Evening star., 1947-06-02
This and That
BIZ Charles E. TrncetDell.
GERMANTOWN, Md.

Dear Sir: -.
Eve are getting very close neighbors and
would like to know their name.
"A pair Of birds about as large as q robin
appeared about two weeks ago. They are
sort OF slate color on top, similar to q
the throat Is white.
1T spreads its tail In fan when 1t fys You
can see a white edge on the tail feathers
Right now the female is building a nest In
an open fork of young black walnut tree
which hasn't many leaves, and Is not more
than 20 feet from the house.
"A robin fys into the tree each time the
mamma bird-that is. the lighter colored one
I take it, is the mamma-comes back with some
thing for the nest. Then the papa bird seems
to stand guard while mamma goes for more
nesting material.
Yesterday I watched the bird trying to
get a branching twig loose from the red bud
tree in our front yard. 1t was quite a struggle.
The nest is so in the open, my husband put
cone-shaped affair around the tree to keep
the cats away.
II know this isn't much of description but
wonder II you know what bird 1t Is with such
habits. We have wrens building close by, and
robins and catbirds and mockingbird stays
around all winter. So we know 1t isn't one
of those.
Yours truly, M. W."
The bird probably is the yellow-billed cuckoo,
described here at length recently.
The cuckoo Is II or II inches long, whereas
robin is 10 inches. Another possibility is
the kingbird, but this one is much smaller,
being only inches in length.
There are two cuckoos around here here-
about, hereabouts, herearound, why not?). We
ought to be able to make up words as we go
along, If they are sensible and If they fit, or
tell something.
guage, some SO much a part of 1t now that the
fact that they are made up" has long been
forgotten.
The very name cuckoo" has hanging to It,
like tail, the idea of placing eggs in another
birds nest, but that parasitic habit, among
cuckoos, belongs to the English cuckoo, in Eu-
rope, and to the cowbird in this country. Our
cuckoos are not parasitic.
Both yellow billed and black-billed cuckoos
come to this vicinity, but the former more than
the latter
The former has the sloppiest nest mere
arrangement of sticks. The nest of the black
billed Is better made.
Both nests give the observer the feeling that
the eggs may slide off, but they seldom do. No
doubt the birds know more about nest building
than humans.
1t Is only kindness which makes watching
human wish to protect the birds from what
at times, appears to be their own stupidity.
centuries the birds have worked out the form.
and know exactly when they have done it cor
rectly, from their standpoint, of course, not
from ours.
Thus the blue jays about IL feet or 50 from
our own house put the nest squarely at the
end OF q cut curved locust bough, where new
sprouts were coming UP.
1t is as If on the prov OF a ship, and there
Is a curving path-the bough-leading nicely
from the trunk for all cats and squirrels
We can sympathize with the desire to put
circle of tin around tree to keep cats from
going up, and 1t is good thing, but it will not
protect the baby birds from squirrels, some of
whom at times become flesh eaters
In most cases. however, the yigilant father
bird drives all intruders away, including, In
some sections, snakes. always menace to eggs
and fedglings.
This morning we heard commotion in the
jay tree, and watched the father Jay assault
ing squirrel who came too near the nest.
He drove at it repeatedly, sending 1t scamper-
ing around and around the trunk Of the tree,
higher and higher
Humans may protect birds, by the use OF care
and common sense; but, after all. the birds
must protect themselves, In the long run.