[To TEE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR."]
have read with interest not unmingled with amusement the irrefutable arguments by which certain of your corre- spondents have proved that "Egret Farms " do not and cannot exist in Sind. In the spring of 1914 I had occasion to vieit_ a small village on the banks of the Indus some 40 miles above Sukkur. - It was a cluster of fishermen's huts of reed and thatch; most of the huts were "Egret• Farms," half the but being the family living room, the other half the egret pen.
Once seen, it formed a picture to live in the memory; the contrast between the dinginess and poverty of the man and his family, and the snow-white plumage of the birds, each worth many rupees. Each pen seemed to contain from thirty to forty birds.
I was informed that the plumes were taken twice yearly, only once a year were they at their best, and then they fetched their weight in gold from the'" bunnies " (Hindu tradesmen) of the market town of Shikarpur.
One or two plumes were removed for my benefit; the birds, tame as chickens, did net object very strenuously, but no doubt their finer feelings were deeply hurt. I shall await with anxiety your correspondents' pronouncement (a) as to the reality of my existence, (b) whether I am a liar, or merely a knave, (c) what percentage of trade profits I receive from the Shikarpur bunnias.—I am, Sir, &c.,
CIVIL SURGEON.
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