Evening star., 1945-12-03
This and That
By Charles E. TrdcetDeH.
Md,


II noted your recent articles about
the gray squirrel. I, too, at times fee
very provoked with 1t and willingly
would slay it, but belieye as you dc
that there Is too much killing In the
world as 1t Is.
For killing the squirrel I have SUBJ
stituted the more human-and humane
sport Of trying to outwit him.
II believe that the squirrels in our
yard have enjoyed this game as much
as I have. Indeed, am not sure that
they don't have the last laugh, for SO
far they are the victors.
This means that I have to spend
more money to buy seed for them, since
they are veritable hogs, but In the last
analysis what difference does 1t maker
with proposals to take away still
more Of my money before get it !
am In somewhat Of . hurry to spend
1t all in order to do some things I
want. I do not understand how this
constant threat Of taking more and
more money away from US is going to
induce people to hold onto their bonds.
But to get back to the squirrels. I
have tried creased poles, with . bird
feeder on top, to have the rascals Just
climb up anyway, through thick and
thin grease, to grin triumphantly at
me from the top.
II have tried swinging feeding sta.
tions out from the side Of the house,
only to have them climb the bare
bricks. They manage 1t by catching
their wonderful paws into the mortar.
There 10 scarcely toehold there for
anything except squirrel
II have tried swinging the feeder
from the middle Of copper wire. In
this case 1t took them at least two
days to learn how to walk the tight
wire, but they did It.
II took an old coconut shell, filled
1t with sunfiower seed and suspended
1t from the middle Of an arch by .
piece Of rope. They bit the rope In
two and feasted from the shell on the
ground.
II then put the shell back with wire,
hanging 1t In such position that they
could not get to It. This required only
two hours for them to solve. They
climbed tree and leaped ct least 20
feet to land squarely on the arch.
II am sure that al this is.a great
deal more fun than killing them.
s "Yours very truly, K. L."
4
This correspondent has the right way
to enjoy his yard.
That way u the decent way Of taking
them as they come and making the best
Of them. TO kill hungry squirrels Just
because one does not like them to eat
is certainly not sport.
1t Is impossible to dislike them II
one will watch them carefully for q
time. A little quiet Investigation win
reveal some good traits never noticed
before. Any one may be sure Of this
from his own experience with humans.
Who Is there who has not said OF a
new acquaintance, Somehow do not
like that fellow" only In time to be
forced to eat ones words The fellow
turns out to be very nice fellow ana
the traits one instinctively disliked no
longer seem to matter.
It Is the same way with squirrels.
also with English sparrows, starlings
and even with pigeons. A reservation
must be held when pigeons come In
numbers greater than three or four
TO I small home bird feeding station.
There Is no filling them up At all. In
such cases the rest must be driven
away unless one desires to put up with
q real nuisance.
The good thing about the squirrel d
that he creates no real nuisance at ali.
He never nnolests the birds, and lin.
les he tries to ut into an attic 4
seldom any threat to property.
This exceptionally active animal
"goes" well with . background az trees,
Try to think Of trees without him
ana ~ how important he Ii To the
general local suburban scene and to
sotlr parks and shady streets. =