The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-08-10
TO SCARE AWAY BIRDS,
Colonel Jewell Treats Them to Display
of Fireworks.


and his neighbors, who knew not thu
cause thereof. Down the street furth
er, people, including the women of tn,
households, were seen slapping slipper!
together, banging shingles and othel
pieces of wood with fiat surfaces anC
slapping folds of newspapers together
all to make a noise. Except for the
reputation that residents of that fla.
nous tree lined avenue have for being
sound in mind, passers-by might have
supposed that they were a little 100
ney," for there was nothing apparently
! abroad to cause such demonstra tions
and the manifestations seemed too Wig
orous for the purpose of shooting away
mosquitoes or flies, and many who saw
the noisy operations were at loss tC
account for them.
Investiga ton showed that the noise
which has been going on for the past
week or more, was made to scare away
the crow blackbirds which for two or
three summers have made the hand
some trees on Washington street their
regular night roosting place, especially
on the east side near the corner of Park
street. They have proved dirty null
sance to the owners of the trees and to
those who have had to pass under
them, and have returned this season to
plague the people. Thousands of the
birds, in droyes which almost amount
to clouds, nightly settle in the trees
and cav for all their relations to fol-
low. They are as restless as the small
boy in summer time and never seem to
sleep.
The worst plagued person last sum-
mer was Alvord S. Churchill, who at
one time seriously thought of vacating
his pleasant home at 112 Washington
street, on account of the noise and the
depredations of the unweleome birds
The handsome trees in front of his res
idence, which are the pride of the
neighborhood, were the nightly resort
of the winged visitors until he was
nearly distracted by their noise and
other unpleasant features He tried
every means to get rid Of them and
finally appealed to the mayor for leave
to shoot them. But this wouldn't do,
as other persons would claim a like
privilege and soon there would have
been perfect fusilade from firearms,
would have greatly enjoyed the sport.
So Mr. Churchill had to employ what
means he could find available to scare
the birds and when he got tired would
retire to his welcome bed, after which
the minority of the birds which had
not learned the occasion or the noise
would return and continue their prac-
tees This year all seem to under
stand what's up and don't scare worth
a cent ,f q
But they got a surprise party last
night when Colonel Jewell treated
them to a pryrotechnic display with
rockets. They recognized that it was
too late for a Fourth of July celebra
ton and couldn't tell what it was
about. Some Of them evidently thought
it was celebration on account of
their return and scared around ex-
pressing their pleasure and gratifica-
ton by monotonaus tones of cawing
which were almost as bad as their
presence in the trees. Others seemed
to fear the earth was burning up in
their neighborhood and flew away, pos
sibly to return when the coloneps stock
Of fireworks became exhausted.
A popularity of the visit Of the
birds is that they seem to believe they
nave rights in those trees and come
Just after shutdown, and make
heir arrangements 10 stay for the
hight. In their minds, intellect or rea-
son. they seem to decide that they are
hat all persons who object are wrong
md have no rights which they are
,ound to respect. They can be seen |
coming from all points of the com
,ass towards night time and after |
notes as to the neighbor |
rood and what's been going on in |
he day wherever their peregrinations
ave taken them, make preparations |
or roosting for the night, This entails /
considerable noise and if they do ulti-
nately get settled down there are
many restless ones among them. who
ave had dreams or whose suppers
ave not agreed with them, who
tir up the rest and then trouble be-
ms again.
Mr. Churchill has a neighbor who
as some very nice apple and pear
rees in his lot and the birds gener-
lily, as soon as it is light, begin to
tir around and wake one another up.
hen comes a repetition Of the noise
the night before and sleep is out of
he question. After the birds have
lumed themselves and performed 9TH
+ household duties they sail into those
pples and pears and make a hearty
then off to the fields for
orms and grubs Of someone's else
richard, IF some automatic fireworks
erhaps afford a sufficient remedy
ut it would be expensive and there
re fears that the birds would soon
Understand it and cease to be afraid
Understand it and cease to be afraid.
erhaps the only positive relief is for
lie people to leave the street and go
the seaside or mountains for the
returning when the winters /
osts have sent the birds south. That
ould mean and would relieve the resi- {
snts, but would not benefit the pas
rby who has to walk under the trees.
any fellow has a patent crow black ,
I'd scarcer for sale, which he can l
to do it's work Thoroughly I
Id WELL he can find ready customers +
+ several dozen of the instruments c
WASHINGTON street.-Hartford Cour- c
1T. !
l.,
A PAIR OF vAGABONDS.
I first met the old man and his dog g
red-hot provincial melodrama, in .
,ich Alcihiades, as the dog was called