Evening star., 1944-07-20
This andTh
By Charles Z. TraceUeU,
ARLINGTON Va.

Dear Sir:
r.. 1elt a surge OF anger on reading
Chevy Chasers' method of getting rid of
the squirrels at bird-feeding stations by
putting sticky tanglefoot on the pole
holding the station.
POOR squlrrelS-no wonder they are
hard to tame. Experience has taught
them man Is unpredictable!
All winter the squirrels come to nv
north kitchen window and to the bird
feeder (Which is nothing but an old
flower box placed on the the porch raiD
for peanuts.
1T is uncanny how the jays know the
peanuts are there. They usually get the
lions share.
We named one white breasted SOUR.
rel Johnny, and often he comes when
called. We succeeded in teaching him
to take food from our hands, but 1t took
patience.
Inc brown thrashers are so numerous
and so tame that they do not stir even
when I come close to hitting them with
the bread I scatter.
One day, cutting tall piece of hedge.
I discovered a beautiful nest with three
eggs In 1t. / straightaWay stuck the
cuttings back as protection from maui
raudlng grackles. The mother bird was
IN nearby bush, so I withdrew some
distance and watched her make q cir
cuitous journey back to the nest.
The nest has since been vacated, 10
now l can resume pruning
Thanks for a fine column.
Sincerely. B. B. ""
Our experience bears out that Of this
correspondent, that just about one
squirrel out Of dozen will prove really
friendly
The rest must be accepted as part of
the garden picture. If we look upon the
nome garden as show, certainly the
squirrels which are natural born come
CLANS, have their place therein. Just as
clowns belong in circus, so SQUIRRELS
actually own place in the snburan yard
by right OF prior attachment. They have
oeen there for many years, propably
centuries whereas the latest owner" of
the place is newcomer in comparison.
MOST city persons acquire an interest in
blrds and squirrels after they move to
the suburbs. In some cases, they set
themselves up as judge and Jury at once
They should realize that they scarcely
nave this right, at least from one point
OF view. That there are many points of
view, OF course Is uncontested. Diver
slty OF thought leads to these many
points OF view. so that in time there
seem TO be as many viewpoints as there
are people. The Fascist principle is a
very human desire to get rid of so many
viewpoints, and that is the reason why
1t Is so dangerous, and why 1t Is found in
some Americans-or shall we call them
un- characteristics we'll as in the occu.
pants Of other countries.
Let us not be Fascist-minded by purg-
ing our squirrels, or any other native of
the little garden we call ours 1t is ours
for only small spot of time in the
centuries. The various creatures were
here yesterday, they are here today and
they will be here tomorrow. Perhaps a
squirrel, If he could talk, would merely
laugh at efforts to oust him. He has a
sense of fun and could see the futiutv of
it all. He knows through close associa-
tion the real inheritors He has been
playing with them, fighting them, COM
peting with them for food these manv
centuries. In the main, he manages to
get along very well. He may eat an
apple now and then-but how many
apples rot on the ground anyway?
He more than repays with his antics
for the food he consumes. for he is the
small clown of the outdoors arena, gifted
with a splendid suit and a sense of the
comic. That curse of the ages. the
political mind, might mitigate itself If it
would watch squirrels more and political
currents less. Man in his solemnity is
less interesting than in his humorous
moments. When he is trying to laugh
especially at himself-he draws closer to
the universal humanity which holds
Protecting hands over all creatures
agdst the crawling chaos. y