Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1946-08-21
This and That
By Charles E. Tracenell
PENNSYLVANIA AVE. Sc

FENNo Y LVANIA AVE. S,E.
Dear Sir:
"A cardinal and his mate have come
regularly for food to us all during late
spring and summer
They eat only peanuts. When seed,
fruit and berries are placed out they
eat only very sparingly and cease to
come regularly.
las soon as we place peanuts for
them they come regularly once more
and consume them voraciously.
However, lately the male cardinals
feathers hang loosely about his legs;
much Of the red plumage Is shot
through with prominently gray-green
color; his sleek, fine and handsome ap-
pearance has given place to very
bedraggled one. He seems to be in fine
fettle and healthy enough.
What do you advise as to the diet?
Sincerely, c. H. DE p"
The bird is moulting.
Diet should be the same as usual
The bird and nature will take care of
the diet
We never yet have seen a cardinal
that would not eat sunflower seed
II this correspondent will get sew
eral pounds OF sunflower seed she will
find the cardinals accept them greedily,
as many other species do.
Raisins, too, are favorites of our red
birds. Others fond of them are the
hooking birds, wood thrushes and cat
birds
Moulting is a natural process, in
which the bird looses many of his old
feathers and puts out new ones.
This Is equivalent to getting a new
suit for winter.
1t is teamed up with glandular proc
esses, and is natures way of giving the
bird enough protection to take him
through the cold and snow OF winter
1t may be imagined that after the
rigors of working all spring and sum-
mer to find food for the young the par
ents are pretty tired
Their clothes" have suffered. too, In
the process.
Nature, which seems kindly enough
in some aspects, equips them anew.
Some species 60 to the woods while
this change is taking place. Others re-
main near the nesting ground.
The scarlet tanager he of the bril-
liant red and black wings, goes through
several years OF changes in feathering.
He changes his appearance for at
least two years, and sometimes we'll
into the third, as he goes back and
forth in migration.
He then presents notified appear
ance, with some green in his feathers
and some red.
At these times he is often mistaken
for another bird entirely.
But the scarlet tanager scarcely would
eat peanuts, since he likes live food
alone.
We believe that If our correspondent
will put out sunf1oWer seed and raisins
she will find her cardinals like them
best Of ALL
Sunhower seed, being rather ex-
pensiyc, is best mixed with some chicken
scratch feed or baby chick feed, if these
are obtainable, which sometimes they
are not.
The raisins the birds like best are
the dry, seedless varieties. They can
be sprinkled in the grass, at a given
place, each day.
There all the birds will find them.
The sunf1ower seed is q store house OF
food. Over In Russia they eat sunfiow-
err seeds as CONNECTIONS.
Any one may try this out for himself
by carefully splitting sunfower seed,
the larger the better. and eating the
kernel. Chewing brings out the sweetish
taste. Naturally enough persons raised
on farms probably will like these better
than full city-bred characters. The
time will come, We believe, when sun
flower rations, including sunfiower
candy. will be part Of our daily life.