Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-11-24
This and That
BIZ Charles E. TrdceDeu.
BELLEVUE, Wash

Dear Sir: y..---
Il have been reading your column for
number of years and am much inter-
ested in each one. When the war is
over and field glasses are once more
available, would like to get some.
Would you give me some advice on
what kind to buy for bird hunting?
I'VE live in a wooded area across the
lake from Seattle and every day brings
something new and interesting in ma
tive life. We have about one acre of
land with both forest and orchard trees.
Among the most intimate are the
rusty song sparrow and the chestnut
backed and Oregon chickadees, coming
many times day to eat nuts from our
hands.
THE chickadees are so friendly that
caller at the door soon finds there
is a chickadee perched on top of his
head and one or two on his arm
Il read in your column that some one
is asking how to get rid of some trouble
some birds, especially the English SPAR
row. I believe have an answer and
that is to always put some fat with the
other food. I also am putting out pea
nut butter Do you think there is any
ddllsCi VI Vic III 10 bCttlilB COU HULL!
Il would like to know the name of a
good bird book that is just good to read
about habits of birds. 1 like to read
true stories. Sincerely, j. M c."
The best type of glasses for bird OBJ
servation. is what Is known as three
power binoculars.
These are powerful enough, and easy
to use. More powerful glasses often are
difficult to handle, especially when try
ing to catch bird quickly.
Eight-power binoculars are best, per-
haps, if one can hold them steady and
has a certain knack in using such
glasses.
Many persons are not SO handy, and
SO we believe that much less powerful
glass is best for ordinary observation,
especially around the home.
What one really needs is something
which can be focused quickly. Even an
old-fashioned pair of opera glasses will
do nicely.
Some glasses introduce various flashes
of color in the seeing, and these, of
course, are very confusing when one is
trying to spot the least differences in
color of some strange bird.
X y
Chickadees are friendly everywhere.
evidently, but few nereabouts are as
friendly as our correspondents rusty
and Oregonian species
The English sparrows in the Far West
must be different from our local ones
if little fat in the food put out for
the birds will keep them away.
Hereabouts it would simply draw them.
Peanut butter is best used with cau-
ton. Squirrels, in particular, can eat
too much of it, and often do, until they
have to lie on their sides and pant for
breath. This gummy character of pea
nut butter has been experienced by
many a small boy who insisted on
swallowing his sandwiches too quickly
in order to get out to play.
A good book of scientific true bird
stories is American Bird Biographies, /"
by Arthur A. Allen, published by Com
stock Publishing Co., Inc, Ithaca, N. Y.
Another excellent volume is wings at
My Window" by Ada Chaplain Govan,
published by the Macmillan Co.
Still another is Birds of the South"
by Charlotte Hilton Green, published by
the University of North Carolina Press,
Chapel Hill, N. G.
Titmice and chickadees belong to the
same group. Though small birds, they
eat large numbers of insects and their
eggs which are overlooked by larger
species.
They do great service in winter
when other birds have flown away. BY
going into crevices OF bark after hiber-
mating insects they earn the tree lovers
undying gratitude.
4