Evening star., 1944-10-25
This and That
BIZ Charles Z, Trace1peH,
EVANSVILLE, Md.


Dear Sir:
I'VE would appreciate it if you would
identify for us bird seen in one of our
dogwoods yesterday, in doing posi-
tion, and which we at first took to be
a half-grown dark -colored bird resem-
bling young robin.
But it seems to be piebald. dappled
with large noticeable white spots on
was not a mocker. These spots were
even more pronounced when he few off
His beak was longer than usual. it
seemed. Two brown thrushes remained
near, grooming in a low tone as if
greatly interested in something strange.
The bird seemed the size of small
robin.
And here are two tragic occurrences.
MY neiehbor has large syringa bush
under her kitchen window in which two
couples of redbirds, together with fam
lilies of English sparrows, delight to
congregate winter and summer, for the
neighbor keeps a bountiful supply of
grain for their enjoyment
X
"One midmorning last spring I heard
redbird excitedly calling out in alarm
and, thinking a cat prowling nearby, l
looked all around but found nothing
Going indoors. the chirping began
again and I looked under the bush and
saw male redbird hopping around ex-
citedly; a female lying PROSTATE on her
back, both feet in the air
She was motionless. And, picking
her up, I found the throat perforated
with stab wounds. In fact. there was
not much left of the throat at all-no
wound anywhere else.
Il buried the body and, returning by
way of the sunporch, saw in the
forsythia bush at the foot of the steps
large mockingbird which surveyed me
with colo eye and never offered to
move away. There was no other bird
nearby and the redbird's body was
warm. l have stood entranced, listen
ing to the song of the mocker, near or
at farther distance, but the remem-
brance of that pitiful little body of the
reobird has spoiled the mockingbird's s
song for me for all time.
The second occurrence: Going into
my garage this morning in search of a
needed article, 1 found lying on the
earthen floor the body of what recently
was cheerful English sparrow, the
throat also stabbed through in several
places and also at the base of the spine.
L am sure 1t was not a bluejay as l
have never seen one of them molesting
smaller bird but there have been
many grackles nearby, which we always
drive away, and / think one of these
cornered the sparrow by driving it into
the garage where it had it helpless at
its power.
"Grackles-assas ssins!
Sincerely yours, C. D. r"
u 4
Our correspondents strange bird was
probably young starting.
Starlings like dogwood berries. and
they have long bills. Baby starlings
have many white spots and patches on
them, especially around the head.
The young starting is so different in
appearance from the older birds that
most observers who are familiar only
with the mature birds do not connect
them in the least.
We feel that our correspondent was
rather convicting the mockingbird on
circumstantial evidence.
If there were purple grackles around,
the Ill deeds probably were done by
them. Stabbing wounds are almost a
signature of this large bird.
Grackles delight in evil. Tearing of
the legs and heads of baby birds Just
out of the nest is one of their specialties.
In calling them "assassins" our cor
respondent made good choice of
words, since few birds. even hawks, act
In precisely this way, evil for evils sake.
That usually is left for man.