Evening star., 1945-11-03
This and That
BIZ Charles z. Traceueu


Migratory birds have cleaned up all
the berries from the dogwoods in our
vicinity, and are now beginning on the
barberry bushes.
Robins had great part in taking
many Of the berries from the dogwoods
1t Is hard to say just why because ordi-
nariiy they are not particularly fond
Of them.
Probably wet summer and a some
what humid autumn kept MANY of the
angle worms out Of the picture, In some
odd way. An average wetness makes
Tor them, OF course, but such downpours
as we had during July, and subsequent
rains, may have operated in just the
opposite way.
Certainly it is an odd fact that dog
wood berries have almost completely
disappeared, leaving nothing for some
OF the late migrants
Mockngbirds, many of which remain
here the year around, are also very fond
OF dogwood berries.
Barberries are favorite food of song
sparrows, many specimens of which
charming songster stay with us during
the cold.
Some honeysuckles set berries.
blttersweet vines have plenty of good
berries which are much relished by birds
snow berries and coral berries. too
appeal to some Of them, although USUALLY
the coral berries are a last resort for
others.
Even the Jerusalem cherry, when set
out In pot in the ground during the
summer, will have all its cherries" dis
appear-some bird has got them.
Ihls favorite Christmas present NAV
be kept in fairly good condition bv
keeping it watered after the HOLIDAYS
ana placing it out-in it's pot-when
spring really comes.
1t will do well where there is not too
much sun, but the loss Of such berries
as it may make must be expected
Take it in, when fall comes. and see
Wnat may be done toward blooming it
for Christmas again. Success is nrob.
lematic, but the attempt will be in
teresting
Perhaps Americans have success too
much In mind, in some ways. Certainly
no one can be completely successful in
everything, no matter what the propa
ganda is; We learn from failures, surely
inere is a certain something in life
Wnlcn at times seems to sneer at our
best efforts. When we happen to think
pretty well of ourselves, even for a brief
moment, malign something seems to
be looking over our shoulder. saving.
oh, you think you are pretty good
en-? Well, We'll see about that!" Then
comes the fall that goeth after pride.
onleSs we are very careful we cannot
speak openly of success without getting
slapped down. This has been attributed
TO many factors, but no one knows
exactly what happens. Probably in the
very essence of human nature is some
thlng which tends to curb itself, on the
order of self-acting engine.
Inc birds need not worry over psy-
cnoiogy. Probably they haven't any, as
human beings have. Like the smaller
1our-footed animals, their actions are
conditioned by experience, not by in
telligence, In the human sense. A
human, ready to make leap across a
gap, will estimate the width, and COM
pare 1t with past leaps of his own. He
then will give such a push off as he
deems necessary. A cat, on the other
hand, will simply look at the gap-and
~~~SNN JNAAPs A5APOAACAlCC tdhCS Lille DldCe
OF thought, with him. He Just puts the
amount of push into his legs necessary
to bridge the gap, and away he goes,
right to the very inch.
The birds operate the same way in
finding their fall and winter food. They
do not consciously say to themselves.
We'll, let me see, last year, in such and
such yard, found a feeder stocked
with good seed and grains" No, they
simply fly in, and drop down-and there
is the feeding station, all ready for them.
They come each year, and those which
winter here will remain all year, pro-
vided the station is kept stocked.
The humblest yard may be kept
stocked by planting In plenty of berried
shrubs There are many to be had,
some Of them real plant adventures for
the stay -at-home. They come from
around the world, and bear berries OF
various types, and at varying heights
from the ground, so that some of them
are bound to stick up out of the heaviest
snowfall we have.
Dogwoods make good beginning.
They are small, for trees, and do not
offer the problems which very tall trees
do, yet they bear berries for the birds
every year.
!.