Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1948-02-04
This and That
By Charles E. Trace1eH
-. - "DICKERSON Md.

I'll. a,ltt .,,ecs. , .''D1CKERSON,yM Nd
II have greatly enjoyed your. daily article
and have gained great deal of pleasure from
my own observations. Your articles have
tended to increase my interests In all our
wildlife. I was particularly interested In the
thoughts and observations on the buzzard.
more beautiful bird in flight the Lord never
made.
Il would appreciate 1t very much If you
would help me identify bird. This bird looks
much like the slate-colored junco, except that
it has no white. The bird is very chunky and
almost black in color. 1t Is somewhat larger
than the English sparrow. There were about
five of these birds with the sparrows on the
trumpet vine this morning 1t was noted that
these birds were less active than the sparrows,
being content just to perch.
Again let me express my gratitude to you
for stimulating my interest in the great variety
of bird life with which the Lord has seen fit to
bless this part of our land. Perhaps II we
would enjoy them and take an interest in them,
then we would get glimpse Of the love OF our
heavenly Father and then we would see truly
that the best things in life are free
VERY sincerely yours, nc. W."
II y
"BRooKMoNT, Md.
Dear Sir:
Last week we moved into a house set among
trees and underbrush. We are thrilled with
the number and varieties of birds that come
to our windows.
1--WE have been feeding them canary seed and
bread crumbs until reminded that We are sup
posed to conserve wheat. Can you tell us what
kind of grain to get for them?
Very truly yours, E. D.
The chunky, black birds mentioned by our
first correspondent might have been starlings
A great many people fail to recognize this one
when it comes to their own yards in the sub
urbs They know it down town. but on shrub
somehow it seems different.
Or possibly these birds may have been juncos
whose tummies just weren't so white. Some
times distance lends different appearance
to our birds.
In very cold weather the birds fluff up their
feathers until they seem to be twice normal
size This fact, with the angle at which they
are SEEM and sometimes the background, ex-
plains why bird may look very unlike its
pictured appearance in book.
1t is curious fact that the Audubon prints
today seem very old fashioned. and some
persons have asked If the appearance Of our
birds has changed since he painted them.
There perhaps has been gradual change
in the birds. Especially today, they receive
many different kinds Of foods, and much more
food Then, too the passage OF the years
means something. Today our human beings
are taller, and live longer The birds may
benefit in much the same way
X
Our second correspondent should not per-
NIT any one to yowl save wheat when put
ting out food for the birds.
Without our Birds it is questionable whether
American agriculture could survive.
The wheat and other grains they eat belong
to them.
Let no friend of the birds listen to propa-
ganda against them.
But wheat is, after all, very little used for
bird food except in the form of bread. There
is much stale bread whether one admits it or
not, and this, moistened with milk Or water.
makes good bird food. So used, it will never
take one bite out OF the mouths of Europeans
or others.
There are many things to be fed the birds,
including baby chick feed and chicken scratch
feed, to be purchased at hardware and other
stores; also mixtures usually called "wildbird
feed,' and sunflower seed, and peanut hearts,
and suet, and all sorts Of mixtures in cake
form, besides clean scraps OF food
Our American birds deserve these as much
as any one. The work they do Tor us in eating
inimical insects and weed seeds puts us in
their debt, and it Is little enough we can do
for them to give them food when natural sup
plies are covered with snow and ice Let
no one feel that this is anything but whole
some and beneficial, for after all, charity be-
gins at home.