Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-05-10
This and That
By Charles E. Trace,Ueu.
"ELLERSON, Va.

ELLEfICoN, va.
Dear Sir:
Now I know what happens to all
those holly berries with which We are
surfeited. If the robins don't-the cedar
waxwings will
Or maybe I should call the latter
cherry BIRDS which is the local name
for them. These birds eat the berries,
pick them off, or let them drop most
anywhere: they simply play and toy
with the project of stripping the hollies.
And they do good job of spreading the
berries, which seems to be in natures
plans, for hollies grow everywhere here
about, practically like weeds.
These cedar waxwings-or cherry
birds-have been with us for two and
half weeks and the flock has reached
around 400 ~~
They all appear to be of the same
mind, telepathic or radio-mental. for
with one accord they do the same thing.
ALI will alight in the tall locusts, and
with pleasant twittering spend per-
haps half-hour sitting, with every now
and then change from one tree to an
other.
ITO be sure, they fill the upper reaches
OF the trees, evenly spaced upon the
branches to resemble so many blossoms
among which they sit. Then they will
fly away-and the show really begins.
These flocks in flight are rhythmic
symphony to the sense of sight. In
groups of Is or so, they will fly around.
now close, now separated, now coming
together in a compact group.
THE way they consolidate reminds
me OF nothing so much as the manner
OF trout In an aquarium converging in
the same direction to engulf food
dropped to them from above.
But, OF course, these birds are not
feeding-they are indulging in their art
OF living. Their aerial evolutions equal
the flying OF any other bird f1ocks I
nave seen, and Guido them, too, by the
evident sheer love of their flight, asso-
citation and grace, with the accent on
the latter.
And to think that my first observa-
ton of this species was in Wesley
Heights, when eight of them were
perched quietly and soberly in a huge
forsythia! I never dreamed of their
marvellous aeronautical accomplishments
then.
"An elderly workman here said. Mrs.
D., If you had shotgun, could get Won
enough cherry birds for a fry We
wouldn't even think of it, This is a
sanctuary for the Avis Americana, not
the least OF which is the cherry bird
Sincerely, w. w. D., jr."
The cherry bird is the beautiful cedar
waxwing. At one time bill was intro
duced in one of our State legislatures to
permit farmers to shoot these birds, and
the House passed the bill, but the State
Senate blocked it when mounted speci-
mems OF the waxwing were shown. The
sheer beauty of the species did it.
The name cherry bird" is common
name referring to the birds liking for
the fruit and its habit of passing a
cherry from bill to bill as the birds perch
on limb.
Common or popular names of our birds
have peculiar fascination. MANY hun
dreds OF these have been presented here.
Some of the water birds have an aston
lshlng number of common names for the
same bird. The rudy duck, for in
stance, is called in various localities the
dumping duck, daub duck, deaf duck.
fool duck, sleepy duck, butter duck.
brown diving teal, widgeon coot, creek
coot, sleepy brother, butter-ball, batter
scoot, blatherskite, bumblebee coot, quill
tailed coot, heavy tailed coot, spine-tail.
dlp-tail, diver, dun-bird, bumb-bird.
mud-dipper, spoon-billed butter-ball,
spoonful. broad-billed dipper, dipper,
dapper, dopper, broadbin, blue-bill,
leepy-head, tough-head, hickory-head.
steel-head, hard-headed broad-bill, bull
neck. leather-back, paddy whack, Stub
and-twist, lightwood-k shot-pouch.
water-partridge, dinky. dickey, paddy,
noddy, BOBBY, rock, roody, gray teal,
saltwater teal, stiff tailed widgeon.
Some OF these names refer to habits.
coloration. or other peculiarities, and
some OF them are plainly corruptions or
misunderstanding of others.
The surf scooter is another with a
dandy list. For some fun, try reading
the following quickly: Surf duck, surf
coot, surfer, seacoot, bay coot, gray
coot, brown coot box coot, spectacle
coot, butterboat chilled coot, hollow
billed coot, speckle- billed coot, blossom
billed coot, horse-head, horse head coot,
patch-head, patch-head coot, patch
polled coot, whitehead, white scop, bald
pate, skunk-head, skunk head coot,
skunk-top, pictured bill, plaster bill,
Morocco-jaw, goggle-uose. suuff .taker.