Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1946-05-17
This and That
By Charles E. TraceueH.

%. CHEVY CHASE, Nd.
Dear Sir:
I'VE are fairly near neighbors of
yours and have enjoyed your daily
column very much. particularly when
you write about this section We have
had two experiences lately which we
thought you might like to share.
"A pair of tufted titmice decided to
inhabit our birdhouse and very in
teresting and handsome pair they were.
Ihey were both banded and came fire.
quently to our feeding board. CHANGING
to notice something moving one day
on FUR coat hung out to air in the
yard next door I found that, hanging
onto the fur collar and pulling the
1ur out bit by bit, was one of our
titmice.
He or she then carried it to the nest
box So moths are not the only things
harmful to furS. In due time We heard
CHIPPING inside the nest and saw the
parents carrying insects to the babies.
Later the parents began taking seed
from the feeding station, carving it
to the tree and carefully hulline il
before taking it to the baby birds In
very short time the babies were sud-
yesterday neighbours large hunting
cog was barking loudly at small gray
squirrel clinging to tree a few feet
above the ground, seemingly unable to
climb further. I chased away the dog
and the baby squirrel came down to
the ground and, to my surprise, walked
over to me without hesitation.
AS he seemed so helpless I put down
a cardboard box which he readily
walked into and put him on our back
porch. He huddled in a corner of the
box for long time, not even interested
in bread and milk.
Finally the idea came to me to mt
some peanut butter on a card on the
porch railing and soon full grown grav
squirrel came, saw the baby, but was
apparently at loss for method of
rescue. During this time both a male
ana female cardinal flew repeatedly
through the porch, chirping agitatedly
and very evidently trying to give an
alarm.
1 decided to put the little squirrel in
the yard, standing guard close by. At
flrst he wanted only to come back to
me. Once grown squirrel came to
MIN but turned and ran away again.
Finally the baby squirrel twice made
Tor the tree where he was found. The
last time black squirrel came to him
and pushed and helped him I'D the
trunk. Finding this too slow, it picked
up the baby in its mouth and carried
MIN up to the nest where he was pre-
sumably spanked hard.
why do you suppose the gray squirrel
ialled to help the young one when he
mad chance? And could the black
squirrel have been it's parent? We
THINK the black squirrel is a variation
OF the gray squirrel, not a separate
species. Is that the case?
yours sincerely, c. M. L."
X X
The black squirrel was the small frvs
mother
The mother squirrel takes complete
charge OF the young and cares for them
until at last they leave the tree for good
Evidently this one had ventured aWav
too early.
The large gray squirrel which paid
no attention was in no way connected
with the little one.
we nave heard of family of souir-
rels over in Arlington in which the
mother is black, with two black and
two gray babies
Inc black is form of the gray. The
olackness is called mechanism.
AS usual case, black ones are not
welcomed by the other squirrels in a
neighborhood and often are chased
away. Once they become established
however, they mate with gray ones and
lead the usual squirrel life undisturbed
Mother squirrels are fine mothers in
deed, so we suspect that the missing
baby was not spanked. but simply licked
all over tn warn H. in