Evening star., 1945-07-17
This and That
BIZ Charles E. TracetoeH.
EVANSVILLE, Md.


Dear Sir:
your recent columns about feeding
young birds have interested me greatly.
We had enjoyed watching a pair of
robins nesting In an evergreen tree just
outside our window, but before the baby
birds started to feather, some children
pulled the nest down. tried to put 1t
back. but next morning the three birds
were on the ground again, and one dead.
I'VE revived the other two with heat
(the nights were still cold them and
finally got some warm milk inside their
beaks. 1t took little effort and per-
suasion, to get them to take food and
milk or water from the medicine drop
per, but once they got the idea, we were
kept informed when it was time to eat.
"Our robins liked black-eyed peas and
spaghetti as well as the other foods you
have mentioned. We kept the birds out
side as much as possible in the daytime
and brought them in at night. After
about five days an adult robin hung
around the front yard and occasionally
fed them worm. She would even come
up on the front porch with 1t.
After about two days she came
around about $50 am. and called so
loudly, got up and put the baby birds
outside. BY o'clock they were so well
fed they refused their usual oatmeal.
During this week the birds had grown
their feathers and learned to fly a
little. The next day the mother was
back and both birds went of with her.
I'VE hope these birds were big enough
to survive, but at any rate they were
large enough to be out of the nest and
were with a mother robin, which was
better than being in house. Our whole
family enjoyed those robins, my daugh-
ter especially. They were friendly pets
and unusually cute, especially when they
would talk to us and scold If We didn't
pay any attention to them.
Sincerely, ]. G. Y"
y
Otis PLACE.
Dear Sir:
Being a nature lover, anxiously
look for your comments in each issue
of The Star, and note the queries put
up to you by different readers, to which
you always have an answer.
Now have poser for you. While
sitting on the back porch one evening
watching the birds feed upon the bits
of bread scattered on the garage root,
suddenly large bird dropped from the
sky, which proved to be pigeon.
"It was of solid, dark color, but its
coat of feathers was not so remarkable
as what 1t wore over it. Now cut a
slice of bread from bakers loaf, hull
out all the inside part but leave the
crust intact, with about scant half inch
of the soft part attached to it, and that
was what this bird wore for collar.
"It was too narrow to pass over the
wings, so it hung on the birds back.
have seen many laughable incidents
birds and animals have gotten them
selves into, but nothing like this.
while living on farm I had hog
get its snout fast in a tin can which 1t
could not dislodge, so I had to help &c.
Then, after that caught a turtle, cut
off its head and left it lying in the chip
yard with the mouth spread open.
"a black Orpington rooster came
sauntering along and seeing the red
tongue showing in the turtles mouth
thought it something good to eat, SO
made peck at it.
aSnap went the turtles jaws. The
rooster tried in vain to shake of that
head. We had to cstch him and pry the
jaws open before We could relieve the
rooster.
Nov the hog and the rooster were
individually responsible for their
troubles, but I can't imagine how the
pigeon could don crust-of-bread col
lar. Surely some human agency must
have had hand in it.
Respectfully, T. S. c."
kx u
MANY people have the idea that If they
touch nest or young birds the parents
will have nothing to do with either nest
or birds.
Our first correspondents letter proves
that this is wrong. Parent birds will re-
sumo their responsibilities after the
young have fallen from nest, or the
nest needs rehanging, If given chance.
This is much better way, If prac-
ticable, than to attempt to raise birds
by hand" In the latter case, one
should not be too disappointed II the
mortality y high.