Evening star., 1947-12-12
This and That
By Charles E. TraceUeH
NORTHAMPTON STREET,

L.
Dear Sir:
II have intended to write to you for a long
time to tell you how much I enjoy your daily
column and how much have learned from it.
have several friends who are also avid fans
OF your column. and we find your philosophy,
as well as your bird lore, very helpful.
For three winters have had hanging just
outside my kitchen window one of the vertical,
stick-type feeders, without perches, for the
clinging variety OF birds. and we have been
delighted with the downy woodpeckers, chicka-
dees, nuthatches and titmice which it attracts
II also put out sunfower seeds and unsalted
peanut halves on fiat porch railing, which, of
course, brings the jays. Knockers, cardinals,
sparrows, squirrels, etc. continued this latter
feeding place throughout the summer this
year with great success, and left the vertical
feeder empty, which meant that the pair Of
chickadees and the pair of downies left me
through the summer. Within the past week,
when began again to fill the vertical feeder,
I find both pairs are back with regular attend
ance.
"1his last spring We had thriving
family Of titmice Matched on the premises.
put out ground raw beef, as per your instruc-
tions, and the parent birds fed 1t eagerly to
the babies.
"Our most interesting recent experience has
been that our pair of white nut
become so tame that they will eat out Of our
hands.
Further, they are so friendly that If they
chance to see us pass by window. one or
the other will come up to the windowsill
and inspect us, walking calmly about on the
sill, peering in, or running down the side Of the
house head-frst. We almost expect to wake
up some morning to find one of them has
walked in the open window demanding break
fast I wonder is it common for nuthatches
to come to hand to feed in this way
Il hope I have not wearied you with the
length of this letter. but T have derived much
pleasure from the birds, much of which ability
to appreciate I attribute to you, that cannot
refrain from expressing my enthusiasm and
thanks. VERY truly yours M. D. A."
X
The nuthatch is one OF our most interesting
species.
Named because it hacks nuts and seeds open
to eat the meat the nuthatch is common to
the suburban sections.
There are two Sorts the white breasted and
the red-breasted; the latter is uncommon, but
the former plentiful.
The word hatch" is an old form of hack.
From it we get our word "hatchet.'
The nuthatch might well be called the nut
hatcnet, but the joke is that he matches far
more seeds than he does nuts
This bird is rather on the fat side, with
blue-black markings and white.
His most characteristic pose is on the side
of a tree, head down. It is this position which
gives him the name of devil down-head as he
is sometimes called in books, although seldom
any place else.
The bird strikes the observer as fat, although
he Is not that, nor can he be called real
devil in any sense.
He likes the society of the other small birds,
being particular pal of the chickadees, titnice
and brown creepers.
1t is not common thing for this bird to
come to the hand.
Some people seem to possess the knack Of
drawing the birds in this way It is not given
to every one, no matter how much they like
the birds.
Science in recent years has shown the inner
chemistry Of the body is responsible for the
apparently unreasonable attractions and dis
likes OF human beings one with another. Per-
haps something Of the kind, an odd matter of
blood chemistry, is responsible for the ability
Of some people to compel birds to come and
perch on hands and shoulders.