Evening star., 1944-05-13
This and That
By Charles E. Trace1oeu.
CANADIAN JOINT STAFF,

Dear Sir:
The remarks regarding the arrival
OF swallows in the Washington area, in
your This and That column in The Eve
ming Star have prompted me to report
10 you that a pair of rough winged
swallows graced the scene at the Tidal
Basin on Eastern Sunday afternoon.
During the past winter was inter-
ested in what you have had to say with
regard to the migratory habits developed
by the European startling in this country
1t might interest you to know that the
starlings, or at least great numbers of
them, spend the winter in Ottawa up in
Canada where there is usually much
snow and where temperatures often
drop to 20 or 30 below zero.
Unlike you, I am not particularly
fond OF this newcomer to our North
American bird world, though I grant
you he has the quality of toughness.
entirely agree that he must have a
beneficent effect on agriculture although
with this point am not at the moment
concerned. In my view in our cities he
is without virtue, particularly as he di-
rectly competes with the robin insofar as
tood supply is concerned. Yet, strangely
enough, have noticed, by direct obser-
Vatlon over a number of years in OF
taWa, that the advent of the starting
has in no way diminished the number of
robins per mile of city lawn. I have
therefore, been led to wonder if there
was not a considerable factor of safety
in the extent of the claims that each
pair of robins stake out for themselves
each spring.
Believe me,
Yours very truly, M. P, Mai. Gen"
x X X
The starting is one bird in the CITY
and another in the suburban and coun-
try sections
In town he Is dirty, due to his roostine
habits but in the outskirts he seldom
comes in such numbers and acts more
the role Of songbird
A great many people hereabouts fail
to realize that the starting mierates
every winter to Canada They see plenty
here in the cold, and never suspect that
countless thousands of them have gone
North.
The bird seen in summer may not be
the same one seen in winter.
This is free flyer, whose incoming
along Pennsylvania avenue everv eve
ming is something to watch, for its bold
sure fight.
Many hardheaded businessman has
paused in the rush which binds him. and
has spent a few minutes looking out at
their torpedo-like flow along the little
canyon of the thoroughfare.
He may not always realize that he is
watching some of the finest flyers in
the world.
Mankind in recent years has worked
up new respect for fight. Now that
we have our own flyers, we NAV recall
that the birds, after all, were the orig
lnal "airmen."
StarlingS, we are convinced, do not
harm other species
Out in the Middle West they invade
great cattle barns, and make considera-
bic nulSanceS out of themselves.
The killing measures taken against
them there do not speak any too we'll
Tor our kindness and mercy. In some
States great killing tests have taken
place, with the prize going to the person
who VIKINGS the most starting necks.
Hereabouts the starting has come to
be accepted since it is protected by
the law
Ihose who pay particular attention to
tlIe plIQ Will De rewarded by discovering
that 1t is both beautiful and interesting
In time it may be economically useful,
II Its observed habit as reported in this
column, of digging up and eating the
larvae of the japanese beetle, becomes
a universal starting habit.
1t is interesting to note that Govern
ment scientists who have studied this
bird closely unite in praising it, calling
attention to its varied whistles in spring,
and to the marvel of its massed flights,
Which in uniformity are unequaled by
| any other species