Strange Country Ep. 75: The Feather Thief
Jan 10, 2019
Why can't we just kill everything? It's a good question that Beth asks the world, along with who bought TrumpyBear for the holidays (https://www.gettrumpybear.com/), and is there such thing as feather porn? C'mon-we know you already knew that.
Today's episode, our 75th-yes 75th! Readers will discover the strange story of Edwin Rist, a young thief who decimated natural history in one fell swoop. His fly-tying obsession and highly intellectual take on life led him down the dark and dirty world of stealing feathers and selling them on eBay for lots of money. Strange that he got caught. You will learn about Darwin's potential rival, the Feather Fever of the late 19th century, and fly-fishing.
This is the episode you get to hear a little of Kelly's own bird obsession, and Beth's former obsession with furs. We really are a layered and complicated pair of women worth your listening time. Just once a week Dash hounds. Or should we start calling you Cumberbitches? It's fun to say.
Check this book out: The Feather Thief; Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century By Kirk Wallace Johnson
Theme music: Resting Place by A Cast of Thousands.
Cite your sources:
Johnson, Kirk Wallace. The Feather Thief. Viking. Hudson, NY. 2018
Johnson, Kirk Wallace. The Ornithologist the Internet Called a Murderer. Accessed 12/28/2018 https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/15/opinion/sunday/moustached-kingfisher-internet-harassment.html