Evening star., 1947-04-07
This and That
By Charles E. TrdceueH.
CHEVY CHASE, Md.

CHEV4 C1ASE, MO. ~
Dear Sir:
About month ago Is or more purple
finches flew in to our feeding station
and stayed for breakfast. They were
the first we'd ever seen and they were
a sight to behold.
"It was some little time before we
definitely identified them, for at first
glance they looked exactly like SPAR
row might look reflected in purplish-
red haze.
"Since then we have had two males
and a female who have been daily
visitors at the feeding station. Will you
tell us, please, if we may expect them
to stay on with us permanently?
"A pair of Knockers have been with
us all this past winter 1--WE usually have
only one) and are unique in that they
are SO congenial and peace loving.
"They are the first winter Knockers
who have been in no way belligerent.
Strange as it may seem, the only real
scrappers we'd had are pair of red
birds who have pecked at each other
and chased all the other birds off the
station. Their dispositions have i'm
proved toward each other, come warmer
weather, but they are still too warlike
in their actions.
II wish it were possible to extend an
invitation to the city starlings whose
future seems doomed, to come out to
our place-we never really appreciated
these fine birds until we saw how many
Japanese beetles they could consume in
the summer. From then on, they have
been welcome addition to our free
diner
1--WE get constant enjoyment and
help from your interesting column, and
your advice on pruning wisteria last
spring certainly worked out 100 per cent
correctly.
'I thought. after such drastic cut
ting, it would never survive, but instead
we had the loveliest and most profuse
blooms we'd ever had.
Very truly yours, X. S. S."
The purple flnches will not stay.
They go North for nesting, usually
staying here but short time.
While they are here, however, they
give us glimpse of a beautiful and
interesting bird.
AS for mild Knockers, sometimes they
run that way.
And redbirds, or cardinals, are likely
to be mean, especially to each other,
until spring, and sometimes after that.
So much praise is heaped upon this
fellows head that it is not usually real
lied that he is one of the widest of the
real wildbirds.
He is SO wild, in fact, that any attempt
to aid one of them is likely to be met
by one of the sharpest bills the rescuer
ever felt.
Not only that, but the bird. even
though injured, puts up such a struggle
to escape the helping hands that he is
likely to hurt himself further.
ANY one trying to give first-aid to
redbird should take special pains to
prevent it from striking his eyes.
The bill is heavy, the neck muscles
powerful, and the bird, when a prisoner,
is a perfect fury incarnate.
In the nesting season q male cardinal
sometimes becomes the terror OF the
neighborhood This does not happen
too often, but it may be seen now and
then
Perhaps the starlings are not doomed,
after all
1t may be that some good angel will
come to their rescue. This good angel"
viii not be-a person, but the common
sense of the American people.
Better informed persons do not wish
to exterminate them, but merely to hold
down their numbers.
This may be done in other ways than
shooting.
1t seems strange that otherwise
sensible people could think. after going
through World War II, that shooting
IL solution for anything.