Evening star., 1947-05-21
This and That
By Charles E. Tr1ceDeH.
ARLINGTON, Va.

ARLINGTON, Va.
Dear Sir:
"One evening at twilight saw bird up in
a tree that had black oano around lCs hecA'
Can you identify 1t?
ITO me it looked the size of the mocker and
about the same color. 1t may have had Other
markings but the black band was all could see
from my position. am anxious to know what
it was Sincerely yours E. S.
This bird must be a flicker
It is II inches long, just an inch more than
the mockingbird.
The mocker is gray of course whereas the
flicker is more brownish, but with gray mixed
in, SO that in poor light 1t easily might be
taken for gray.
The bird has bright scarlet patch or band
on the head
The mark on the neck or throat, rather, is
more on the crescent style, but could be taken
for band if seen from the front.
Birds with genuine bands around the neck
are far and few between, as the old phrase
had it.
The kingfisher is one but Its band is broad,
and very light in color
1t is interesting to see how good descriptions
of birds may be much too full for general USE
Here is the "blow by blow" description OF the
flicker as contained in one Of the best OF the
larger bird books. Hold onto your hat while
going through it!
Adult male-crown and hindneck, plain
gray interrupted by crescentic band OF bright
scarlet the forehead usually more brownish;
back shoulders, wing -coverts and Secondaries
grayish brown, sharply barred with black bars
much narrower than the brown interspaces
Except sometimes, on secondaries) and pointed
at the extremities, except on secondaries, where
much broader than elsewhere; primaries, dull
black and spotted, at least on middle portion
with light grayish- brown or dull pale yellow
ish (these spots usually rather indiStinct) their
shafts bright clear yellow; rump, white, mostly
immaculate but laterally broken by broad
brace-shaped bars of black; upper tail coverts,
white variously marked USUALLY transversely,
with black; tail, black. the middle pair CT
feathers duller or more olivaceous basally,
usually edged narrowly, with dull whitish, the
inner web often notched or spotted long edge
with the same; shafts of tail feathers Except
middle pair) bright pure yellow with extremi-
ties black; before and above the eye, deep
reddish cinnamon below eye and sides of head
together with chin throat, foreneck and upper
chest uniform ilac-brown; cheeks, black,
forming conspicuous elongated patch or
''mustache"; lower chest, black, forming
conspicuous crescentic path; rest OF underparts
pale lilac-brown or dull buff -pinkish fading
into white or pale yellowish on sides and on
under tailcoverts, conspicuously spotted with
black, the spots mostly roundish larger and
subtrangular, sometimes v-shaped, on under
tailcoverts-"
Help, help
At this point let us break off. There is great
deal more to it, but surely this Is enough to
make any one gasp.
Plain folks may think such description is
no way to treat fine bird.
Detail of this nature may be all right from
scientific standpoint, but surely it does some
injustice to the glowing. living thing it de-
scribes.
Science before whom We moderns tend to
bow low, does just that to life.
It takes the life out of life and presents, in
its stead thing of chemicals !.
Such descriptions are travesty on God, man
and fiickers.
They belong only In scientific books and not
in the sunshine, where birds ny and children
play and flowers grow.