Evening star., 1948-04-24
This and That
Bu Charles E. Truce1UelI

Want your house cutters cleaned out?
Look up friendly blue jay.
One of these big fellows has been operating
recently in our front gutter, and the amount of
black, decayed leaves he has pecked out is
amazing.
No doubt he was looking for grubs, full
grown insects, and maybe insect eggs, since
almost anything is likely to be found in such
leaf masses.
The blue jay, vigorous, happy, full of fun is
never so full O. pep as in the springtime.
He has the nest on his mind, and the rearing
of the young.
The increasing warmth does it, to all appear
ances but scientists tell us that it is rather
the increasing light.
The blue jay in the house gutter is merry
bird soul.
There just beneath the roof-and caves, if
there are any-he works away, digging into
the homogeneous mass the leaves have become.
Locust leaves, in particular, make fine
mulch, for that is what the material has be-
come, subjected as it has been to plenty OF
water, rain and the action of frost.
The jay whose powerful neck is almost as
strong as that of a woodpecker, braces him.
self on the rim of the gutter, and then drives
with his big bill.
Often he brings up something good to eat.
In doing so, however, he dislodges some of
the material, much to the distress of the tidy
housewife, who finds it all over the walks.
1t is black, rich, in the gardening sense.
What the jay throws out, should be gathered
up and put on the flower beds. 1t should not
be wasted.
Even the greatest bird lover will admit that
the jay, as gutter cleaner, misses great deal.
Despite the overflow he makes on the walk
there is more left aloft than he sends down.
The gardener is tempted to think up some
way to induce the jay to put in a few more
hours, and do a better overall job of it,
If the bird could be trained to keep at it, he
would be quite as efficient as any an-with-a-
ladder.
That is the trouble come to think of it. with
all the animals and birds as human helpers
There is no way to induce them to take their
extra job seriously!
Consider the birds, for instance, in regard
to insect control
We are told, in all solemnity, how many tons
of weed seeds they eat q year, how many hop
perfuls of inimical insects, but when we look
around the yard it is difficult to see them doing
anything of the kind.
The result is that many honest people fail
to believe, down in their hearts, that the birds
help us at all.
Reason the thing out, however, and they will
realize that an insect in the grass is pretty
small.
A weed seed Is even smaller
1t is difficult, practically impossible to see
either the seed or insect as it goes down the
bird throat.
1t goes down, however, be assured of that
There can be little question that humanity
is much indebted to the birds. Not of course
that the birds gather in conventions and pass
resolutions affirming their undying affection
for mankind, therefore be it resolved that each
titmouse be ordered to eat 999 insects COM
monty held to be inimical to the best welfare
of our great friends, men, their wives and
children"
Birds are not SO silly
They leave resolutions and rules of order
to humans. Such matters do well enough
for the latter. They must need such rules, -
in order to keep from quarreling even from
fighting.
The birds, with superior wisdom, simply do
what nature calls for, and she, in her general
intelligence. calls both for what is good for
them and for mankind