Evening star., 1936-05-12

Does the music Of the birds at dawn
make you believe in heaven?
That is the effect 1t has on one WASH
tngtonian. whose letter Is quoted below:
Dear Sir: r, like S. B. w., have wanted
to write and tell you how very much I
enjoy your articles in The Evening Star.
after all, even writer's like yourself
only know how much your articles are
appreciated when told. The letter Of
8. B. w. and your comments on the
birds especially appealed to me.
Il find myself trying to be awake
before daylight, to hear the first call of
q bird in Rock Greek Park. He has q
beautiful call, and then one by one the
others seem to answer. It makes me
really think there is a heaven somewhere.
do wish some one would listen for that
call and tell US what kind of a bird has
such q voice.
my love for birds seems to have
started when was q girl and used to
look out Of my window early in the
morning and see the noisy bluejay with
lovely colors walking around in the yard
before people were up to disturb him.
I wish to thank you for the pleasure
your articles have brought to me.
Sincerely, s. M. A."
+ -
Without hearing the bird mentioned
above, one scarce can hazard guess, but
1t may be either the wood thrush or the
Baltimore oriole. These are the two most
prominent bird songs in this vicinity at
the present time.
Each is distinctive, but both are high
and clear. The thrush song is in four
triolets, while the orioles Is high
whistle. sometimes given as "Teedle-
teedle- -teedle-d dee"
One of the beauties of the bird chorus
Is that the listener does not have to know
single song to enjoy the music, even to
thrill over it. Thinking over the vast
world, the dark and the light Of it, as one
lies silently abed. one feels how strange
1t Is that the little creatures SO small,
so alive, can wake to each new day with
genuine Joy in their voices sending forth
their happiness at the sight of light,
which to them means life, indeed.
Light out of darkness is for them as
well as for us. All those who love music
and the birds have here the greatest
music in the world, without SO much as
moving, or even turning a knob, as one
must do with the radio.
~ 10 u uC tAldI tllIo 10 O QllCICllL uluolC,
q music which is wild and free as air. q
music which one must come to love. The
only requirement is that one wake up to
hear it. We have always thought that
this music alone should keep any in
somniac from feeling too sorry for him.
self, for he has lovely concert to which
most of the human world is deaf.
Nor is it at all necessary to 60 out
into the forest or swamp to hear it.
though no doubt there it might be heard
| at its best.
Most of us may have this music any
morning, with no more trouble than
| cooking an ear. 1t will be a sleepy ear
| Of course. but perhaps that makes the
| music all the better, for then we are not
too critical.
This bird chorus in the dawn is avail
| able only in Spring and Summer, so this
| Is the time to make the most of 1t. Bird
| sounds are to be heard at all times Of the
| year, especially if one puts out food in
| Autumn and Winter. In the deep city
the songs Of English sparrows always
sound.
But for the full-throated hymn to the
dawn which is so exquisite, there is only
one time, and that is in the Spring
and Summer. OF these two seasons the
| present is by all odds the beSt