The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-04-17
Summer Day with the Birds

how the old bird was so successful in get
ting much food out of that old post;
for she extracted several mouthfulS with
out having to move. This inquiry was salts
fed by an observation a few days later
when we noticed the old bird making fire.
quent trips to and from the post. She would
fly with something in her bill. deposit it on
top of the post, then lower herself about
this She used her stifr tai feathers for
fulcrum and, swinging back on them, drove
her long. hard bill firmly into the soft wood.
They must be able in this way to strike a
tremendous blow. The hole dug. she clam
bered up TO the top of the post, got the
article of food. presumably a worm, and,
rams with her bill and flew away. She
soon returned with another and went
through the same process. Our interpreted
ton was that in this way she accumulated
food for her young ones; and thus, while
being fed, the young perhaps learn both
the source of their future food supply and
the modus operandi necessary to procure
it,
July 49, 19O3-What a delightful rendez-
vous for birds is that mulberry tree in the
corner of the lot! Any time of the day while
these berries last one can observe birds
Here we see robins feeding their young
ones, sometimes In the tree, but oftener on
the ground When the young one gets hun
CRY he sets UP an unearthly squack and
continues it between bites until satisfied.
The old one in the meantime hurries TO and
from the tree with berries which she chucks
into his wide, yellow mouth. Sometimes the
young one is almost as big the mother
bird and you have the feeling, You big.
lazy rascal, why don't you hustle around
and make your own living instead of stand
ing there and squacking for the food of
your poor old mother But the mother
seems to perform her task willingly, and at
last the hungry urchin is satisfied and
flies away.
Il was much interested in observing those
same robins after the mulberries were gone
in search of worms How are they able
to locate them? You see them hopping
along the ground in the attitude of atten-
ton, their heads up and to one side and
the bill slightly tilted upward: they seem
TO be listening All at once they come TO
a sudden stop. listen second. and then
thrust their bills with powerful stroke
into the earth and pull out worm. / pre-
sumo they fail sometimes, but more often
they are successful. The young bird often
follows the old bird around and receives
the worm, whenever the old one makes a
successful dig. Here again 1t would seem
that the young one would learn how to
OBTAIN its food. The question that presents
itseIf 10 me In this observation is does the
bird locate the worm by some sense inn
preston as auditory, is its sudden at
tack guided by instinct? / have not been
able to successfully answer this question
although my impression is that the birds
nearing is such as to enable it to hear
the movements of the worm, or ii NAV be
through the feet"
These are few of the observations which
1 made last summer, and did not go out
side or my yard or use any but leisure
moments. love the birds as felow-beings
of Gods creation. / shall never feel that
L have right to deprive them of life. and
hope that may even do something to give
them more life. This would indeed be a
less desirable place to live If there were no
birds. Let them live They have both a
unitarian and an aesthetic excuse for be-
ing. Let them not only exist in the trees
but let them come into our lives. Let our
leisure moments be given to their observa-
ton, and our acts of charity be directed to
their comfort. i know of nothing that will
add more to the JOY of living than this: un-
less. indeed. We except the observation of
an ever-changing sunset the aesthetic
appreciation OF tranquil moonlight night.
said In the beginning of this article that
1 often see a bird without looking up its
name. l do not mean by this that I do not
become interested in bird whose name l
do not happen TO know. l have in my jour
nal an account of two tiny birds whose
habitat seemed To be an old apple tree in
this same yard. My attention was called To
them by hearing the peculiar little ditty
which they sang as they fitted from twig
To twig, under the loose bark. and into
decayed knotholes in search OF food. One
tan as he fitted about stuck straight up
like the tail of the He had a long
black bill which he used with considerable
force In obtaining his food from under the
bark and for digging in decayed knotholes
The other had a slate-coiored coat some
what lighter breast. a black throat and
wore topknot. They sang as they worked.
The song of each was peculiar, just n short
sweet strain. staccato like. repeated at
every tilt of the body as they fitted about
In rapid movements from place TO place
over the tree. In this cheerful way they
obtained their food. and at the same time
rendered TO man valuable service.
Ii is indeed interesting TO know what
would be- the effect upon our orchard and
forest trees II il We're not for the birds. Is
II not reasonable TO suppose that the in
sects and worms would be successful in a
comparatively short time in entirely de-
stroying them? Then does il not seem
absurd that an Audubon Society is neces-
sary to protect this delightful and useful
class of creatures from the destructive in
stincts OF man. Here is felt need for1our
public schools Many of them are already
doing something. But Is their work eff
fective? And are there not many schools
that are doing practically nothing?
FRED SILLERY.
Indianapolis. April 16