Evening star., 1932-12-16
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

| The birds which stay with us during
the Winter are so few IN number that
even the most unobServant may come
to know them all.
Here it may be well to say that one
| does not have to be an ornithologist
| to enjoy the home study of bird life.
What is required more than knowledge
| Is appreciation. We have met many
| scientists who somehow seemed to have
| little true appreciation for what they
had under their hand.
knowledge and appreciation are not
necessarily the same. The art Of ap-
probation goes side by side with an art
itself; 1t demands open eyes and GER
tain goodness or rightness of heart
which knowledge often knows little
about.
Appreciation of the things Of nature
is happy precisely because 1t demands
SO little knowledge. Here. and perhaps
here alone, little knowledge Is not a
dangerous thing. One may think that
the cardinal migrates in Winter. when
1t does not, but that false belief will
not keep one from recognizing the bird
when 1t appears and from doing 1t the
homage which it deserves.
Ignorance in regard to the things Of
| nature is not the mother Of evil neces-
sarily. Far from it! 1t Is based on
lack Of observation, on incomplete OBJ
servation, or upon certain hurried
way of looking at things. This latter
| often Is due to modern stress and
| strain, and to little else. One discovers
that it makes little difference, after all,
whether one Is accurate In regard to
certain matters. In fact, II one has a
certain sort of disposition. the effort to
be accurate in regard to certain matters
is a mistake. We say this for the
benefit of all enthusiastic persons who
nevertheless make mistakes.
Too much stress perhaps has been
placed upon being right. What differ
cially in regard to such matters as
nature study, by and large.
II one is a scientist and studies birds
! or furred animals for living, accuracy
| is essential 1t is necessary. There
can be no progress or satisfaction with
out It,
II, however, one merely watches such
creatures for the pleasure and interest
| of it. accuracy Is not so essential. as
desirable as it may be on general prin-
ciples The truth is mighty and will
prevail, but If it misses fire in ones
mind-until corrected-little harm Is
done. after all.
We feel this much Is necessary ir
view OF the modern overemphasl, as
we believe. which has been placed upon
being right" as 1t Is called.
Many persons are so afraid Of being
wrong" that they are scared to open
their mouths, even to ask questions
They believe that it Is better to look
| wise evidently than to make an attempt
to learn something.
Motorists refrain from asking direc-
tions in strange cities rather than ad-
nit to the inhabitants that they do not
know, when all the time the tags on
| their cars speak plainly enough OF their
probable ignorance.
There is a great deal Of fun to be
/ had in this life through the honest
expedient Of attempting to find out
| things, even at the cost OF giving other
| persons the opportunity Of laughing at
you.
! Make up your mind as early as posi-
Bile that the most ignorant person Will
laugh the loudest. Being laughed at
doesn't much matter.
II one has enough courage to say
! something or other. it will enable those
who know more to come to ones rescue.
! One will know more here, another
there. Between all OF them the amol-
tious student, especially Of nature, may
! come in time to know great deal.
| Our kind correspondent speaks OF a
| .'hunlmingbird' with "a tail like che
i mile fringe" The creature isn't a
hummingbird, but sphinx moth, and
| is SO tame that it may be picked off
the phlox, which it particularly loves
and where it will almost always be
found in season