Evening star., 1948-02-13
This and That
By Charles E. TraceaDeU


Dear Sir:
What can I do to get rid of song sparrows?
There are several come to our feeding sta
ton, and the noise they make is absurd.
"It worries me, and I am thinking Of
getting rid of these birds. After all, they are
just sparrows of sort, and what good are
sparrows?
"A friend of mine said was silly to feel
this way about one of, he said, the best birds
we have.
II have taken a careful look at them, and
cannot see how in any way they excel the
horrid common sparrows.
Unless you tell me some better way, I am
going to shoot the little flying rats at day
break Yours truly, P. M. L."
Now there's guy who needs some education
Something is missing in the life of the
person who resents song sparrows
man may resent pigs and have only the
farmer against him. he may resent horses
and merely have the rack track men on his
neck; if he resents snakes, he may look for
hard looks from naturaliStS-
But the man who hasn't good werd for song
sparroWs-well, well, well
The song sparrow my good fellow, is one Of
the very best birds we have.
He is favorite of every one and soon will
be with you, too, despite your screed.
You are mistaken that is all, as all persons
are mistaken, now and then only most do not
stick their necks out 80.
You, of course, haven't leg to stand on
and by the time the legion of bird lovers get
done, you will be willing to hide your head In
shame and wish to high heaven that you
hadn't ever penned the above missive.
y X
Americas song sparrow, alas often has been
mistaken for the common sparrow.
Sometimes it even has been killed, on the
belief that it is good to kill sparrows.
Many persons on first moving to the subur-
ban sections do not know a song sparrow or a
white-throated sparrow from the English
sparrow.
Thinking it good to kill common sparrows, a
few trap and kill all sparrow-like creatures
and thus 1gnorantly do away with song spar
rows, too
There are not many of these misguided per-
sons any more, however.
Only in sections where a hard and cruel
philosophy is applied will anything of this
sort happen.
Mostly the folks of this area let the sparrows
alone.
There are 10 species of sparrows that come
here Sparrows are hard to tell apart They
are all brown and gray birds, with some black
and sometimes white, on them.
Even bit of yellow creeps in.
k**
The song sparrow is a loyable, interesting,
beautiful and splendid bird.
He has been studied more than any other
species and always comes out of the study
with the highest marks.
He is, in other words, perfect.
His song is sweet by any proper standard.
His life is good, his work for mankind excel
lent.
Few birds sing in the snow, but the song
sparrow does.
We are willing to wager right now that our
ferocious correspondent will be ashamed of
himself, sooner or later, to have called these
fine birds flying rats" Nothing could be'more
in error than that.
Every living person should become acquainted
with the song sparrow.
Some people may even believe that it Is
because such persons as Hitler, let us say.
did not have the slightest interest in song
sparrows that the World War II came about.
Certainly, it may be said that men interested
in song sparrows will not be so likely to be
interested in bombs.
Let our misguided correspondent let 60 his
gun and get out his binoculars. Let him watch
the little song sparrow for half an hour every
day.
Inside Of week, at the longest, especially
If he puts out food for them, he will become
. song sparrow enthusiast, as all persons
should be.