Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1948-02-02
This and That
BIZ Charles II. Trace,Dell
ARLINGTON, VA.

Dear Sir:
TT makes me indignant to read in your
column the letters from penufious people put
ting out few raisins and asking how to keep
blue jays. squirrels, etc. from eating them !
why don't they put out food for all the
birds and animals?
They eat wildbird seed, chicken scratch
feed, baby chix feed, corn meal and hon1iny
grits put out dry inlittle hills on the board.
IT cannot afford raisns for my birds and
squirrels, and am sure they enjoying knowing
they can always find food put out twice every
day summer and winter at their two feeding
stations.
Sometimes the squirrels get there first and
take their time eating; 1t Is fun watching them
chasing each other away and running back
to eat.
THE birds perch in the trees waiting their
turn, they know there will be enough for them
all.
II have a large number OF cardinals and
birds 1 do not know the names of; catbirds
love meat, and save all the scraps for them
in spring and summer cut 1t fine on plate;
they are very tame.
BE happy and feed all the birds!
Very truly G. T. M"
ARLINGTON, VA
Dear Sir:
down under the porch where it was dry.
Corn meal mush 1 made, full of raisins
fat and suet for the hungry starlings, to keep
them off the feed for the birds
And did they get rid Of it!
They came in f1ocks of rs and So SO one
would need a barrel Of sunhower seeds and
rasins They have q snesky approach. Give
me the Knockers and jays. They come to the
window and feed and drink and leave either
before or after the smaller birds.
One day 1 saw a bird that resembled the
kingfisner in size and appearance, crest lying
toward back, but it was very dark colored,
either because plumage was wet, or it may
have been SOME other bird. 1t was facing away
from me, and / could not see if it had
light neck band. Instantly it made me think
Of the kingfsher saw on the bird bath in
summer.
During the seven years that I have fed the
birds I have never seen Jay until this past
winter. They fight the starlings If they come
at the same time, but only them. They come
so dark shadow spreads, over the window.
Very cordially, Z. Z. H."
There will always be, evidently. two cults
In modern bird feeding, the Feed-Them-
Alters and the Feed-Just-Somers.
The Feed Them-Ahers believe In putting
out food for ali the birds and animals that
happen to come.
They are typifed by beautiful lady who
happened to see an opossum on the window
sill feeding station at O'Clock at night.
She looked at the opossum and the opossum
looked at her. The animal went ahead calmly
eating suet.
The lady raised the window but the
opossum did not bulge.
And then in the moonlight ensued the
pretty scene of the lady handing out pieces
of bread and suet to the opossum, who
graciously accepted them in his wonderful
little hands.
The d-Just-Somers, on the other cheek,
get red in the face when they happen to
see squirrel in the feeding shelf.
They grow pale at the sight Of a pigeon
and implore high heaven to end the depreda-
lions of starlings and common Sparrows.
No doubt they would faint at the sight of
q rat.
It may be believed that the Feed-Them-
Alters have by far the best Of the bargain,
although it may cost them more in money.
The idea Of putting out food, tempting ali
hungry things in the cold, and then shrieking
mo, nor to certain guests, does not appeal
to these good people
They have an idea that the starting is
quite as hungry In the cold as the cardinal
that somehow God does not make much dis
tinction between an English sparrow and
chicadee. Coleridge, when he wrote THE
Ancient Mariner" must have had the same
idea when he said:
He doeth best,
Who loveth best
All thines both great and small"