Evening star., 1944-06-30
This and That
By Charles E. TrdceUell.
SILVER SPRING, Md.

Lear Su.
"I, always q student and lover Of
birds Of all sorts, even the poor old
crow, write this letter to ask you what
you think of neighbors who, just be-
cause feed the birds In my yard, and
keep their bath full In summer, am
called by neighbors and their children
q crazy woman
Prom small child when my uncle
who was founder and president of the
SPCA in a province of Canada al
lowed me to have several canaries and
encouraged kindness to all things, I
have loved all animals and particularly
the wildbirds.
"Sparrows and starlings, and the red
headed woodpecker and catbird are
among my favorites. I can tell many
human things these sparrows have done.
The red-headed woodpecker has caught
peanuts on the wing, and read in a
book that his tongue was formed 50 he
could catch insects on the fly, 50 that
accounts for the catching OF the peanuts
He regularly would wait for me on
the telephone pole in my yard to come
to the window and throw peanuts. It
was extraordinary and great fun.
The mother sparrows used to bring
eAAC U0bACc pCcAOC AlVICll WUlQOW,
line them all up for some bread; If
was not in the kitchen she would chirp
very loudly, and when peeped around
the door, could see her head craned
at the open window.
Nov these baby sparrows have grown
to think OF me and my kitchen window
as mother to them, almost. They come
and hutter their wings at the window
when they see me.
THE starting Is a friendly bird to
other birds. They and the sparrows
bathe together in my bird bath. The
large black birds are the cruel ones.
have seen and prevented them from
killing sparrows, for which the starting
had been blamed by ignorant people.
"Catbirds and some winter birds love
apples
II am certain these people who are
neighbors of mine never have read your
articles, or they would not be so ignorant
of birds and that I am not the only one
that feeds them and keeps bird baths
In yard
II have begun to think that these
sorts of neighbors do not even read
anything.
Il also have pet black squirrel. There
are many gray ones and two or three
black ones here. We did have a pure
white one, but I guess some one killed
1t as 1t never comes any more.
1 was forced to get the police out
here after neighborhood boys who were
openly killing the birds, even pointing
their guns in my yard. However, the
police stopped it, as far as can see.
L read your articles with a great
interest, as you have told of birds I
did not know about, namely the cow
bird. For while / thought on account
OF the neighbors that would have to
give up feeding the birds and squirrels.
Even putting water out for them
causes these neighbors to call me names,
but l keep on and ignore them.
Very respectfully, X. M"
Congratulations to our brave CORE
spondent, who in the face of difficulties
keeps right on doing good in what
Shakespeare called naughty" world
The decent spirit manifested by the
feathered folk of the air could teach a
good lesson to many human beings.
The birds 60 right ahead living and
minding their own business. A per-
son wise enough to keep his mind on
them, and to forget, as best he may,
that portion of life which he does not
like, will find that the birds will give
him solace for his trials and tribula-
tions.
Nature in the large, including the
animals and birds, offers this consola
ton OF the spirit, because the things of
nature are the things of God, and the
| Jewels OF the air" speak of love i'm
mortal, which is quite different from
Ill will in any form, and 50 much bet
ter that it ought not to be hard, in
concentrating on 1t, to forget those
manifestations Of life which one does
| not like.