Evening star., 1936-05-13

When the individual feels that he must
keep his eye on the birds, to find out
for himself all the interesting things they
do and are. Each part, the doing, and
the being, is filled with the wisdom of
the ages, and he must get at the mean
ing. If possible. If he cannot altogether
find out, he has done nothing except
what the wisest Of all ages has done.
When we say evolution" we utter but a
word, after all.
When we look at birds we see one of
the Oldest and most perfect life forms
at work on the daily tasks, which is
their whole life. Perhaps the daily tasks
of each one of us, as humdrum as they
become at times, are our whole lives too.
1t may be the birds, by their perfect
acceptance, can teach poor, grumbling,
often unhappy mankind better lesson
than most.
Through the adoption of bird feeding
in Fall and Winter, by means of suet and
grains, put out preferably in automatic
feeders, the bird observer may have
these creatures with him the year
around. Many Of the most interesting
species Winter hereabouts, and will
settle down where food is abundant
This brings up the problem of keeping
food out in Summer. After experiment.
ing with this now for two months, fol-
lowing the intensive feeding of the last
hard Winter, we believe that a little
food kept in the yard at all times is a
good thing. The fear that too many
pigeons and sparrows would be attracted
has proved groundless. Pigeons love the
regular bird food mixtures. so-called
scratch feed, but do not particularly care
for baby chick feed. The latter is mostly
ground corn, which is highly acceptable
to cardinals. sparrows and doves, as well
as cowbirds, we have discovered. The
bluejays pay little attention at any sea-
son to grains and seeds.
A little food at this time is enough.
Practically all the birds, except the few
just named, are inSectivorouS and prefer
to get their food directly from Nature,
who, grande dame she is, supplies them
with bountiful hand. If it were not
for the birds, which delight us with
their colors and songs and life habits. We
would have no gardens at all. They
more than pay their way by eating soft
grubs and other forms of insect life, to
say nothing of the myriad forms of
such life in the mature stages.
The robin, for instance, Scorns every
sort of seed you can put out for him.
He asks nothing better than succulent
worms, which he yanks out of the earth
at all hours, thus saving the ground from
going sour.
Fortunately there is nothing too little
to note down in a bird or garden note
book.
Keep absolute records, If you keep any
at all. Put down anything you see or
think you see. Corrections may be made
later, if necessary. Never feel that an
item is too trivial. Often it is the SEEM
ingly pointleSS observation which turns
out to be the very best of all. For we are
dealing here with Nature. to whom, cyl
IDENTIFY, nothing is little or mean, if it
fills its place.
One careful record to be kept in the
bird notebook is the amount and price
of bird food purchased. The totals will
be surprising. if you really do good job
of feeding all the songsters that come to
your garden in Autumn and Winter. Yet
surely similar sum could not be better
spent by all thoSe-and their numbers
are legion-who love the things of
Nature. The birds are peculiarly Ma
ture's children. They represent her
beauty, her music, her economy, her
ceaseless efforts to make her own happy
If they will accept what she gives them
and not complain because they do not
understand what it is all about