Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-12-09
Chicadee MiErations.


A THOUGH that jolly fellow, the
= chicadee, has been arriving IN
numbers for many weeks, chicadeeS
make an appearance en- masSa wnen
Winter has definitely taken the place
Of Autumn, and then, as II numbers
gave them the courage of crowd, they
suddenly fill the woods and fields.
You cannot go a-roaming through
the old-gold and russell OF Andropogon
grass that beSetS every abandoned nelo
and meadow in the Autumn, or in the
leafless woods, where the squirrels are
frisky with the tang of frost, without
driving up before you host OF cnlca-
dess. who fit ahead like little scraps OF
gray-and-white paper, with ink biotS
for their heads "Tisick -dee-dee-dee
they twang, like the plucking OF loose
guitar string. If every bird would say
its name so plainly, there would be no
further difficulty in Identifying species.
do not know how the Intelligence
of birds can be measured or compared.
one species against another, but TINS
little roamer from the far north, VINO
does us the honor to spend the winter
with us, always seems to me an IN
telligent species. He is moderately
tame. which is a wat of saying that
he has caught on to the ways OF men,
and harmed how to pick up living
around Ddck AuDDAoI1 PAASoB Az
orchards and stubbie fields.
Yet he is not a foolish BOBBY, like the
dodo, who was tame because he was
stupid, and allowed men to walk up 70
him and hit him with club. Chica-
does can easily be induced TO come TO o
wfndowsill, even when you are plainly
visible behind the glass. and peck up
seeds. But neither human hand nor
the cats swift paw Is Quick enough 1or
these wary, merry, hardy little Winter
birds.
This lovable little species has the
qualities that many great and re-
splendent animals have unfortunately
lacked-the ability to survive In the
struggle for existence. The nature OF
that struggle has altered in the last
few hundred years from anything
known before in all the earth's long
history. The animal that will survive
tomorrow is that species which can live
with man and yet outwit him. Frugal,
edaptabis prolific and courageous
these are the virtues that spell success,
and the little chicadee has them all.
He does no harm to US or our food
crops. and hence he does not incur our
enmity. His flesh is not palatable, his
plumaee is not the object of women S
vanity-hence he escapes prosecution.
And the rigors of Winter have no
terrors for him, snug in his heavy
feathers. He will dive into a snow bank
after buried food without hesitation.
and, it is said. even at this season, so
high are the chicadee's spirits that
courtships are carried on.
From Hudsons Bay.
One cannot think of chicadeeS with
cut at the same time calling juncoes 70
mind. They keep together IN fiocks as
they arrive. tossed on the north wind,
from their desolate breeding grounds IN
Ungava and the neighborhood Of Hud-
sons Bay. and fleeing before the snow,
and In search Of their tiny fare. these
two species, having habits so similar
find some sort Of solace in each others
company.
The junco Is even a more modest bird
IN plumage. His song. plaintive little
cascade of notes, is heard less often
And yet, with his smoke-gray feathers
save for snow-covered breast and bill
he blends into the Winter environment
even more admirably than the chicadee
Protective coloration could not go much
farther-and there is need OF protection
from the hungry hawks that at this
season. famished for lack Of abundant
fare Of other months, hover near the
dittering little bands.
Snow bird is another name for thL
gregarious little fellow, who is as IA
miliar in Europe as in America, and
even his Latin name bears out the same
idea, for he is Junco hyemalis, meaning
Winter iunco. He must not be confused
with the snowflake. another Arctic bird
which is rarely seen in our District avi.
fauna. Our junco is a member of the
sparrow family, closely related to tn.
swamp sparrow and the field sparrow
and his song is much like the chip.
ping sparrow's. But let this not lower
him in your esteem. The white -throat