Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-20
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

! to fly were patterned after those of the
birds, and his last and most successful
one uses bird principles.
These feathered Vertebrates, close kin
| to men, are imperishably enshrined in
such proverbs as Birds of a feather
flock together" "A bird in the hand is
worth two in the BUSH" THE bird Is
flown" killing two birds with one
stone" etc.
A bird's-eye view is more famous, as
view, than any man's-eye view, al
though since the advent Of the plane
man has been able to see eye to eye
with his small friend.
| y
| 1t will be we'll for householderS to pay
more attention this season to the plain
! necessities of their feathered guests than
| ever before.
Not only may they need water if the
! drought continues, but food as well
| Bird baths need constant replenlShment
if they are to be Of any use to the birds
| 1t is no uncommon thing TO see Such
basins as dry as bones.
| Water should be put in them regu-
| larIy. therefore, if they are to be any
| thing but ornaments.
| The same applies to bird feeding sta
| tions. These may be secured in attrac-
| tive patterns, but householders will md
| it necessary to keep them filled with
! seed and suet.
1t is wise to place such stations as
| high as possible, and at the tips OF limbs
along which cats will not dare to VEN
| ture.
Books on birds and bird life are many
and interesting. In them the amateur
NAV find much that will instruct and
amiise him. 1t will not be possible to
| learn to recognize the birds from books,
but at least a beginning may be made
in this fasr ion.
The difficulty in recognizing birds by
this method is that of any attempt
which involves the difference between
the real thing and the pictures, no mat
ter how well done or colored.
The description says, "a small brown
bird" so many inches long, with a
crest, etc Now, that seems easy enough
"a small brown bird, SO many inches
long, with crest.
The unwary reader might think he
would recognize such a creature at
sight. But the moment the bird appears
in a tree, he discovers that he has no
way of measuring it! 1t may or may
not be the required number of inches.
If it has a crest, it is invisible from
this distance, and one is entirely at sea,
IOOt upOll LAAC POAAiG NAANh-ANA Az ~ @SAN o.
or small.
X X
One who knows birds by long &C
Quaintance can tell the amateur more
about them in an hour than all the
books ever written.
Tterel That one is a song sparrow.
The various marks, the distinctive
points, are told in the twinkling of an
eye, while the subject is bobbing up and
down on yonder branch.
Some popularity of the bird is brought
out, something distinctive which makes
its recognition again comparatively easy.
When one considers the interesting
matter of bird songs, he finds himself
bewildered by the books. There is some
thing entirely queer about bird whistles.
They never sound, in reality, just as do
the notes when put down in music
symbols.
Even when whistled by one who can
read at sight, such musical notations
lack the original something or other in
herent in every bird song. The only
way to learn them is by listening at
first hand to the bird in the bush and
frequently aSsociating the song With the
bird. Some of them, such as the call Of
the almost invisible whip-poor- will, are
known since childhood.