Evening star., 1945-02-02
This and That
By Charles E. Traceuell.
DECATUR STREET

Dear Sir:
"One of the keenest pleasures Of my
vacations up in the mountains OF Vir-
ginia has been bird watching. There
is thrill in identifying a species new
to me.
The first year I went there I forgot
my field glasses, and was tantalized
time and again for the lack of them.
My hostess finally lent me a pain of
opera glasses. With them I was able
to identify the crested fiycatcher.
Several dozens of them would alight
in an old dead tree. I can still see their
yellow breasts cleaning in the sunlight
This past August l remembered to
take my field glasses with me, and with
their help was able to identify several
species new to me-
"One bird in particular had me guess
ing for some time. It's song sounded as
II it were mocking other birds, the
tufted titmouse, the cardinal and 9TH
ers. 1 couldn't think it was a mocking-
bird because the mocker has a larger
range of songs. 1t seemed rather shy
and would not come near enough for
me to see 1t.
Finally on hearing the song nearer
through my glass. 1t was a wrenlike
bird with white line from the bill
through the eye and down to the neck.
Several days later saw it on fence
post Then it hoped down into a
rotted depression in the top of the post,
and then hoped out with something
in its bill
Il found it was a Carolina wren
,1,s II l1o II 4
colloquial name 'mocking wren I
thought fitted it very well. It was a real
pleasure to meet this CHEEKY little bird
Hereafter I'll try to keep my field
glasses near at hand both winter and
summer.
Thanking you for your interesting
column, am
Very sincerely yours, E. D. B."
"P. 81 heard the cardinals song the
last week in December when the snow
and ice were on the ground"
1t ista curious fact that the Carolina
wren is one of the first signs of autumn
in our, own yard.
1t comes in August, and speaks louder
than words of changing leaves and
colder days to come.
1t is the bird with the circular song,
as we have put it, song with a pin-i-
wheel character, round and round. It
is good mocker of other birds.
This is the largest of the wrenS, and
cannot properly be called "little Bird
at least in proportion.
It has fine song, and adds to this
many limitations. Those who are &C
quainted with this wren never tire Of
listening to it.
A few Of them stay around here all
winter. They like worms, either from
the earth or meal worms grown in
flour, and raisins too. They eat berries
in the fall
They are regarded as permanent resi-
dents hereabouts. During a severe
storm in February, 1918, this species was
nearly exterminated in this region, and
it was several years before 1t recovered.
The crested hycatcher is the bird
which often uses discarded snakeskin
in building its nest
Scientists tell us that it is too easy to
suppose that this is done in order to
frighten snakes away from the nest.
There may be an adornment angle
to the use. If human beings use snake
skins in shoes, belts, pocketbooks, etc.,
why shouldn't bird find them pretty,
with bits Of colored cloth, shells and
feathers.
The Carolina wren is 6 inches long,
about the size of an English sparrow,
while the crested flycatcher, sometimes
called the great sulphur -helled fiy-
catcher, IL from to . inches long.