Evening star., 1944-02-15
This and That
By Charles L. TyaceDell.
FALLS CHURCH, Va,

FALLS CaUHCH, va.
Dear Sir:
Il should like to submit the following
excerpt received from my sister, an
ardent squirrel fancier, of suburban
Baltimore, Md:
Wonder If you have ever seen or knew
that when squirrel is thirsty and the
water is frozen, he will break of a
piece OF ice or icicle, pick 1t up like
a nut and eat 1t. also lick it? Some
times the water will freeze when 1 fill
the bird bath, before I have returned
to the house
Keeping unfrozen drinking water be-
fore the birds and squirrels il nv only
problem In midwinter.
Sincerely yours, o. &c.
"P. $50 sorry your column has been
cut, but there's heap of philosophy in
the single column, which I devour, as
of yore"
There is no difficulty in providing
squirrels and birds with water in winter.
provided there are people at home all
day.
A small tin pan Wall do very nicely.
1t should be filled with slightly warm
water and set out not too close to the
feeding place
1t Is best placed in the sunshine. A
slight coating of ice can be broken
through by the squirrels and most of
the songbird6 which stay here in the
winter
When the ice becomes too thick, it
may be removed by pouring hot water
upon 1t and then whacking the pan
upside down on the ground
Here Is curious tip In the psychology
OF birds and squirrels If the cake of
Ice Is left on the ground between the
renewed pan of water and the feeding
station, the creatures will not come to
drink. But II the ice is placed on the
other side Of the pan, they do not mind
it at all. 1t is best, in any event, to
throw the ice at least feet from the
pan. Birds in particular are likely to
be afraid OF any new factor in the
feeding scene.
Once in the old days we thought to
give the birds treat by placing some
cottage cheese in the tray of the feed
ing station
eat until the offending substance was
removed. They would fly down as usual,
but would turn in the air when about
to land on the tray. They all seemed
frightened and would have absolutely
nothing to do with the place with
which they had been familiar for years.
\ X
At times we have noticed a slight
shame in some persons when talking
about squirrels. They seem to believe
that this little animal should not be
a subject of serious conversation.
Yet the great symphony composer.
Gustav Mailer, along with many 6ther
eminent men, have found great pleasure
in them.
Bruno Walter in his recent book on
Mailer, said He derived real pleasure
from two young kittens whose antics
he never grew tired of watching. He
used to take them with him on short
walks in his roomy coat pockets to enjoy
their company when resting. The little
animals had become 50 used to him
that they would even play hide and
seek with him, fact of which he was
not little proud. Dogs, cats, birds
and the animals of the forest amused
him and excited his most serious in
terest. He endeavored by careful watch
ing to fathom their nature, and in the
woods he responded to the hopping
or song of a bird or to the jumping
OF squirrel, with an involuntary ex-
clamation Of pleasure and sympathy"
In the third movement of his first
symphony, Mailer used an old French
nursery song as the theme, and made
of 1t mock funeral dirge, based on an
old popular drawing of hunter being
taken to his last resting place, sur
rounded by gleeful and capering
animals.
Mahlers illustrious predecessor, Bee
thoven, was so fond of nature that he
wrote an entire symphony, his sixth, in
its praise. The bird calls are unmistak-
able. While the gambols OF a squirrel
would be dimcult to put into music, it is
possible to believe that Beethoven had
them In mind when he wrote some Of
tho lively measures In this symphony.