Evening star., 1936-11-24

are the same that visited II last year.
This will give feeling OF continuity
that this pastime ought to have. and
certain "newsy" aspect to q field Of in
vestigation which some persons, none too
well acquainted with 1t, will not give 1t
credit for possessing.
We mean, of course, bird notes, as
gathered by observers Of the same gar
den and shared day by day with others
whose work takes them away from the
home.
These recitals take on all the happi-
ness known in any field where there Is
something doing" and where what has
happened Is to be shared later with
others.
In time the sharing Of these notes of
observation comes to be looked for. In
homes where bird watching is carried on,
the arrival of new species has all the
excitement of the arrival of q foreign
potentate for some.
There may be tragedy, or comedy, in
these recitals Of the day-by-day observa-
tions made in q Winter garden where
bird feeding is carried on.
A written record is a good thing to
keep, not only to refresh the mind for
these recitals, but also to serve as a
seasonal check-up next year.
If the person taking up bird feeding
for the first time, and going at it in a
real way, determines to get the most out
of 1t. he will find it necessary to know
what he is talking about.
This will mean that he cannot rely
entirely on his memory The colors and
ho hitc ~ hirCx fno nd
all other matters pertaining to them, are
not so easily kept in mind by the person
who Is not scientist.
An average observer will need some
aid to memory, some convenient plan
whereby he may recall to himself the
salient facts and fancies he has dis
covered day by day.
The days roll away, the weeks roll
around, and the first thing one knows,
one has been feeding the birds for four
months or more. The old year has slip
ped into the past and the new year
very much into the present. The future
Is almost upon us, with the Fourth of
July looming not far ahead! So speed
the days, when aided by the normal pur-
suits of life. For the person interested
in Nature, bird feeding adds quite a new
note. Try it and see! One does not
mean, of course, just few crumbs put
out for the birds, but a persistent larder
or several of them, kept filled at all
times, or at least most of the time, that
the birds get used to expecting and look
ing for and eating from.
The amount of honest interest in this
for the person really interested in Nature
will amaze those who have not tried it.
1t is something which grows upon one
Like all worthwhile things, it has incre-
ments of beauty and interest which are
not altogether visible to the outsider.
One must plunge into it before it re-
veals its best. Then bird feeding on
reasonable scale shows that it has far
reaches.
Few recreations, for the small amount
Of money spent. will give as much sheer
enjoyment and pleasure to so many
persons.
To say nothing, shall we say, of the
good to the birds? But it Is impossible
to write of bird feeding and not to men
ton, and always keep in mind, the good
done to the birds by 1t. As this move
ment grows, year by year. the good done
American agriculture grows, too, for we
need our song birds, as they need us. In
world which seems, at least at times,
to be growing increasingly vile, the rela-
tionship Of humans and birds in the
garden shows love on the wing, strong
and vibrant.