Evening star., 1948-09-01
This and That
By Charles E. Trace1Deu

The towhee signalled his entrance into our
neighborhood by his peculiar call note.
Then he flew down to the driveway and
came toward the feeding station by the big
maple tree.
Maybe he will stay all winter
This would be great, for he is one of the
best wintering birds.
feature is that only few of them remain,
so the household with a towhee in the feeding
station is fortunate and proud.
wonderful bird, this.
Ground robin he has been called, and robin
IKE he Is, with some white some rusty some
black on him. and few feathers that give
the effect of gold
This is the chewink, as he is known in some
portions of the country He is also called
swamp robin, bullf1nch IA Virginia designa-
tlon), red-eyed towhee, jo-ree, bush bird tur-
key sparrow.
A marvellous bunch of names!
Both toWhee and chewink refer to the call
notes
Just how one call could be so differently
heard is one OF the mysteries of bird study.
ToWhee Is gaining in usage, though The
adoption of this name by the American Orni-
biologists Union has established it as prefer
able.
The call is different from the song.
The latter is not heard here very much, but
now and then is caught by the ear tuned to
catching bird songs.
Catching these notes is an art all by itself.
One may know strains from the symphonies,
and yet not be able to tell sparrow ctirp
from wood thrush melody.
This is all wrong, at least for musically
inclined person The birds were the first
musicians, and still remain among the best.
Their singing apparatus is one of nature S
marvels Their effects, as such, are truly
wonderful. The song patterns they have built
up over the centuries have brought peace to
countless human minds and hearts, and still
today they tell the waiting soul of its i'm
memorable journeys. 1t will be pleasing to
many cynical persons to know that no matter
what mankind does with its worst creation,
the atom bomb, the birds, in all likelihood will
escape destruction.
The songs Of the birds are muted. at this
time of year, and by no means as plentiful as
IN the spring and early summer, the great nest
ing times But they may still be heard, and
somehow they assume certain poignancy
The simple notes we have learned to love
sound as if farewels to summer. They come
pleasingly on the breeze. the strong or mild
breeze, the cool or hot breeze. They assume
pleasant lives in the past and point forward
10 more happiness in the next year. They
speak of haunted streams where the Spanish
moss grows, where bright flowers frisk in the
breeze.
The towhee sounds his call, his simple tow
hee, or cfe-wink, if you please
IL tllls 1elloW SCayS he Will De more than
welcome among the common sparrows the
jays and the cardinals at the feeding place
He will perch in the feeding station for
time, lord of all he surveys Not that he is
by any means vicious.
No. he simply pecks toward the other BIRDS
and they take the hint and stay out of the
feeding tray while he is around.
They have enough brains for that. Birds
have just enough minds for their own uses
They survive because they have just the right
amount, and not too much. To have too much
brains is to court failure in this world.
The intellectual, as such, is always open to
being pushed around, although he strenuously
likes to think of himself as essential. When
the great silent men come as Spengler said
the intellectuals will be showed over the cliff.
and no one will miss them.
The birds run no such risks. They have Just
enough minds for their needs.
Somehow we have always pictured the tow
hee, with his beautiful feathers. as a true bird
of the future Along with the clean wood
thrush and the happy jay. there will be
enough mind in the bird community after the
big blow-up to construct happy avian civili-
zation, that world OF the future in which not
the lamb and the lion will lie down together,
but the bird and the cat. And all will be peace.