The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1941-11-14

WHO'S
NEWS
] THIS
WEEK .

By LEMUEL r. PARTON
CONSOLIDATED Features--wNU service)
NEW YORK.-We are quite GER
~ tain that there is chipping
sparrow out our way which didn't
stand still long enough to be count
Stuffed Bird Cuts rate Roger
Peterson's Count Tory Peter
To $3.50, 900, 900 sons mat. national a.
5,750, 100000 receives respectful,
even admiring attention, and no
challenges or bubbles about it.
Concurrently the National Audu-
bon society, of which Mr.. Peterson
is educational director, begins
drive for the protection of birds and
other wild life in defense areas.
At the age Of 26, MIR. Peterson
proved that bird lore can be
made to yield lot more than
mere bird seed. That was in
1884, when he published his
book, "Field Guide to the
Birds" AS bird books go it was
a best-seller, warmly praised
not only by the somewhat ESQ
teric cult Of bird-fanciers, but
by a much wider public, which
appreciated its clarity and sim
plicity. There came other edi-
tions and then his "Field Guide
to Birds of the West" and his
"Junior Book of Birds" of 1889.
All i'm all, Mr.. Peters0n's books
and magazine articles were SO
successful that he has had plen-
ty Of time to count birds-even
five billions Of them.
He not only writes but illustrates
his books, having emerged from the
New York Art Students league as
a highly qualified decorative artist.
He is known as the best American
authority on field identification Of
birds.
Mr.. Peterson had an adventure
at the convention Of the society at
Cape May last year, which, SO far
as we can learn, was not picked up
by the news hawks at the time. It
seems group of ornithologists, Pc
terson included, got up at 4:30 to
clock a scheduled hawk migration.
It didn't come off and all were
downhearted until a rurnor got
around that a black-necked silt had
been seen near the lighthouse pond,
There had been no silt in this sec
ton since 1870.
The party set out for the spot.
Finally far across the pond,
inaccessible to any dry land APP
prOach, the bird was sighted.
Mr.. Peterson said it would be
necessary to approach as near
as possible, disturb the bird,
and then observe its fight care
fully. He and william Fish vol
unteered to brave the mud and
cold. They waded in, and at
times were UP to their armpits
in Shiny mud. Finally Peterson
waved his arms at the silt. It
didn't move. Approaching near
er, they discovered it was as
stiff as plank.
The convention finally ran down
the story. The National Academy
of Sciences at Philadelphia had had
a housekeeping and heaved out a
lot of stuffed birds. Some rival bird
fans of the Delaware valley had re-
trieved the silt and set it up across
the pond.
TIP IN Maine, on last summers
~ holiday, this writer talked with
an old roadside philosopher who
was concerned with problems aris-
Prof. Perry Boldly i leas Tao eni tns
Trumpets an Old life span in
Are Mouement' New Eng
'.They don't do much dyin' UP
here" he said. Down at West
Newton, they had to shoot an old
teller, just to start a graveyard"
Professor Ralph Barton Per-
~, Of the faculty Of philosophy
Of Harvard university, Is SINH
larry concerned about old age,
but for . different reason. In q
brilliant essay In q recent issue
Of the Princeton Alumni Week
ly, he rallies the oldsters against
being hustled around by their
juniors in politics; he notes the
capitalization Of wise old age to
bumpti0us youth, and chal-
lenges Rabbi Ben Ezra by in
sisting that there's NO use grow
ing old with him, or anybody
else. II old-age is to be merely
a tolerated short-ender in the
life sweepstakes. 1.-THE most
striking evidence Of the down.
fan Of the aged" writes Profess
sor Perry, els to be found in
the domestic circle"
'sThe authority of the father was
first broken by the mother, and the