Evening star., 1947-10-25
This and That
BIZ Charles E. Trdce10ell

"The early bird catches the worm"
So goes the old saying, known as we'll as any
proverb in the world, perhaps
But there are early birds and early birds, and
one of the real ones was that first junco, or
Snowbird, on our block.
He flew across the street in the morning,
showing the white edges to his wings, and the
soft, plump, light gray breast, la Napoleon
He was early for the snowbirds, in fact, the
first for this fall and winter and he was strictly
alone, as far as could be determined.
Our location was his farthest South, of course.
This was as far as he would go in his
migration.
One thinks so much in terms of the far South,
when considering bird migration, that some
times it gives one almost start to realize that
bird which had lived all summer in the deep
woods of the far North might fly 500 or more
miles, maybe thousand and still be no farther
South than nearby Maryland.
X
The juncos are among the best birds we have,
and usually we have dozens of them.
Popularity supposed to fly in only just before
a snow, the little snowbird often bellies its name
by arriving weeks ahead of time.
1t is cozy bird, liking doorsteps and small
gardens.
While it seldom visits feeding stations, as
such, it is attracted by the sight of the other
birds, spending much of its time seeking for
food in its own way.
the latter mostly at nesting time.
Over half their food consists of weed seeds,
and since these are eaten mostly in fall and
winter, the birds thereby prevent millions Of
weeds from terminating in the spring
In this way they render man a perpetual
service one which at times he may be inclined
to discount, but which is great nevertheless.
Man is always helped by others, both worms
and angels, but with his well-known incivility
he likes to pretend that it amt so.' The
curious glaze on the tips of the clouds may have
been put there to charm him by Master Hand
with color, but how easy it is for man to cry.
= Mere chance"
The snow on the gate post forms itself into
a fairy hat that nothing but an artist could
have conceived, but the sneer in the heart OF
man says, stuff and nonsense" and lets the
matter drop.
The very intricate pattern of the very snow
flakes, endlessly varied with the verve of an
inexhaustible mind the carping nature OF man
sets down to physics and nothing more.
X y
Each one of us has his chance in the fall OF
the year to see something in the world besides
chemistry and physics in operation.
It is easier, then. The gayly colored leaves
call to us to stop and think, and dream, If for
nothing more than the validity of our own most
precious natures.
They criticized young Mussolini for speaking
in ecstatic words of the fire-pattern made by
exploding bombs in Abyssinia, but no doubt he
spoke the truth. Bombs do explode that way
And bright red leaves have their worth te
the exploring eye thrown to the pavement with
the hating step Of one at prayer.
The snowbird, sailing across the street. is a
different sort of leaf from the handiwork o
the Creator of All Things. He breathes, he flies
he eats he will go through snow and ice anc
come out safe in the spring. The warmth OF
life is in him. He is not leaf, whose work ir
the world has been done; snowbird or junco, hi
Is part of infinite life, and In the thinking
mind Of the Universe may be as important al
idea as that Of dictator, q king or an executive