Evening star., 1935-12-20
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWRLL.

We have wondered since what its
master would have thought, had it come
home bearing the basket and contained
suet. Or would he ever have seen any
thing, or paid much attention to it If he
had? Dog masters of the present day
are curious. They share the confusion
Of the age evidently. But what we do
rot understand about them at all is their
apparent inability to realize the vastly
greater dangers their charges run in the
streets, particularly the so-called arterial
boulevardS, owing to the really tre-
mendous increase in local traflc during
the past five, and especially the past two
years.
One may wonder whether there aren't
thousands Of persons. dog owners or not,
who honestly haven't walked up to the
trafic. theoretically, yes, but actually,
no. They 60 incoming along, as If this
were the same pleasant old town which
it once was, and not so long ago either.
Alas, poor Washington Of the older days,
we knew thee well, and lament thy pass
ing. Now that Pennsylvania avenue has
been made a back alley, something has
gone out Of the town, and out of our
heart. Maybe we are just growing old
(no doubt about it,, and that is the way
you feel when you are growing old.
-
Let us look into the possible diet of our
wintering birds If they are fed by the
householder Without his aid, they must
subsist mainly on seeds from the ground
and berries from shrubs and vines, along
with an occasional earthworm, turned up
from soft soil in warm, rainy spell.
Helped by the householder, their bill
of fare is much wider. They get a mix
ture, in most Of the So-called wild bird
foods, of half dozen seeds, with cracked
corn, Sunflower seeds, in many mixtures,
and perhaps watermelon seeds, and
Canadian peas, the latter for grouse and
the like Few partridges will be seen in
local suburban areas at this time, but
later when snow is on the ground they
may appear, and the peas will be well
coined by them. Most of the smaller
birds will not eat them.
In addition to these seed mixtures,
there is suet, much liked and appreciated
by many of the Songsters which Winter
in this vicinity. Perhaps this takes the
place Of the angleworm as much as any
thing could. Birds are highly organized
SAC0SOA Co. bAICn 1dOC vi l1flilk, 90 ulCLdU-
olism might be called, is rapid, and their
temperature well over 100 degrees. Al
though clothed in feathers, they need
great deal of Matchmaking foods, espe-
cially when the thermometer is down
around zero and snow is on the ground
To help in the manufacture Of this heat.
bread crumbs of various kinds are good
Winter bird food, and well may be added
to seed mixtures. They are specially good
for tossing on the ground, preferably at
some point, such as a gravel driveway,
where the incessant pecking of the birds
will do no harm. 1t is interesting to note
that birds at one feeding station have
literally worn luxuriant grass away to
bare earth in three weeks. No doubt it
will Spr0ut again in the Spring.
Some birds will eat fresh meat but the
advisability of adding this to their bill of
fare is doubtful, since it might attract
larger birds, Gncluding hawks, the latter
Of which would wreck any bird feeding
grounds in short order.
A half of a fresh apple is much appre-
ciated in cold weather, since it gives the
birds much needed moisture, and seems
to resist freezing better than water in a
dish. Squirrels, those most constant of
unlimited guests at the birds cafes, relish
it very much.