Evening star., 1946-01-18
This and That
By Charles E. TrdceUeH.
GEORGETOWN.

GEORGETOWN.
Dear Sir:
Il saw robin yesterday in yard
In the 2700 block Of p street.
Neither the owner of the house or the
maid had seen 1t before I drew their
attention to 1t.
Gould 1t be one that was too
lazy to go South last fall, or do you
think he is an optimist?
Sincerely, W. G. A."
Every winter about half dozen rob-
ins remain here.
Most of them are found In Rock
Greek Park, where they find shelter in
the brush or occasionally in one OF
the old sheds to be found there.
The robin which winters in this
vicinity is certainly Of an optimistic
nature.
He must eat berries and some Of
the softer seeds, with such earthworms
as he may be able to take in warm
days, during such spells as often come,
even in the most bitter winters here
abouts
Whether optimistic or pessimistic,
the robin which remains is scarcely
wise in the sense of ancestral robin
wisdom.
AL but he have flown, and the ques-
ton remains why he didn't 60, too,
when his friends and companions by
their hundreds of thousands were on
the march Southwark.
The only answer Is individuality.
Nature provides for this, at the same
time she has put the herd instinct into
her various creatures.
She balances one off against the
other, usually stacking things in favor
of the herd Hence we have penguins
killing all white offspring, and human
beings loving uniforms. Comes a day
when we are told that "horse and
buggy" days are so old-fashioned that
to be up to date we must despise or
pretend to despise, all the good things
of the past.
Herdlike, many do, but what hap
pened to some of the favorite old
games of yesteryear shows what will
happen again. They went out, as we
said, and then after being almost for
gotten they came back in again with
bang.
doing what we are told goes on per-
petually, with first one side of mans
nature winning and then another. In
primitive communities the "charac-
ter" is more likely to be found. Peo-
pie there laugh at him perhaps, but they
respect him. In large cities the indi-
vidual isn't so welcome. He seems to
threaten others, and so most persons
find it better policy not to attract atten-
ton by being different.
Yet it is easy to see that being differ
ent is part of the living organism. To
be alike is what keeps things on an
even keel, after differences are estab-
nshed, but it was being different, in
the first place. which gave the tribe or
race its chance to build up the factors
which have kept it going.
The robin which remains here in
winter may be pioneer of his group.
He may have it in him to turn all robins
from migrating birds, in some remote
era, to birds which stay put.
This would be wholly desirable.
What nicer birds to have around in
winter?
His yard is thrice blessed which has a
robin in it the year around.
Most friends of birds will sigh with
envy. These big fellows, with their
keen interest in life, and their big,
hearty appetites, would offset starlings,
sparrows, cardinals and jays.
One may feel sure that the birds
which winter here would be among
the first to welcome the hosts of the
robins, if they ever took it into their
heads to change their habits for keeps.
We should not look for this change,
however, until the far-off day when
something goes click in the head of a
pioneer specimen and he adopts new
eating habits. The robin, as we know
him, would. have to change himself
inside and out to give up his diet of
worms. But these few pioneers show
what can be done. Now it only takes a
good publicity agent, a dictator robin,
and q subservient robin legislature to
| put the thing over.
Il