Bird Plumes with skin

Snowy Egret, Egretta thula

Materials: Feathers; skin
Measurements: Overall: 14.96 x 5 x 7.0079 in.; 380 x 127 x 178 mm

Cured skin of back and tail of the snowy egret with attached feathers displaying dramatic breeding plumes. Species native to Southern U.S., West Indies, Mexico, Central America and northern part of South America. This specimen was confiscated by the U.S. Bureau of Biological Survey, Department of Agriculture ca. 1920, and transferred to the U.S. National Museum, for a display of millinery trimmings. To conserve certain wild bird populations, the U.S. Congress enacted legislation beginning in 1900, restricting the harvest and possession of such bird skins and feathers. (AG*A003581)

Photography by Hugh Talman, SI Photo 98-41093