Democratic Sentinel, Volume 19, Number 49, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 December 1895 — Expensive Feathers in Wales’ Crown [ARTICLE]

Expensive Feathers in Wales’ Crown

The apex of the Prince of Wales’ crown is a tuft of feathers, tipped with gold, said to be worth £IO,OOO ($,50,000). It took twenty years to collect these feathers, which cost the lives of a dozen hunters in the bargain. The bird from whose tail the feathers are plucked is called the ferhvah. It belongs to the bird of paradise species, and is exceedingly rare. To obtain the tail feather in*its full beauty, it is necessary to pluck it out of the living bird, as instantly after death the feather becomes lusterless. What makes the hunting of the ferlwah so dangerous Is that the bird always haunts the lairs of tigers. It is very probable that the crown owned by the present Prince of will also serve many succeeding princes, as the English ladies who go in for reforms were horrified at the deadly havoc which the collection of H. R. H.’s millinery caused and the Prince promised that it should last many seasons.—Ex.