Evening star., 1947-07-17
This and That
By Charles E. TraceWeH.
- ARLINGTON, v

.> ARLINGTON, VA.
Dear Sir:
This morning very early there was terrible
noise just outside my window.
Il happen to sleep on the first floor, and we
have a feeding station out there.
Il looked out and there were four birds, a
mamma bird and three youngsters.
They were making the confoundest noise I
die ever hear. This noise was very loud, a
combination between an outward and an in
ward breath.
"It was a nasty sound, really.
"The babies were making this noise IN an
effort to get the mamma bird to feed them, and
the noise really woke up the whole neighbor-
hood.
Now will you tell me what these birds were,
and how can get rid Of them?
Very truly, E. B.
These birds were starlings.
The large, gray speckled babies know thing
or two. They put up big noise in world
where big noises get results.
The bigger the noise, the bigger the results,
often enough.
The atom bomb, for instance.
No. baby stariings know nothing about bombs,
in the food line.
They ordinarily bamboozle their parents into
feeding them long after they are able to get
food for themselves.
They do this one may feel convinced not
because they do not want to feed themselves as
some watchers might think but because they
get twice as much this way.
The father and mother are more adept at
finding food, and thus bring to the hungry
babies more honest grub than they would be
able to rustic up for themselves.
Father and mother birds are tremendously
susceptible to the plants Of the hungry, re-
gardless Of species.
So sparrows and others, listening to the bawl-
ing Of the starlings, respond by dropping choice
bits down those yawning bills.
The noise of the young starlings certainly
cannot be called musical 1t is too loud for
one thing, and has no song pattern, for another.
It is a sort of beched noise as our correSpon-
dent infers.
Coming, as it so often does, just after dawn
when the light begins to get good, 1t is irritable
to the nerves of persons who are trying to
sleep.
Whether such sleepers regard themselves
as bird lovers or not, this noise of the baby
starlings is bad, and SO is held against them
being added to the list of dement's which this
species receives from so many.
Any sudden noise will break up the party
The babies fly away, and the parents join them
1t is no trick at all to end the disturbance.
Young starlings are fond of bread and raisins
50 that these foods should not be put out, Il
one finds the noise irritable.
The best way, of course, is to get state OF
mind In which all natural sounds are inter-
esting. This is done by a combination Of honest
listening and honest thinking. If one can
convince ones sell that noise at first disliked
is humorous much has been gained.
The roar of the seventeen -year-locusts, fol
instance, was much disliked by some, whereas
other listeners really thrilled to it.
There can be no question who gets the mos
out of life. He or she who is able to accept al
nature as interesting, through one reason OF
another, is far in advance of the person who
finds fault with some parts of it. Nature !:
so pervading, that the watcher who finds fault
with her Is likely to be in hot water too much
Of the time. The calmer waters OF the spiri
pleasantly greet the observer who remains calm
in the face Of the shrill cry OF the hylas, Of
spring peepers, easily heGrd . mile On q good
nixtlt,