Evening star., 1946-01-17
This and That
By Charles E. Troce,peu.

A correspondent is much upset because
flock of purple f1nches in the garden
has left for parts unknown
The warmer days, following the bitter
cold, probably are responsible.
The warmth made the birds think
spring was really here, and they left for
their breeding grounds in the low green
forests Of Pennsylvania, and in New Jer-
sey, Connecticut, etc.
They like frs and cedars, and find
them in the open woods, not in the heavy
thick parts
The purple finch is the great splash
of color which delights the bird watcher
on some cold morning. The purple is on
the order of rosy morn. It is not exactly
purple in the modern sense, but strictly
in the old classical Roman sense
"
Usually these fine birds come in small
groups OF several males. and more fe-
males and young males. The latter much
resemble their mothers. They are plain
birds, lacking the glow of color of the
male.
These birds will eat sunfiower seed, but
no one should expect them to remain
long.
They are on their way somewhere,
practically every time they are seen.
They come and go, and the observer Is
fortunate who sees them at all.
In our own yard we have not had a
purple finch for at least six years. Before
that we had a few every winter, espe-
cially after Christmas.
X Xxx
Another bird which is being seen more
these days is the evening erosbeak
Reports of it have come in from
various suburban sections in nearby
Maryland and Virginia, and from the
Northwest and Northeast sections of
Washington.
This grosbeak is beauty but he is,
after all, an accent, too-an accent of
the more ordinary loveliness of the
palmer birds.
A bird is a sort of jewel of the air,
as it has been called. The feather tex
ture is something unique in nature. No
animal fur equals it, especially in the
ability to catch and reflect lights.
Let us not be too intent on seeing
the rare ones, such as the evening gros-
beak, so that we fail to see the beauty
in a startling, let us say. There are a
great many starlngs in Washington and
vicinity. They seem to be here to stay.
and we might asswell make the best of
them.
A recent survey showed a count of
$1,000 starlings observed, as against a
few hundred English sparrows In recent
years there has been decline in the
number of common sparrowS, with an
increase in starlings. The latter are
rJ1, irlc oh 70 H,, laxr
here and Baltimore for lunch, and back
again to roost on a Government build
ing ledge for warm night.
Despite the plain features which may
be held against it, the starting Is a
beauty, when the light is reflected on
him just right. He catches and holds
light, and turns his feathers first green,
then blue, then gold, and many other
tones.
The startling is correctly classed as q
singing bird. He came in this classifica-
tion because he has the vocal chords for
it, but beyond that he can sing and
whistle with many of his superiors.
Especially is he whistler. Most of the
beautiful notes you hear but cannot
identify are made by him. He has way
of gathering with a few of his associates
In tree, or shrub, and setting up a
series of soft, even plaintive whistles, so
that you would swear band of unusual
ly capable small boy whistlers were
around somewhere.
We should never underestimate the
startling. He is some" bird, as the veg
nacular has it, He is far from home
but he has made himself new home in
strange land, and he seems not at all
sorry. In other words, it is about time
that we let democracy operate with these
birds as with millions of human beings
who have come to our shores. :