Evening star., 1925-01-15

It is authoritatively stated that a
famine is likely to attack Washington
within the next few weeks which will
carry Off some thousands OF it's in
habitants. The threatened victims are,
| even as you and r'-bipeds-but,
while we are "unfeathered bipeds, "
these fellow creatures have natural mill
linery such as not all of us can sup
port. A startling news story a few
days ago gave the first inkling of the
tragedy confronting our many friends,
the birds, cut Off from Winter supplies
of food. By the snow and eleet. and
consequently looking in distress for the
quick establishment of soup houses
by the charitably disposed humans
but the big humans are so slow, and
picking is so desperately poor And
there are a lot of birds which live In
Washington. aside from those employed
in Government"
Talk about the rent situation for
human tenants It is nothing, COM
pared to the high cost OF living, when
all the seed supplies are coruered by
Jack Frost The saucy English spar
rows-those social clirnbers-seem to
be the first to find every new boarding
house. But one of them got caught
up with, just outside OF DR.. Gartch's 8
| bird cafeteria a few days ago.
The professor runs this lunch counter
upon a shelf beside his own breakfast
room. There was one of those bour-
geois sparrows pushing in ahead OF
Mrs. Cardinal-she of true-blood
! lineage who is too polite to eat until
her distinguished husband has dined,
| for she knows that it is his royal
right to dine alone and first
So when Mrs Cardinal saw, with
| horror that little whpper-snapper of
/ an English sparrow upon the feeding
board, she was so indignant, says DR..
! Gartch. that she hoped right over to
! him. picked him up by the nap OF the
| neck, carried him to the edge of the
table and just dropped him. Then she
| withdrew until her own lord and mas
| ter had come back and finished his
| repast Manners? Birds are ex-
ouisitely trained in etiquette, accord
| ing to the customs of their best So
cety. Ask DR.. Gartch, curator Of bird
| ology, National Museum. He is pri-
vate secretary to their best families.
| All the birds know him and trust
| his good tact and judgment, even in
settling family jars. He tells Us
that when Spring comes apace Mrs
| Cardinal will take on greater I'M
! portance in the family Relationship
| knows her prerogatives-and, instead
J of hiding in the kitchen while the
l
herself at the first table and calls
upon his laziness 20 feed her first
and he does just that She is ther
| too busy, for hasn't she to get the
cradle ready and the layette finished
| Spring is different from Winter-just
| like that.
| Last week Old Man Cardinal ir
| one of his tantrums was abusing Mrs
! Cardinal and chasing her about the
| house in a scandalous manner, unit
| she would stand it no longer and sht
| few straight over, close to the win
dow where she saw Dr. Gartch look
ing out. The Old Man did not dare
| attack her there and she knew it; Sc
| did he. DIR. Gartch is chief of police
| in Birddom. When he squeaks with
! his hand against his mouth whole
| flock of crows will swarm around hin
! ready for any raid he orders.
| + Il II x
It is musical treat to sit with DR.
Gartch in the early mornings, jus
inside the room, beside the birC
cafeteria, and there listen to tht
morning bird concert. There is
pair of mocking birds, for the frs
! auAt. The singer mocks and laughs