Evening star., 1948-08-03
This and That
BIZ Charles E. TrGceWeH

Here's man with good word for sparroWs.
J. R. @. of Alexandria, Va, knows what to DO
when he is sun bathing.
. He watches the birds This time he came up
with some real admiration for sparrow he saw
eating japanese beetles at Lively rate.
Let him tell it:
"I was basking in the morning sun on the
lawn surrounding the apartment house unit
where I reside, when ! noticed that the spar
rows one sprightly rascal in particular, were
engaged in battle to the finish with colony
of beetles that had taken up residence in the
young dogwood trees and firethorn bushes.
THE squadron leader of the sparrows would
dive into the foliage and with great precision
and skill dart away, his victim squirming in his
beak.
I'm the center of the yard surrounding
bed of larkspur and towering moss, is cement
sidewalk.
Here Mr. Sparrow would alight with his juicy
prey, whacking him good and hard on the pave
ment.
Time and again this tireless little bird re-
peated his good deed for the day Sunday not
withstanding) until, after II accomplished mis-
sions, I lost count.
"As often as not he would render his pris-
oner unconscious and then abandon him to one
of the small group of spectators that fiuttered
and chirped nearby.
"By careful examination, ascertained that
only the tender, meaty portion was eaten Lit
tered here and there were the irridescent husks
that had been the habitat of these beautiful,
though havoc spreading pests.
although I observed other sparrows killing
and devouring the beetles with cracking
souno similar to cardinal feasting on sun
flower seeds), the hero of the day was easily
singled out
Finally, after an hour or So I was sand
wiched back between the pages of a book, in
wardly glad that I had taken the time last
winter to scatter, here and there, a few crumbs
on the barren and uncharitable snow"
English sparrows and starlings are real Japa-
nese beetle eaters
Thrashers sometimes eat them. Other species
watching these at work, probably will initiate
them.
All the birds together, however, cannot be
expected to end such a great pest
Time and tide, working together with the
proper usage of DDT, at last may end this
scourge.
Improper use of DDT will do little.
We would prefer sparrows!
The japanese beetle is a beauty, regarded
solely from the artistic light.
He glistens in the sun.
He loves fine odors, as witness his fondness
for the sweet material used in the traps.
We know local resident who had used hair
tonic, one in which was incorporated oil of
lavender.
This gentleman went out in the sun after
wards, and was the target of all the japanese
beetles in the garden.
They landed on his head, fell among the
pages of his magazine, and tried to insert them
selves between his collar and neck.
The japanese beetle lands in many ONCE
buildings The other day we found very large
one on Pennsylvania avenue.
This specimen was at least four times as large
as most Of them a real bull beetle.
I~y,4 an
is not as great as many suppose. We would like
to warn against too easy acceptance OF the
belief that traps Will do good unless an entire
neighborhood uses them.
Our idea is that every beetle killed is just
one less No doubt the eugenol in the traps
does attract them from another yard-but it
gets them Just the same. A few traps in a
block, strategically placed mot too close to-
getherl work wonders, by the end of the season.
At the worst. however, in a small place, the
japanese beetle menace is not as bad as some
lugubrious souls would have one believe. With
the aid of our sparrows and stariings, few
traps, and some spray. gardeners are holding
their own.