Evening star., 1947-04-08
This and That
By Charles Z. TracevelI.
GARRETT PARK, Md.

GARRETT PARK, Md.
Our family has enjoyed your column
for so many years that we have often
remarked that we should thank you for
all the pleasure you have given us; yet
somehow we never do anything more
than continue to read and enjoy it,
= However. as you asked for q show of
hands on Montgomery County nut
matches, this would seem to be our op-
portunity to thank you, as well as to
report.
"We' have had two white breasted
nuthatches all winter, but for the last
month we have had single red-breast-
ed one, too. Often all three of them
are on the elm tree at the same time,
but keep their respectful distance from
the one who happens to be on the tray
at the moment.
'The, rose-breasted nuthatch was
there just moment ago, whacking
away while perched atop a piece Of
suet nailed to the trunk of the tree
just above the feeding tray. There is
no other way to keep blue jays from
carrying it away almost as soon as It
is put out.
"All winter we have had a flock of
white-throated sparrows, often as many
as 20 at time, and more. Sometimes,
when there is hawk overhead, they
freeze to the tree and the forsythia and
are motionless for good many minutes.
But what has become of the purple
finches and fox sparrows Of yesteryear?
We used to have 40 or so finches here
all the winter from late October to late
spring, but now we see only few strag-
glers. and only occasionally at that
'We haven't had q fox sparrow all
winter, yet we always used to have them
whenever there was snow. At the time
OF the celebrated Palm Sunday storm
we had 10 fox sparrows at clearing
under the elm tree.
Most Of our city friends have eyes
only for the cardinals and can scarcely
be brought to watch the little brown
creeper, or even the rose-breasted nut
hatch, who seems to be just another
chickadee or titmouse to them.
Il often wonder why have become
so Indifferent to birds as gorgeous as
cardinals. Perhaps they are too many
or too obvious, or too easily enticed with
food, whereas 1t calls for patience to
lure the little birds that are shy.
Losing bit of ones interest in the
bright birds for the palmer ones is
something that happens to many bird
lovers. after time.
1t is based. we have no doubt, on the
immutable principle of beauty being
more than skin-in this case feather
Deep.
The flash and fire of the male cardi-
nal is fine, but after awhile the watcher
sees that he is something OF a bully,
after all, and that his palmer mate is
real portrait of lady.
The time comes, in the life of every
friend Of birds and other small crea-
lures, when he begins to'realize that all
is not gold that glitters and that be-
meath the breast of the brown creeper
beats heart as stout as any.
In other words, the birds show us
plainly that the good things are not
just the bright and beautiful things, as
young people sometimes tend to think,
but also those basic features of life
which go to make up the best we know.
Sometimes these basic principles lack
a great deal of the charm, zip, 'it" we
have been led to expect by propaganda,
especially radio propaganda, with which
every writer Is celebrated writer
and every singer famous singer" We
come in time, unless we are careful, to
think that every author must be "cele-
brated" to be good, that nc, singer can
be worth a whoop who is not also "fa-
NOUS" whatever that may mean
As we watch the birds we come at
last to see that though the bright red
bird may be very bright and very red
he Is no better, in the best sense. than
the little female English sparrow with
her Quaker-like gray breast, or the old
starting changing flues in the sunshine.
When We come to this point In life
Gas our good correspondent has) We may
call ourselves philosophers, indeed; and
realize at last that q philosopher may
live today as well as in the olden times:
that he is. after all, just one with com
mon. sense,