Evening star., 1944-08-25
This and That
By Charles E. Trace1OeH.
SIXTEENTH STREET.

SIXTEENTH STREET.
Dear Sir:
May I tell you about bird tragedy
In Farragut Square OF which I was the
prime. though unwilling cause? 1t has
been on my conscience ever since.
Some time ago young sparsely
feathered but large baoy starting, fell out
of it's nest I first noticed the mother
Tor father bird pulling at its wing as
though trying to get it back into its nest
Il miss Fix-it picked up the bird
in spite of the protests Of the mother
bird and, reaching up, placed it in what
seemed to be the crotch of a beech tree.
Much to my horror. the young star
ling disappeared from sight Immediately.
A gentleman nearby, witness OF the
drama, examined the fork in the tree
and found it to be hole leading into
hollow which seemed to extend to the
bottom of the tree trunk.
Naturally felt like a murderess A
lady nearby remarked that one starting
more or less made no difference. This,
to me, seemed beside the point. Who
was I to decide the fate of this bird in
spite of anything which its parents
could do?
The parent bird previously had
shrugged its wings in a hopeless way
and flown away, as though to say, And
nothing can be done about It,
DO you think that this bird could
live on the insects on the inside Of the
hollow tree and gaining strength finally
get itself out of the tree?
"Or did it starve to death?
The gentleman said that it would
die from lack of water said that baby
birds got no water as far as could see.
/ have noticed their parents bringing
them food. but never any water. I
would like to hear what you think might
have happened to this bird
Sincerely, L. K. P.
**
This correspondent should not feel
sad about this incident.
1t was just one OF those things.
Nature seems to provide for the an
nual deaths Of thousands of young birds.
There, of course, are no statistics on
the matter. but it is PROBABLE that. at
least one out of every five baby birds
dies before it learns to fly
Then, perhaps, another dies before
1t is two months old.
Every bird which falls out of a nest
is gone unless it is found by some
human.
The attempt to give this aid is good,
no matter what happens afterward.
One bird will live, another will die
within few hours or days-and an
other meets its fate at the bottom Of
deep hole in tree.
The chances are that the young star
ling died, but who could say? The
startling is an intelligent, vigorous crea-
ture. Surely, if any bird could get itself
out OF such place, it would be a
Startling.
No doubt it would find something to
eat there, although not too much, and
probably some water would get in. It
might even manage to live for a time
on decayed bark
There would be succulent worms of
darkness.
All baby birds need water, sometimes
more than food 1t is the first thing to
give youngster which falls out of a
Tree. 1t Is best given with a, medicine
dropper.
This is the way the mother bird gives
water. Her bill serves as an excellent
'oropper,' The interchange of water,
OF course. could not be noticed. Then.
WV, AACcAA AAAoSCIo dIlu WOTmS are fuIl
Of moisture.
Lilly Belle, our pet robin (now in her
fourth year of return) flew down behind
an old bureau in the Toulouse, and was
there "a hours before being found. She
did not have space enough to use her
wings,
Our correspondents starting, as a su-
preme effort, might have struggled up
and out. 1t could have walked up the
inside to the hole. in all probability.
At any event, there is no need to be
too sorry. Our sorrow should be kept
for this sad world, and all the brave and
nne young men who have suffered pain
and manning and death for our sakes,
and Tor the sake Of immortal freedom,
And let our righteous anger be reserved
for the German people and the jap
anese people. who brought this sadness
into world which, without them, would
have been world OF peace and
prosperity.
y f