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General Note

In the late 1800s many species of Florida's wading birds were nearly driven to extinction by plume hunters. The plume trade, which supplied feathers for popular ladies' hats, was highly profitable. In 1903 the value of an ounce of egret nuptial plumes, called aigrettes, was estimated to be worth twice the amount of an ounce of gold. Despite laws against plume hunting passed in Florida in 1891 and again in 1901 hunting did not stop. Wading bird populations in Florida suffered until the sale of wild bird plumage was made illegal by the New York legislature in 1910. Today (2009) all species of wading birds are protected by state and federal law.

Biographical Note

Leigh Morgan Pearsall was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1874 and lived for most of his life in Westfield, New Jersey. In 1956, he moved to Melrose, Florida where he had often visited during his life. Pearsall was an avid photographer.