Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-04-11
HOOKING BIRDS CHEEKY SONG
HEARD IN DISTRICT GARDENS
Praise of Minus Polyglottus, Mimic Of
Many Throats,' and Plea for the
Holly Tree Planting.

itation note. Then the teacher recited
two notes.-the young ones repeated
them; then trill. then a ripple and
finally full score. Then the parent
rose in the air several feet singing
vociferously on the wing. then turn
ing and turning still in the air he
turned a complete somersault, like a
tumbler pigeon. Such joy of life. such
wild, exuberant melody confirmed to
my hearing Audubon's enthusiastic
! description. l sat in the garden with
a field glass, and no opera ever gave
me SO much pleasure.
When in repose this bird is brown
in plumage, with gray-whlte breast,
but in song he initiates his pluma ge-
and expands his wings and tail feath-
ers, which fash the concealed white
feathers, which are invisible when
still or while feeding. The illustra-
tions that ] have seen give no ade-
uuate idea of this bird, which, when
known, can never be mistaken for
any other, so marked are their char
acteristics.
If this article meets the eye Of any
member of Congress, I beg he will
distribute young holles. instead of
so many flower seeds-a transitory
growth, and of no value to birds life.
Also. if we supply water in the
crumbs on the porch roof, piece OF
suet, hung in the trees, we give
practical invitation to the song bros.
The cardinals, the thrush and the
song sparrow are here now singing
their TIE Deum Laudamus every
morning.
Faithful Insect Destroyer.
There is another aspect to the
minus that will appeal to all VINO
have a unitarian sense. In the
summer time they are purely IN
sectivorous and in the gardens Where
they dwell there Is no Wormy Irult'
no coddling moth nor curcuio CO.
exists with this bird. They are ex.
winged insects that deposit their IN
furious larva in the fruit blossoms.
TO supply their winter food there
ought to be 10000 hollies planted IN
Rock Creek and the city parks. our
government imported sparroWs: II
propagates fish by millions. Let us
supplicate for few thousand mock
ing birds this spring from the SOUTH
where they are so abundant.
There are mountains In virginia
sterile and stony, where nothing
grows but holly and pine: NOW WIS is
must be stripped of foliage and Gull
tivated the first year.
I was driving near Lanham station
two years ago. and 1 saw man IN
a field, blowing. The field was fuii
Of young hollies, which ne was o se
stroying. I asked for some and ne
filled our car. They are-thriving to-
day. If one wishes to see this tree
in perfection there is one forty feet
high on the south lawn of the Dun
barton club house, beautiful object
at all times, but especially, SO when
in fruit in midwinter, f1ecked with
snow or rlittering with frozen spray.
This tree has no disease. no worms
attack it's resistant foliage and 1t
holds it's verdure and scarlet fruit
until May, when it renews itself.
On the 18th of February of this year
saw feeding In one tree the cardinal,
the robin and the mockingbird. They
crafty the utilitarian sense as well
as the esthetic. and they are one OF
natures best gifts to man. Shall we
not make them welcome?