Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1947-08-25
This and That
By Charles E. Trace,pell.

BETHESDA, Md.
Dear Sir:
What shall do about the blue jays that
chase me every day in my yard?
IT like birds, but must say I am getting
pretty tired of lodging these jays
Il do not offer them any harm. but every
time come into the yard one of them sails
at me and lets me have it.
To-day one pecked me right on the back of
the head
How much of this ought to stand?
Yours truly, E. M. D."
No one ought to resent bird protecting its
young.
That is what the blue jays are doing
As far as they are concerned, every moving
thing near their nest or young is there for
harmful purposes.
Nature has taught them that, and, In the
main, it is good teaching
The birds have no way Of judging.
They only know that danger threatens when
living things get too near.
1t is the law of life, and even unsuspscting
Americans are finding 1t true.
It may be suspected that any bird that
attacks one in summer is protecting his young
Defense, in such cases, LIS always good. If
the danger Is not q real danger at all-well
the birds, cannot be blamed for not knowing
that
Their thinking machines are rudimentary
at the best.
Considering the dangers they face, the best
they can do is to make an outcry and attack
whenever something moves close to them.
1t may be a snake, cat, dog. human
being-the bird has no way OF telling them
apart.
Especially it has no method Of determining
whether human means good or Ill. It's
hard job, even for human.
A bird is unable to differentiate between the
bird lover and the bird slayer.
One may suspect that, with rare exceptions,
the birds regard all of us as foes.
Too often, they are right.
The blue Jay is one of the best guardians
of its young.
parents become especially severe in their
protection.
They fly down at anything that moves, out
doing even the mockingbird
The jay will hit passerby squarely on the
back of the head. Even the mocker seldom
does this. Usually the latter attacks only
small animals
The jay really puts on pretty show. Though
he may cause a slight hurt, as his bill probes
the skull, he does no real damage, not even
causing true wound.
While the bird lover, especially, may feel
slightly upset that the bird does not dis
eliminate better, he will hold no real resent
ment.
*%**
These attacks are examples of one of the
deepest sentiments in living things
The protection Of the young, for a certain
time, is shared by humans, four legged animals,
birds and even fishes
1t is altogether likely that some of the
insects know and understand about this.
Starlngs make great fuss, when they have
their young out to feed, but they seldom, II
ever, attack a marauder or one they think
may be in that class.
Catbirds sometimes fly down at dog or cat.
Other species content themselves with much
flying and fluttering and few even pretend
to be wounded, in order to draw on the
marauder from the young ones.
Mostly the birds, in such situations simply
make as much noise as possible. This is taken
up by all parents In the neighborhood, with the
result that sometimes the noise alone frightens
away the attacker.
Blue jays, mockingbirds and owls are birds
who unhesitatingly attack those they think
threaten their young. The six owls shot re-
Gently were in all probability a father and
mother and four babies Certainly they de-
served a better fate. since they are among the
best rodent destroyers We have.