Evening star., 1948-12-21
This and That
BY Charles Z. TracetDell

BY Charles Z. TrdcetDell
What TO give the birds and squirrels for
Christmas?
Well. it's easy.
Nuts, seeds. raisins. suet, peanut butter,
coconut cake, doughnuts, apples, slices of bread
These are some of the foods liked hy birds
anG squirrels alike.
There are few things a bird will eat that
squirrel won't.
All of them patronize bird feeding station,
and all OF them, irrespective Of the number
of legs, are hungry in the cold.
r.
Coral berries on real coral wreaths, are great
favorites.
We have watched all the berries stripped from
wreaths on front doors in few minutes.
But be sure the berries are real, not fake II
you want to attract the songsters You can
not fool them.
Strings of berries seeds, pieces Of suet and
so on, may be made, and hung in evergreens,
but, after ALL this method has nothing much to
recommend 1t except novelty. II 1t Is decided to
attract some Of the birds close to the house
on Christmas Day, this string business Is q good
one, but actually the birds do not care; what
they want Is something to eat, and the old
familiar places are the best, they will indicate
Let the birds and other wild things in the
home yard have their food, whether there is
snow on the ground or not.
1ney are just as hungry.
Snow surely makes for better picture, but
it is not essential The birds have to take the
weather as it comes.
Slices of bread, moistened with milk or water,
make good Christmas food for the local birds
Bread crumbs always are good. Nothing can
be said against their use, but the fact is that
slice Of bread goes faster.
Apples offer both drink and food particularly
to the mockingbirds. They should be cut In
two, and placed cut side up.
=
Raisins make an acceptable offer, liked by
practically all the birds that winter with us.
The seed or unseeded varieties may be used
They are best placed on porch rails or steps, or
on the driveway, or on the lawn.
Do not fear that because they are invisible to
the human eye they will not be seen by the
birds.
The birds have sharp eyes, much keener than
our owr, and practically all their lives they
have used them for one purpose, to find food
1t is not always realized what 1t Is that drives
the birds to such constant seeking for food
Most people think it is simply because they
have such fine appetites and that Is true but
what gives them such good appetites? They
eat constantly. If they can find food.
1t takes something more than outdoor exer-
else and fresh air.
What makes the birds such good feeders is
this:
Their inner temperatures
These range from about 103 degrees to Ill
degrees, according to the species.
Yes, you have guessed it, One enthusiastic
bird student actually took the temperatures of
various birds, and found them ranging from 103
in the crow to more than Ill degrees In the
crested hycatcher and bob white. The ruby
throated hummingbird. even in summer, has a
temperature of better than 108 degrees. When
OLD Man Robin visits you next March, he will
be all of 100 degrees, almost ITO,
1t takes a lot Of food to keep up such heat
The more food we all put out this Christmas
time, the better of our birds will be, and the
surer they are to 60 through the winter.
Many persons, starting feeding at Christmas,
will want to keep on, not only for the good it
does but also for the pleasure 1t gives the
watchers.
He who feeds the birds in the cold will be sure
to have them around in the spring and sum-
mer, when they will eat the most insect pests
Even in the cold, such beauties as the downy
woodpecker, the nuthatch and the brown
creeper do q hne Job roofing out insect eggs
and larvae from hidden crevices In bark.