An Inclusive Litany

4/29/97

During an art show in Monroe, Louisiana, a Fish and Wildlife Service agent confiscated Kirby Atan's "An Unchaste Vessel" because it used blue-jay feathers found in the artist's back yard. A 1918 law makes it illegal to possess any part of a protected migratory non-game bird or its nest, which includes picking it up and taking it into your house. The punishment for violating the act includes a fine of $500 or six months in prison or both.