Evening star., 1946-07-03
This and That
BIZ Charles z. TracemeH.

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE.
Dear Sir:
The inclosed outrageous vilification
Of the whippoorwill, allowing it no
single saving grace, you may have read
in last Sundays New York
AS the champion of all bird species
even including the grackles, and as our
revered nature coach won't you please
take up the cudgels in the whippoor-
Wills behalf. and quickly demolish their
traducers.
ITO me that interminable nocturnal
chant is as beautiful in its repetition
as that famous ballet music, 'Bolero,
and as symbolic Of the eternal and the
cosmic.
"As I used to listen to it in the soli-
tudes, on the sand dunes of Lake Michi-
gan, it was ecstaticaliy apace with the
moonlight.
Sincerely yours, E. MacV."
*E
Our whippoorwill really needs no
defender. Such defense as it needs Is
given by Uncle Sam and other sigma
tories to the migratory bird act.
Even the mockingbird, at times, has
made enemies by its habit Of singing
long and loud at night
In time, however, even those who kick
are won over
1t will be the same with the whip
poorwill detractor We will be willing
to bet that the person who wrote an
attack against the bird will at last ad-
NIT his error.
John Burroughs counted the calls of
one whippoorwill and found that they
numbered 1,083 without stopping
paused 30 seconds and then uttered
the sound 800 more times
1t may be imagined that this sort OF
thing will get on the nerves of some
parsons. In most cases they will be
sad city folk who are not used to bird
songs in any form. Moving to the sub
urbs or country, they find that even the
famous chorus at dawn Is distressing
If perchance they are allowed to go
without controversy they may become
fixed in the habit of disliking country
noises and country music, whereas if
they are taken in hand. as it were, and
subtly told of the delight others find In
these same sounds they may in time
overcome their first dislike and end up
by being enthusiasts for all bird music
1t is the same way with instrumental
music. Who is there, loving all music,
who has not some time heard some one
say. II cannot like symphony music
have tried, but do not understand it."
The way to understand it, of course,
is to listen to it. That Is where the
modern phonograph and records do
their best educative work. 1t is impos-
sible for any one to listen carefully for
a number of times to the best of great
music without a certain amount of "un-
derstanding" in the end The God of
Hosts saw to that when He put music
in the human soul.
And so with bird music, even the call
of the whippoorwill The scientific name
Of the bird means cave mouth" and
strong voice"
Some of the birds are, much better
singers than others. The careful lis
tener will be able to pick out these
stars. AS group however, they make
interesting music.
There is an old New England super
stition that these birds gather around
a house where death approaches and
wait for the soul to issue forth, after
which they stop singing,
This idea, no doubt was built on the
fact that the birds like to come close
to houses, especially at dusk, and also
on the sudden stopping of the music.
just as the rain crow, or cuckoo, an
other one with an odd voice, is more
often heard than seen, so the whip
poorwill must be loved for Its voice if
at all. Sensible friends of birds will
welcome this chance to get close to
.. re's music. '