Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1948-03-12
This and That
By Charles E. Trace1UeH

Dear Sir:
IT may neglect news, but always read your
column.
please help me identify the handsome wood
pecker that visited our feeder today
He Is a beauty, with his back marked much
ike barred chicken and vivid red cap on
his head
The red runs right down the center of his
head, but does not cover the entire head. He
seems little smaller than a flicker
Our homemade feeder is just about six feet
from the kitchen table, so we really can ex-
anime the birds There Is one blue jay visitor
that has only one foot. He lands with such a
'plop.' He seems to realize his handicap, for
he is not aggressive
Then there is sparrow that has one foot
turned backward; also one without tail.
stations high enough.
Il had ours on the porch railing, until one
day I saw my neighbours cat leap from the floor
onto the feeder and pounce on jay.
AFTER that, put the feeding station on legs.
Thank you for teaching about living in toll
erance and kindness. Sincerely B. B. ""
The bird is the red-belied woodpecker
He is extremely good looking and pleasure
to have around. There is no use to look for
red on his stomach, however for 1t is impos-
sble to see 1t.
Even at close range. the watcher seldom will
"see red,' in this case.
pecker
No use to look to see if he is really "downy"
or not, because he looks exactly like the other
woodpeckers in respect to feather formation.
Only scientist can point out to you, on a
dead specimen, why the bird ever was called
"downy'' in the first place.
Perhaps the small size, combined with its
"cuddlV' apnear9nce first gave some One he
idea of clubbing it the downy woodpecker.
"vERpLANcK PLACE.
Dear Sir:
.Our first robin arrived at our house today
at o'clock in the afternoon.
There he was, as big and fat as ever, fresh
from the South, looking as II the Southern
air had done him good
He was picking around on the lawn just as
he always does If he has found any worms,
we haven't noticed any.
"Our Patty is helping bit by putting out
long lengths of spaghetti cooked, of course.
Probably this will help until real honest
to-goodness worm thinks 1t warm enough to
come to the surface.
In any event, spring cannot be too far away
now. Our robin never fails to bring the
bright days. Cordially yours. w. NJ To-
That is the way every one feels about the
first robin that appears in ones own yard.
All the rest are just something to hear about
or read about, but ones own very first robin
is something to watch with admiration.
Watching with admiration
That Is what the modern world needs, is
it not?
Too often nowadays people watch with envy,
with jealous eyes, with hearts filled with spleen
because some one else earns more money or
has newer car, or something.
If we can watch with admiration, can achieve
some of the good heart we all have when we
watch Old Man Robin, we will have done more
than coin slogans and attempt to tell others
how we think they ought to live.
Nobody, as far as we know wants to reform
the robin.
He is all right, to everybody's taste, ap-
parently.
But how can Old Man Robin be so right (,
and all the rest Of us wrong?
The truth Is that we are all "all right" II
we were let alone to be ourselves in honesty
and truth, Just Is the birds are.