Evening star., 1943-12-09
This and That
By Charles E. TraceueU

ARLINGTON, Va.
"Dear Sir:
Il was looking at the birds in the
yard. drawn by the several feeding out
nts I keep going, and I was struck by
the fact that this is the real bird season.
Most people know think the bird sea-
son is over, when autumn comes. They
see the migrating birds fly away, and
do not hear the songs any more, and
they think there is no use bothering
over birds again until spring comes.
I feel that have'a genuine and great
advantage over them, for my bird sea-
son is just beginning! I have many
more birds, scores more, from now on,
than 1 have in spring and summer I
do not have as many varieties, that is
true, but OF the ones which stay here
l have great many more individuals.
Il have found this difficult to ex.
plain to others. they are so firmly con-
vlnced that the bird season is over when
most OF the birds fly away In the fall.
1 wish all the doubters could come to
my yard, some sunny afternoon, and
listen to the clamor of the eating bird
population.
1T might be that they would be dis
appointed in seeing 50 many sparrows
In fact, some of my neighbors say that
my feeding has drawn the sparrows,
claiming that there were none over
here before. believe that they were
here, but that nobody paid any atten-
ton to them, flying in and out of a
nelghborhood. 1t is my feeding which
concentrates them, and which makes
them plainly visible to every one.
10 fo~
rows. If the other birds, the jays and
the doves, the redbirds and even two
bluebirds get along with them, as they
90, do not see what there is for any
human to kick about
When I think OF all the bad deeds
that are being done by humans the
world around, begin to think that the
common sparrows are pretty good, and
wonder why any one can overlook what
people are doing everywhere to concen-
trate on the supposed bad deeds of the
sparrows.
Thanking you for your column, am
Very truly yours, M. B."
The English sparrow, in the average
mind, is sort of ugly duckling of the
bird world
He would be admired II it we're the
thing to do
1t isn't, so many observers who only
now and then give any thought to the
birds tend to speak i'll of it,
This column has said before that II
these persons would look at these birds,
in time they would come to see their
good points
We believe our correspondent is cor
rect In declaring that they are in all
neighborhoods, but mostly unnoticed.
Since feeding in the downtown streets
went out, for them, the English SPAR
rows have been driven to the suburban
sections.
Here they fly in and out, as they
please, mostly disregarded all fall and
winter
1t is only when some one establishes
a feeding station that they are much
noticed.
great sweeps of movement to any gar
den which has them.
And, as our correspondent says. they
give these sweeps at a time of the
year when there are few birds In the
average garden.
A band of these birds, usually between
two and three dozen, make the express
sion sweep" as used in connection with
airplane attacks, easily understood, es-
pecially if there are at least two feeding
places in yard
There is another thing the common
sparrows do, and that is put on a
massed singing, veritable choral, every
afternoon, in the yard where they get
plenty Of food, and where they are sat-
is6ed and fearless.
A full stomach makes for good music,
whether among birds or men. Music
thus takes its place as one of the very
human arts, not the aesthetic thing we
sometimes associate with the works of
the masters" The masters of music
were very human, after all; they liked
their beer with the best of their listen
ers. To place them on a pedestal is,
Of course, human, too. but It is mostly
untrue. A sparrow with a full tummy
makes music because he likes it, and
we may suppose that Beethoven did the
same thing, and that is why, among
other reasons, his music still appeals
TO u After mAnv vear&