Evening star., 1945-11-21
This and That
By Charles E. Trdcelceu.
ARLINGTON Va

ARLINGTON, Va.
Dear Sir:
"All those sparrow haters should have
been in my yard the other afternoon.
1t was about o'clock, when the SPAR
rows deserted their food to sing on the
fence.
There is large rose vine there, and
in this the sparrows perch to sing.
These amiable birds take time out
every afternoon.
Some days. however, they quite outdo
themselves.
This was one of those days. There
must have been at least so birds, each
one trying to outdo the others.
They kept this up for about half an
hour after which they returned to their
food.
Il thought their music exceedingly
pretty. I do not understand why some
people speak of the sparrow's chirp as
harsh. find it good listening.
Sincerely yours J. A. T."
X
AS far as we know, the English SPAR
row is the only bird to indulge in this
habit in the winter.
Though 1t Is classed as a songbird, the
English sparrow Is not much of a singer,
HIS singing consists mostly of chirps
When he is excited the notes at times
may be considered unpleasant.
1t he is IN the mood which our corre-
spondent well calls amiable, he sings a
rather pleasing note, especially when all
the others are doing the same thing.
This is real choral singing, and the
total effect of it is good. No other
species sings so in winter,
Rejoicing in the Lord" Is a good
phrase which puts to shame a too grim
religion.
English sparrows in their afternoon
singing seem at times to be literally re.
Joicing, as their wild free notes well out.
then sink away, only to swell out again
louder than ever.
1t Is well known that group Of aver
age or even poor human voices, when
singing together, will sound pretty we'll
This is not only because the best voices
soften the worst ones, but also because
there results what might be called a
total tone. In this wty large choruses
secure an effect which is pleasing, par
ticularly If heard at some little distance.
If the listener happens to be too close
all he hears is a roar.
An individual English sparrow's voice
Is no great shakes, certainly, but when
so to 100 Of them are going 1t all at
once, the result is pleasant enough.
It Is true that one must listen with
some sympathy, but the same may be
said Of all music. There is no place
where sneer is worse than In listening
to music. The cynical person perhaps
Will ind little to praise in sparrow music
He should go listen'to Beethoven.
Those of us who appreciate native
wood notes wild, as well as the musical
classics, will find genuine pleasure In lis
tening to the sparrows singing.
If there were no other reason for feed
Ing the birds in winter, this choral sing
Ing alone would justify 1t. The winter
garden where there are no birds Is q
poor, bare thing of brown grass and
withered stalks. "And no birds sing" I"
such was the poets way Of putting It.
It is easy to have birds In winter, even
more Of them than In summer. Most
birds do not sing In winter, SO we should
be grateful to the few who do.
II the individual English sparrow Is no
Caruso, at least be ,chirps pleasant Law
on . cold afternoon, ana he puts plenty
Of steam behind 1t, too.
See him there, in the rose vine, dressed
IN his best, nodding to the silly world
OF humans who know nothing better to
do with their genius after 1945 years of
Christian culture than to make atomic
bombs. This is eating Of the forbidden
fruit of the tree OF knowledge with q
vengeance, and we do not even have an
Eve to blame. It is all the fault Of ear
own silly selves, and we think that the
sparrows must know it, and feel sorry
for US, and that is why they try 10 cheer
US up by singing 50 loudly In the cold.