare of the wings that o'erswung--
Bared just for that!
Think of the others, too,
Others and _mothers_, too,
Bright-Eyes in hat!
Hear you no mother-groan floating in air,
Hear you no little moan--birdling's despair--
Somewhere for that?
Caught 'mid some mother-work,
Torn by a hunter Turk,
Just for your hat!
Plenty of mother-heart yet in the world:
All the more wings to tear, carefully twirled!
_Women want_ that?
Oh, but the shame of it,
Oh, but the blame of it,
Price of a hat!
Just for a jauntiness brightening the street!
This is your halo--O faces so sweet--
_Death_, and for that!--W. C. GANNETT.
* * * * *
[Illustration: From col. Chi. Acad. Sciences.
SCREECH OWL.]