Evening star., 1945-09-22
This and That
By Charles Z. TraceueH
KANSAS AVENUE,


Dear Sir:
Something occurred while my hus-
band and I were on our vacation which
I thought might interest you and your
readers, and perhaps you could give
me an explanation.
1--WE were visiting my husbands par
ents in Reading. Pa. Across the street
from their home Is a beautiful park
years they have been living there they
never saw what has been happening in
the past month.
AT each evening the sky is black
ened with birds which fly to this park
They fly around and carry on, so that
you cannot hear yourself talk outside
This keeps up until dark.
THE next morning at o'clock they
depart and do not return until that
evening. People cannot sit on the
benches from the awful mess they
leave and one Is afraid to walk under
the trees at night.
Il have collected several feathers
which am inclosing The ground is
covered with them. Can you tell us
what kind they are and what caused
their sudden visit? Could 1t be DDT
or the war, or both.
Sincerely, H. L."
x
1t might not be either the insecti-
eide DDT or war which causes these
birds to gather in fiocks, but simply
migration
The possibilities are purple martins,
or rusty blackbirds, or maybe even
starlings.
We have found that many persons
throughout the country are relatively
unacquainted with starlings
The purple martins at one time
gathered in flocks of as many as 10000
across from the Red Cross Building.
The height of their fall migration
period occurs about September IL.
In the old days great flocks of them
roasted at New Jersey avenue and P
street.
Where fiocks of birds get together
there Is always great dirt. This was
one of the things which always at
tracted the attention of observers of
the now extinct passenger pigeons.
The rusty blackbird, in migration
1t is bird about 8 inches long, its
1CdtIlClo u1lllOI ully UldCk, ldlIlJly
CLOSED with blush green.
They, too, gather in large flocks, COM
ing in small groups to a central point
and roosting. sometimes along with
red-winged blackbirds and cowbirds
We may suppose that Just as human
beings have what is called mob or herd
psychology, when they are gathered
together, so birds take on different
characteristics in f1ocks.
Noise and dirt are parts of all mobs,
whether of humans, animals, birds or
fishes.
We may expect all of these-and
trouble-when crowds gather
The purple martins have habit of
sending out scouts, much as starlings
and crows do, to look the land over
before the crowds gather.
1t is claimed that martin scouts may
be as much as two weeks ahead Of the
main group. 1t may be realized that
only persons particularly interested in
birds will note these lone wolves of the
air.
Very little is known to date of the
effects of the wartime insecticide, DDT
on bird life. Since chloral Is one of the
ingredients, 1t may be suspected that
insects killed by it and then eaten by
birds will do the latter no good
Few reports have come in yet as to
the overall effects of the war on bird
life in the various fire zones, Au-
thentic reports have yet to come from
Europe or the Far East. It Is certain
that vast damage was done, but prob
ably nothing that nature cannot cure.
given plenty Of time and mans CO.
operation. meaning no more wars.