Evening star., 1948-05-14
This and That
BIZ Charles E. Trnce1Dell

Some one wants to know what are the very
best birds in local gardens.
A great many bird lovers will be willing to
settle for the raisin eaters. -
These include robin, wood thrush. mocking-
bird, cardinal catbird, common sparrow and
startling.
A few others eat raisins too, but not 10
avidly nor SO consistently.
Taking the raisin eaters as group, they are
interesting, picturesque creatures; and the
asSroup, Is here laid down, consists of sedate
and clownish, gorgeous and plain, beloved and
sometimes despised birds.
We have here a perfect segment. then, Of
life, not only winged life. but of life wherever
1t is lived, on whatever plane, in whatever en-
vironment.
The raisin eaters make wonderful spread
on the back porch in the early morning in the
sunshine.
Then the bright redbird, the sociable robin,
and the lovely thrush land one after the other
on the floor, while an old startling swoops in
to the rail, and q homely sparrow fiutters on
the lattice above.
Such a picture is one no artist can paint or
at least never has
The trouble is that the painters Of bird
scenes have been SO interested in depicting the
many colored boys and girls Of the air that
they commonly have forgotten or overlooked
the environment, or setting. the human side"
as 1t were for birds have their human" side
too If the term means anything at all.
The chain of life runs golden through all
the forms we know. There is something very
human, as we say, in the dog, the cat, the old
mare, the rabbit and the insects, even.
Perhaps that is why people are interested in
them, and never tire of watching them. Not
all people, Of course some find it impossible
to STEP even for an inch over the line that
divides the creatures. But the dogs and cats
do better than this. They enter our houses,
eat our food, and reward us with smiles Of
sort. They have taken the long step over the
line into another world. Humans, some Of
them at least, have yet to learn to do a. we'll
How can We all live together in amity, II We
refuse to do as well As dogs and cats?
We recommend our back porch scenes
the robin with with his red breast, the speckled
thrush the bright cardinal, the catbird, on the
porch floor, frightened by the sunshine.
And the painter must add the old starting
on the rail, for he is bright, too, though in
another way, and the small sparrow on the
lattice, humble but lively.
This is the scene no artist has painted ex-
actly, though some attempts have been made
at 1t, many of them wrong.
For instance, there is a painting Of 10
species Of birds arranged symmetrically on q
tree trunk with protruding limbs.
Now, birds never arrange themselves So
unless they happen to be members Of the
same species of flocking birds.
Nor do Is species-count 'em-all combine
to arrange themselves so trinity on the same
tree 1T the same time.
That Is not the way birds do things.
Our porch scene would have the merit of
being true to life. 1t would provide q picture
Of fve good birds, all good raisin eaters.
The raisin eaters take few for themselves
and then invariably fly away with one or two
to give their offspring.
Raisins are comparatively cheap, and always
in good supply, except now and then at an
individual store.
It 10 noticeable that no mother or father
blrd takes too many back to the nest. They
seem to realize that few will do the babies
good, to Offset the insect and meat diet Of the
little birds, but also seem to know that too
many will be too laxative.
The Iaisin is good food. sprinkling along
the rail Of porch, on the driveway, or at a
given spot in the grass, will be attractive to
birds all day long.
They seem to like them particularly at
dawn's early light, and a fresh supply there
on the porch railing then will be much ap-
preciated by all.
There Is no need to put any on the porch,
for the birds will zee to that by knocking
quantities Of them down as they feed The
greedy starlngs and bustling sparrows send
the raisins flying, but not one is lost, for
those beauties of the airways the cardinals,
catbirds, thrushes and mockers make . nne
cleanup squad.