Evening star., 1944-12-06
This and That
By Charles E. Traceueu
SHEPHERD STREET

SHEPHERD STREET.
Dear Sir:
The readers of your very popular
column will be interested in the predica
ment of an unfortunate pigeon which
l observed in Mcpherson Square today,
He had been eating a whole slice
OF bread (his mother had not taught
him that slice of bread should be
broken before eating). lie had eaten
hole in the middle and in some way
mad stuck his head through the hole
IN such way that the slice hung on
his neck and fell lower so that it rested
on his wings, and prevented normal
flight.
He could fly only a few feet, and
then with difficulty, tried to help him.
but he was too scared to accept help.
What do you do in a case like that?
And how will he get it Off?
Sincerely, w. L., Jr."
X
The bread either disintegrated through
the pigeons struggles, or his mates ate
him out OF it. Probably the latter.
1t is wonder that birds do not be-
come caught in some way more often.
Yet an observer will see very few cases.
over the years. We can recall but
few, one involving a sparrow caught
in vine
He was hanging upside down, and
probably would have died so, if we had
not come to his rescue and released
him.
Vines are vastly tougher than slices
of bread!
1t is always well, in putting out
lengths of string and wool for the birds
IN spring, to use as nesting material,
to remember that the pieces should not
be longer than few inches.
There are cases on record of sonpsters
becoming entwined in long pieces of
wool.
Certainly one does not think of birds
becoming involved with bread. Our cor
respondents observation shows that If
whole slice is put out, it should be
softened with warm water. The birds
like it best that way, anyway. Or a
slice should be broken up before throw
Ing out. We cannot expect the birds
to have much table manners, in the
human sense.
Starlings often dunk" pieces of hard
bread TO soften them up. This is the
only reason for putting out bread with
out molstening it. It is sight, to see
some sagacious old startling solemnly
= take hard crust and soften it before
eating.
Grackles will do it, too.
We tend to think of birds as master
flyers, and they are, but occasionally
they make a mistake, as all living
things do.
Now and then a bird will miss his
aim, as 1t were, and fly suuarely into
the side of house. Not only will he
do it out of fear, occasionally, but also
through sheer miscalculation.
Care should be taken, in installing a
bird feeding station, to see to it that
no hooks or sharp metal objects are a
part of it. Several years ago there was
on the market very good feeder, but
which incorporated in its design, other
wise good, sharp curved hook. This
was intended for meat eating birds. +"
A piece of meat was supposed to be
put on the hook. The idea was poor,
because the few meat-eating birds would
not make good companions at feeding
station designed for the ordinary run
OF songsters which winter here. In ad-
dition, the hook offered a real hazard
to the crowding feeders. It should
either have been capped with cork, or
removed bodily, preferably the latter.
BY and large, the birds handle them
selves very well, both in the air and on
the ground, with far fewer accidents
than occur to that other two-legged
bird" man, the waster, the schemer,
the killer.