Evening star., 1948-02-23
This and That
By Charles E. Trdce,eeH
"COLUMBIA ROAD

Dear Sir:
MY amazement at P. NJ LIS letter of hate
against all spalrows equaed your own.
II think affectionately of the little brown
fellows (EnglistD singing in the southwest rose
trellis in the winter afternoon sun, sheltered by
our rambling frame house.
"a happy company! And that was over so
years ago.
And here, as I walk along past the narrow
strip of lawn next the sidewalk, 1 watch this
generation of the sparrows feeding in the grass,
ripping of the seeds, croWdlng together, so or
more, and still in the winter sunshine and
sheltered this time, by the high apartment
house.
"Seen at close range, only five to ten feet
from my eyes, their lovely colors and friendly
bright eyes are plain to see.
Il love to stop to watch them, but most of
them do not understand my stopping, and
they fly few feet into the bushes. A few
brave ones look at me, undecided, and resume
their feeding, and soon others fly down.
"And the song sparrow, one of my most
beloved birds! I have heard them sing their
cheerful song in many places. But best re-
membered was one at our old home, in the
winter, in our large chicken yard.
There were tall dead weed stalks, and two
or three scrub peach trees, grown from stones
in garbage thrown to the chickens
I'm these trees, this lone song sparrow would
fly up and sing as though it never could be
discouraged.
The white -throated sparrows and their very
sweet delicate voices faint pipingS like horns
of elfland blowing these I associate with the
Maine coast where first and best knew them,
among the spruces and boulderS of all upland
pasture looking over the slanded sea.
For a time, I was in tent, and when it
rained some white-throats sheltered in the
nearest spruce and hoped around on the
ground beneath, picking up food only or
feet from me-
Their back markings thus visible, the white
stripes on top and sides of head were easily
seen.
i've heard and seen white -throated SPAR
rows also here In the zoo grounds, near the
beaver pool, and their gentle and sweet song
was dear music to my ears.
How glad I am that you answered P. M. l..
so wisely! Surely he had gotten the wrong
idea, somehow, for sparrows are wonderful
little birds. yours sincerely P B. J.'
This good letter shows how lasting the ad-
miraton of birds is.
Fifty years-and yet the kindness and good
ness of life still persists, and the friendship
for the feathered mites in the cold.
Not all our youthful admrations hold up so
well, by any means.
The other day we tried to read o. Henry
again, ana 1ounu MIN QateQ, coy, unreauaple
And yet the fine short stories of that wonder
worker were, 40 years ago, our special delight
But the set has been relegated to the attic,
and stands there, with many other good works
unread.
Some day We intend to try him again, but
know that the result will be the same. We
will find him much too coy, much too dated
boresome practically unreadable
| But the birds remain the same in their
beauty, their whole-hearted love of life. their
| freedom from i'll thoughts.
| If there are sermons in stones, as the poet
said, there are even better ones in sparrows.
Nineteen species come to the District and
vicinity.
| Most of us will see only the English sparrows
the song sparrow, the white -throated sparrow
| and now and then tree or field sparrow, hui
the others may be seen by diligent searching