Evening star., 1946-05-08
This and That
By Charles E. TrdceUeu.
"BANGNR Ne

Dear Sir:
II am inclined to agree with a recent
contributor that squirrels aren't really
problem-we make an amusing game
out of their feeding.
But we have temporarily thwarted
our three favoriteS from stealing the
evening grosbeak and chickadee's sun
mower seeds, while feeding the souir-
rels by hand from the door,
I'VE threaded wire stretched from
the garage to the house with a dozen
metal film rollers from rather large
sized rolls, knotting a string at either
END OF the spools, while in the middle
of the wire hang several bird feeders.
Ine squirrels are completely mysti-
ned, DO not dare tread the spools as
they turn under their feet and throw
them and yet they come each day and
STUDY the problem, run in different
directions, study again, and about then
we relent and give them sandwiches of
nread ana peanut butter. This is really
the solution.
Il subscribe to The Star and enjoy
your column immensely.
Yours sincerely. l.. r. j."
THIRTY-EIGHTH STREET.
Dear Sir:
After reading your column in The
Star paper, feel sure you can give
me some desired information about the
squirrels.
Il want to know if there is any place
can get pictures OF the different
kinds, the black, brown, gray and all
the rest of them.
I'VE are interested in the black and
gray ones we have here and frequently
feed them.
thanking you very much. am,
Respectfully. S. A. ""
CHEVY CHASE, Md.
Dear Sir:
1T is after 10 o'clock at night and
we are enjoying a concert by what we
assume Is a mockingbird. His song is
quite varied, sometimes initiating a
cardinal, bluebird and robin, and then
again like a tree toad.
I'VE first heard him one night last
week, past midnight. He has not sung
here again until tonight. We are raising
a family of cardinals in a rose bush
near our porch, and at first feared the
nest was being tampered with, when we
realized that the call was not one Of
distress we concluded 1t must be a
mockingbird
Were we correct? Why is he singing
now when we have never heard him
(although we always see him) in our
16 years residence in Chevy Chase?
Very sincerely yours, j. E. B."
* *x
Squirrels and mockingbirds are very
popular with our readers.
1t Is a well deserved popularity.
Few outdoor creatures have more
appeal. Thwarting squirrels at bird
feeding stations is a great sport, in
which mans wits are pitted against
animal brains.
Often squirrels are kept of by so
simple an expedient as greaSing the
standard which holds the feeding sta
ton.
This will not work, of course, if the
station is beneath shrubbery or trees.
AS for the differently colored squir-
rels, all are phases of the gray squirrel,
with the exception of the red squirrel,
which is not often found around here.
Blacks. grayS and browns are varied
colorings OF the gray squirrel, the pre-
valling one in this district.
There is also an albino form.
All the color phases, with the ex-
ception of the white, would look more
or less alike in photographs, unless
they were colored. The Public Library
OF the District of Columbia has some
interesting natural history works, which
can be freely examined.
Our correspondents night singing
bird was mockingbird. He is either
nesting or sleeping in the neiehbor-
hood. Perhaps in the past he nested
in some other yard, far enough away
20 that his nisht singing was not heard.