Evening star., 1945-12-25
This and That
Bv Charles E. Truceueu.


A correspondent wants to know why
English sparrows gather straw in
winter.
Gould 1t be they are just making q
warm place to sleep?" Is the question.
"Or Is she building q nest2"
English sparrows gather straw al
most every month in the year, and nest
in about nine or ten Of them.
When actual nesting Is not taking
place, the birds are just going through
the motions.
Straw gathering is seldom if ever done
to make a warm place to sleep. Like
all birds, If these sparrows get enough
to eat, they are warm enough.
Food is the overcoat and house Of the
wintering birds
Temperature of the flyers is high,
varying from 103 to 106 degrees accord
ing to the species.
To keep this up, and make impossible
the freezing Of the feet, plenty of food
Is necessary. Most of this must come
directly from nature. even in the cold
est months. 1t is only when snow Is
deep or ice covers everything that the
wintering birds fail to get their full
rations. And even then they still find
enough, In most cases, or the yards and
streets would be Uttered with dead birds
There Is little question that in Sc
we're weather much help Is given birds
in and around cities by the amiable
fad of putting out food for them.
That Is where bird feeding comes in.
There are still many wild tracts of
land around large cities, and it is no
task at all for the birds to fly to them.
In such places they find weeds full of
seeds, and most of these old stalks stick
up out of all except the heaviest SHOWS.
Ice Is even worse than snow, for a bird,
since it coats the seeds, and makes it
very difficult for the hungry creatures
to get at them.
Snow and ice always excite thou
sands of persons to put out slices of
bread, and these no doubt save the lives
OF hundreds of songsters, caught un-
prepared by the weather.
Regular placing out Of food has the
advantage OF attracting regular GUS
toners, all of which know where to
come when the coldest days strike.
Cold days are not necessarily the
most inimical Those which cover
everything with blanket, either of
snow or ice, are the worst for the
birds.
1t is one of the standing wonders of
nature that the wintering sonesters
(Which deliberately prefer to stay with
us, rather than go South with the rest
OF them) are able to sleep calmly in
such cold.
They may even be covered with snow
and ice, but still the inner heat keeps
the outer sheaths of the claws and legs
from freezing.
The starting sometimes gets its claws
frozen. when it is incautious efiough to
roost for the night on metal roof.
Varying temperatures during the
night are responsible for such happen
mgs. The bird is all right, when II
goes to sleep, but sudden thawing
followed by freezing, will fasten the
claws.
The starting is such a large, hearty
fellow that in practically every case il
Is able to wrest itself free.
Smaller species find the safety oj
evergreens, with closely locked leaves
much to their liking on cold nights.
Few species deliberately plan to make
themselves more comfortable in the
cold. II it were necessary, probably
they would do 1t. They do not ever
use the nests they build in spring anc
summer. Bird houses would offer ex.
cellent shelter, but few. of the bird,
which winter with us avail themselve.
Of such protection. The only answel
to why they do not has already beer
given, that 1t Is unnecessary. Natur,
protects them from within. Cold, ate
IN, = natural 10 them.