The Washington times., 1932-07-14

eve were mainly excited, of course, because the
tanager selected our backyard We called the neigh
bors and even teephoned friends, and they came to
windows and looked out at the brilliant bird hopping
about in his drum jors coat of black and scarlet
resembled the day the Graf Zeppelin arrived. Then
the tanager flew away and returned to ktalls
and contract.
Sally In Error
''But the tanager had left an effect. From that
moment, when Sally said it red bird and the
argument began dates discovery that during GER
tain of the one
be active in the field without removing his
pajamas or, if ones room be properly arranged so
sary-a good backyard.
A Good Backyard
Our backyard is perfect for observation 1t is the
core of one those motley squares of old houses new
apartments and tenacious tenements that make the
Village the jeer of and the beloved of the faith
full Other backyards adjon it and no towering build
ngs from long, d oil ana g the ne rT Oh nS
Our backyard is the best of the lot we think 1t IS
quite long and not narrow 1t has tagged court
sizeabe grassplot with small pool centered and four
trees Four trees in a Manhattan backyard? Why
not? True, the maple is young yet and the two
cherries little than shrubs but the pear tree
-ah that is worth brag!
you imagine when the pear tree buds in April
and then bursts into great shock of white and the
white cherry and the pink cherry put out and the prve
green's and the meets the purple crocuses at
the edge of the pool backyard may well entice
bird
"Our first bird the tanager soon after moved
in last summer Of course-New Workers being notori-
ousy well informed and pretty snetty about it-some
one present to humiate Sally for speaking of
red bird I think it Al and | think he said the
bird was cardinal That led to debate and the pur-
chase of the book Afterward Al denied that he said it
cardna-he said he knew it scarlet tanager
immediatey-but have had him twice since then
on the Identification of towhee which he claimed
a brown thrasher and agan in the case OF an indigo
bunting which he mistook for common bluebrd.
Not Sparrows
"The migratory birds appear in New York before the
first of April. The English sparrows already are en-
trenched and if your eye is not alert and you not
interested in these matters you may easily dismiss that
twter and movement among the foliage theirs But
creep closer what is BETTER train pair of opera
glasses from your bedroom window. No sparrow ever
was that slender. boasted such lifting tail, or
zgzagged down the bark thus, cried plaintvey.
They warbers and you will need sharp focusing and
some knowledge to separate the different kinds. There
may be iuncos too, and sparrows and kinglets,
and in May purple grace, strangely lost from
the flock Be not too sure, either, that the flash of
yellow is Mrs Mehaffys canary elopng from the third
floor; no canary flew strangely or sported
sable cap and wings.
And Chat
Through April and May l day passes
that does not see some migratory bird touch the tiny
islands of green sunk in Manhatans gray In June
we begin to miss them. By midsummer the backyard
belongs again to the sparrows the CATS the cutworms
and the voice of Tony Wons But by the time the first
mosquitoes sing from Jersey and the pear tree is heavy
with the dust of August there will be a flash again
across the Hudson We shall get out the book and the
opera glasses our aamas shall flaunt unashamed to
the world, and, if the morning be bright and the hang
over not too unkind. shall return to pillow