Evening star., 1946-03-05
This and That
By Charles E. TrdceueU.

Dear Sir:
we read your column in The Star
each day and get much pleasure out of
the contents
Inc nrst pair of robins appeared in
our yard on February q. Thought you
would like to know
we feed the birds all the time. Suet
sunfiower seed, wildbird mix raisins and
bread.
I'VE have chickadees. titmice. cardi-
mails, nuthatches, f1ickers, downy wood
peckers, Baltimore orioles. once a dove
and some bluebirds, song and ordinary
spaTroWs, and OF course, the starlings
and pigeons.
I'VE also have had wild canaries and
a scarlet tanager, snoWbirds and blue
jays, and little parrot-like birds which
seem to feed on sycamore seeds.
\ r
I'VE have our quota of squirrels.
"A year ago last August I found in
the yard baby male squirrel. He evi-
IDENTIFY had fallen from nest. He was
SO tiny he could lie in the palm of a
hand.
1T was dusk so brought him in the
mouse. l fed him diluted warm milk
with a medicine dropper. Much to
every ones surprised raised him.
we could not get revolving cage
due to war conditions, but a neighbor
had canary breeding cage. This has
been 'Chessie's' home ever since. We
call him 'Chessie' because of his gray
color like the C. g. o. kitten.
I'VE both work but we let him out in
the house in the evenings. He is a cute
pet and very contented, and spoiled, too.
He does not like strangers but we can
do anything with him.
He likes me to hand-feed him and
brush his fur. He has a mind of his
own and really bosses us. He won't
crack his own nuts.
He likes fruit and avocado pear. We
had time when he was baby and was
teething. I would hold him in a warm
towel like baby until he stopped shak-
ing.
But he is fine big squirrel now.
Wish you could see him. When he gets
upset with me he tears up all the paper
in his cage into little bits. Some pet.
Cannot turn him loose, as he would
not know how to take care of himself.
But this is OK. with u.s. We are very
fond of him.
I'VE live right across from the reser-
voir and you should see all the seagulls
and ducks. Sincerely, T. v. r."
When a squirrel won't crack his own
nuts-Well, that is the height of being
spoiled in squirreldom, we guess.
He would soon learn how, however, If
he were allowed his freedom.
1t is easy to understand how our kind
correspondent feels that he would not
know how to take care Of himself" but
she might be mistaken, because, you see,
no one can take entirely away from an
animal its heritage
No doubt within few days, week
at the most, this particular specimen
would have completed it's reversion to
the wild state.
Thousands of years could not be for
gotten so quickly.
The squirrels were in the ark, too!
The best plan, if this squirrel is ever
to be given freedom-and there is, of
course, no real reason why it should-is
to build for it an outdoor cage, as sug-
gested by correspondent here recently,
and then cut a small swinging door in
it, so that the creature can use the cage
until it feels completely at home in the
great outdoors.
Squirrels make nice pets, but demand
particular sort of person for guardian,
one who is not in the least afraid, and
who is gentle and kind. This handling
is real knack, one which many Of us
do not possess.
In some cases it will be found that a
pet squirrel grows rather cantankerous
as 1t becomes older. In these cases, par
ticularly, great care must be taken In
handling them.