Evening star., 1946-05-21
This and That
By Charles E. TraceneU.
NRI,I>IYECnA Ala

BETHESDA, Md.
Dear Sir:
:sWe know q birds from watching our
bird feeder.
What would bird that is plain gray
with little darker wings be?
1T walks like the grackles and starl-
lngs, and is about the size of a catbird.
but doesn't stick its tail upright, and
doesn't have black cap
"On May l We saw quite a big bird
that was black and yellow and looked
like the picture of the evening grosbeak.
What could it be?
We have four squirrels that come to
our feeding tray. and We are expecting
to bulId 6. new tray that the SQUIRRELS
can't get on because they don't let the
oiTos eat there. Sincerely, J. D."
The gray bird was the mother cow
bird
The father cowbird is black, with a
brown head.
The eggs OF this species are laid in
some other birds nest, for some other
mother to bring up. This is not very
nice of the cowbird, Is it?
In meadows, they may be seen follow
Ing alter cows, to seize the insects which
the crows stir up as they browze. That
is why they are called cowbirds.
The black and yellow bird probably
was an evening grosbeak, hundreds of
which came here during the winter for
the first time since 1916, with a few ex-
ceptions
correspondent tells us that evening
grosbeaks were seen in their neighbor-
hood as late as May 6.
y 4
VIENNA, Va,
Dear Sir:
This morning one of our cats, which
are wonderful rodent catchers, by the
Way, caught chipmunk.
FORTUNATELY, we were able to rescue
1t before the cat had done it any harm,
We played with the chipmunk for or
10 minutes, and were greatly tempted to
Keep 1t as pet, but finally decided it
was creature of the wild, and would
probably be very unhappy in captivity.
Were we right, or do they make good
and happy pets? If the situation should
arise again, and assuming it would not
be cruel to keep a chipmunk, what
should it be fed?
Have you any suggestions as to how
we could train cats not to catch birds,
when we praise them so highly for
catching rats, moles and mice?
Last year when our cats were still
kittens, our lawn and garden was simply
overrun by moles. Early in the spring
of this year the same situation had
started, but our two cats soon took care
of the matter.
II suggest cats for any of your readers
who have a mole problem.
Recently built bird feeding sta
ton. To be certain that the cats could
not catch the birds while they were
feeding, I hung l-foot square board
with an edge around it from a wire
suspended between two trees.
The birds won't come. have been.
patiently waiting for week. now. How
much longer should I wait before trying
another location? Sincerely, B. H"
Chipmunks make good pets. but do
better IN nature, as was intended.
They may be fed on acorns, hickory
nuts, beech nuts. seeds and grains, in
sects and eggs.
Peanuts and sunfloweg seed are excel
lent
1t is difficult to train cats not to catch
BIRDS, but something may be done by
throwing pan of cold water on them.
This is discouraging, to say the least.
IT feeding station sways too much,
it tends to keep birds off. They do not
mind movement. since they are used to
swaying boughs, but there is something
about the jerk which a wire imparts
which deters them
One OF the funniest sights in nature
is dove teetering on a clothes line.
And two doves on clothesline are fun
nier still.
= Give the feeder on the wire another
week, and If the birds still do not come,
put 1t on a solid support, and let the
songsters take their chance.