The Feather Thief

Johnson recounts his trip to Norway where he met with Long over a period of three days. Before discussing this trip, however, Johnson details how one thing was bothering Marie-Josée from Edwin’s interview: the fact that Edwin did not know the color of the suitcase he used for the heist. Johnson and Marie-Josée both pondered whether one suitcase could really fit 299 birds. They decided to test this theory by stuffing a suitcase with rolled-up pairs of dress socks, which acted as their fake pile of birds. They determined that it might have been possible but very difficult to fit all the birds in a single suitcase.

Johnson’s first interview with Long took place at Long’s apartment. At the apartment, Johnson saw the painting that helped him determine Goku’s identity. Long also showed Johnson his fly-tying table. Johnson describes the desk as being very messy. The two began to talk. Long did admit that Edwin sent him several bird skins. He planned to trade one of his paintings for them. Like Edwin, Long could not remember the exact number.

Johnson presses Long about the sales he found online. Long kept saying that he couldn’t remember anything, including who bought the items and how much they sold for. This response annoyed Johnson who grew noticeably frustrated. Responding to Johnson’s frustration, Long said, “You’re trying to bring it all to the surface. It’s really hard, though, because I’m trying for so long to just put this behind me. The details are quite unclear to myself because I’m trying to close this case” (219).

Johnson turns to asking Long about Edwin’s call to him after he got arrested. Long notes that this was the first time he realized Edwin duped him. Long panicked and deleted his digital tracks fearful that the police would come after him next.

Johnson met with Long for another interview. It was immediately clear to Johnson that their first interview had shaken Long. Johnson notes “he kept asking me questions about how to live an ethical life, and whether it was possible to be both environmentally conscientious and a citizen in the modern world” (221). Long admits that he was considering giving up fly-tying. During this second interview, Long also notes that he idolized Edwin because of his fly-tying skills. He was proud that Edwin had asked him for help.

Johnson met Long one final time before he left Norway to return to the US. While he felt bad for Long, he was also frustrated that he “hadn’t made any progress on the question of the missing skins” (224). Johnson lost patience with Long’s small talk and accused him of holding something back. Long finally admits to Johnson that he kept many of the packages Edwin sent him. He acknowledged, after much pressing from Johnson, that he still had between 600-800 feathers. Johnson again asks Long about the number of bird skins he received from Edwin. Long finally admits that the number was between 10 and 20. Johnson asks Long what Edwin told Long to tell Johnson. According to Long, Edwin reminded him that Johnson was not their friend and that they did not owe him anything.

Johnson convinced Long to show him the feathers. Based on his examination, Johnson “realized that [he] was looking at a minute fraction of what was still missing from the Tring—all together, they might have amounted to only one bird’s worth of feathers” (228). Long asks Johnson if he would return the feathers to the museum for him. Johnson declines. Instead, he encourages Long to return them himself.

Johnson speaks with Long, who feels deep regret over his actions. Johnson also tries to speak with Dr. Baron-Cohen. While Baron-Cohen would not speak about Edwin’s specific diagnosis due to doctor-patient confidentiality, he did admit to Johnson that a psychiatric diagnosis is imprecise. It is based on answers to a set of psychiatric questions and the doctor’s own clinical judgement and experience. Johnson strongly believes that Edwin misled Baron-Cohen to avoid prison.

Johnson also attempted to contact Luc Couturier. According to Edwin, Couturier had been inside the Tring bird vault in the 1990s, although museum curators dispute this account. Couturier was also the first individual to encourage Edwin to visit the museum. Johnson also discovered that Couturier had tried to gain access to the American Museum of Natural History’s bird vault in New York City. Johnson tried messaging Couturier on various forums, but his accounts had been inactive for some time. Johnson reached out to McLain to see if he might know Couturier’s whereabouts. McLain, too, had not heard from him in years. He recommended Johnson get in contact with Robert Delisle, who had been a friend of Couturier.

Johnson reached out to Delisle, who told him Couturier was no longer reachable. Delisle notes that he purchased many of Couturier’s bird skins after his friend ran into financial troubles. Delisle tells Johnson that the collection included Indian Crow, Cotinga, and Birds of Paradise; the very same species that were still missing from the Tring. Johnson asks Delisle if any had biodata labels, which Delisle confirms. Delisle was unwilling to show the labels to Johnson. He was an avid seller of bird feathers and skins on eBay. While he sold many CITES protected bird species, he had yet to be shut down. Delisle eventually stops responding to Johnson’s emails.

Johnson ends this chapter by noting that he created a public post on ClassicFlyTying.com imploring members to help him find the missing bird skins. Guidry deleted his post after he was bombarded with private messages from members asking him to remove it. The community’s reactions puzzled Johnson since many had publicly expressed disdain for Edwin’s actions.

In the final chapter, Johnson reflects on the most recent outcomes of the heist. He acknowledges that he “was stuck in another endless struggle” (240). It was becoming increasingly clear to him that he would never truly solve the mystery of the missing bird skins.

In one of his last trips, he visited the feather district of New York. While some of “the buildings of the old feather merchants” (242) are still around, almost nothing else from this time remains. Many of these merchants went out of business soon after the US began passing domestic laws that regulated the wildlife trade.

Johnson notes that Long, as part of his process of redemption, was trying to promote a sustainable fly-tying movement. Long, so far, was not having much luck: “‘It’s really hard to convince people to quit using exotics!’ Long texted. He was discouraged. ‘People just laugh at me and don’t really take me seriously’” (244). Spencer also joined this movement. He was writing a book on Victorian fly recipes, but planned to strip all the exotic elements from the recipes and encourage the use of common and cheap feathers. While Johnson is proud of both men, he knows they face an uphill battle. The black market for feathers continues to prosper.

Johnson ends the book by noting that the Tring received an envelope filled with feathers. It had “no return address. A Norwegian postage stamp” (248). Long had finally mailed back the feathers.