Evening star., 1928-12-25
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

will elapse before they will begin to
| fly down. After several days, however,
| they begin to understand that they are
being fed
Uusually they will fly, as one saunters
down the path with plate of crumbs,
but now they will not fly so far away,
and the moment the donor turns his
back the feathered creatures begin to
gather.
BY the time one is back in the house
/ the flock has descended to the fence,
along which it perches with many a
f1irt and flutter.
Only a few seconds now elapse be-
fore the brave first bird grabs that first
crumb and the game is on.
X X X X
Perhaps the most striking thing
about birds. to the lay mind (aside from
their feathers, which distinguish them
from all other created things), is their
incesSant activity.
Most birds are on the wing or on the
hop from sunup to sunset. Then, let
it be stated in passing, they have enough
sense to go to bed.
All day long they use the wonderful
structures which Nature has given them.
Did you ever stop to consider how well
the birds evolved for the stunts they do?
Look at that big chest, supplying
plenty of air for proper blood circula-
ton in flying
See the taper bill to cleave the air.
I How neatly the tail acts as rudder,
how gracefully the forelegs became
wings, sprouted feathers, now fan the
air at rapid rate?
There is here an adaptation of parts
to purposes which must win the adj
~;r.o% 1F taA
The bird knows nothing cd disputation.
He flies.
Flying is as natural to him as playing
all day long to a healthy child. A
bird flies because it was made to fly.
Most of them are tireless; few mo-
ments' rest on limb enables them to
set sail again for many hours.
Migration still one of the great mys-
teries, shows nature lovers the astound-
ing spectacle Of small, weak birds fly
ing 1000 to 5000 miles in a compara-
lively short time.
Consider the ruby-throated humming
bird, which migrates to the District of
Columbia every Spring from away down
in South America.
This daintiest of feathered creatures
is so small that a breath of wind
would seem to be strong enough to
OlOW ~ Ou1 VI lIo COuISc, ycb tIlG pain
fact is that he-and she-gets here
every year. and nobody brings him
and her-up in a car.
They come ION their own" over for
est, streams, fields, farms, mountains,
houses, straight to the District of Col
umbia.
Two of them may make their way
70 your own back yard, than which there
is no better garden luck. Nothing makes
garden a garden more than a pair of
humming birds.
They will wing their way to window
boxes of petunias, so that the home
owner may watch them in their unpar-
alleled feat of standing still in the air.
This effect they secure by beating their
wings at a tremendous rate, keeping
themselves motionless while they dip
their long beaks into flower bells. As
tar as We have read, the humming bird
is the only creature which can achieve
this feat
This beautiful little bird Is our favor
lite. but at this season of the year one
must be content with those interesting
larger ones which come to the back
walk for food. Bread, suet, meat, apple
seeds-all are welcome. Put out half
an apple and see how neatly the birds
will hollow it out.