The Mint Bureau has been informed that Alaskan gold has been received at several of the Pacific ports for shipment to the East, and the ton and a half from Seattle is also on its way.

* * * * *

There has long been a movement on foot to limit the wearing of feathers on hats.

So many charming birds are slaughtered to adorn the headgear of our women folks, that it has been feared some of the songsters might become extinct.

A law has, however, just been passed for their protection in Massachusetts, which forbids the use of certain birds for millinery purposes.

The petition begging that a bill of this character might be framed by the State Senators was drawn up by United States Senator George F. Hoar.

The petition was supposed to come from the birds themselves, and to be signed by thirty-five song-birds.  It was written in such a delightful manner that it roused the interest of the Massachusetts Legislature, and the desired bill was prepared and passed in an astonishingly short space of time.

The document is so pretty and graceful in its tone and language that you would certainly like to read it for yourselves.

Here it is: 

“To the Great and General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts:

“We, the song-birds of Massachusetts and their playfellows, make this our humble petition.  We know more about you than you think we do.  We know how good you are.  We have hopped about the roofs and looked in at your windows of the houses you have built for poor and sick and hungry people and little lame and deaf and blind children.  We have built our nests in the trees and sung many a song as we flew about the gardens and parks you have made so beautiful for your children, especially your poor children, to play in.  Every year we fly a great way over the country, keeping all the time where the sun is bright and warm.  And we know that whenever you do anything the people all over this great land between the seas and the great lakes find it out, and pretty soon will try to do the same.  We know.  We know.

“We are Americans just the same as you are.  Some of us, like some of you, came across the great sea.  But most of the birds like us have lived here a long while; and the birds like us welcomed your fathers when they came here many, many years ago.  Our fathers and mothers have always done their best to please your fathers and mothers.

“Now, we have a sad story to tell you.  Thoughtless or bad people are trying to destroy us.  They kill us because our feathers are beautiful.  Even pretty and sweet girls, who, we should think, would be our best friends, kill our brothers and children so that they may wear our plumage on their hats.  Sometimes people kill us for mere wantonness.  Cruel boys destroy our nests and steal our eggs and our young ones.  People with guns and snares lie in wait to kill us; as if the place for a bird were not in the sky, alive, but in a shop window or in a glass case.  If this goes on much longer all our song-birds will be gone.  Already we are told in some other countries that used to be full of birds they are now almost gone.  Even the nightingales are being killed in Italy.