Evening star., 1948-02-11
This and That
BIZ Charles E. TraceDeI
SILVER SPRING, MD.

SILVER SfNlNS1, NIL.
Dear Sir:
1--WE are regular readers and enjoy your
column very much. We live near wooded
section and are interested in the birds that
come to our feeding stations.
I'm addition to the regulars, we have one
hermit thrush, and one day last week We saw
a towhee.
"In watching the juncos, we notice quite
variation in color. Some look almost brown.
I'VE have number of fox sparrows, three
pairs of cardinals, a mocklngbird, and the
usual titmice chickadees etc.
Sincerely, M B."
"The usual titmice, chickadees etc."
phrase often used by bird lovers, means just
about the best birds we have.
These are the backbone birds OF every local
suburban garden, along with sparrows, some
starlings, few jays and cardinals.
Often people are puzzled by one or more
of these birds.
And when they try to find out what the
species Is, the person whom they ask may pe
as puzzled, too
For instance, very fine gentleman whose
prime interest is not birdlife came in and
asked for the Identification of a small bird,
sparrow sized, black head, with a white ruff"
That white ruff" threw us off the beam, so
it was not until few seconds had passed that
we began to suspect that the cheerful chick
adee was what he had seen.
Sure enough, when colored plate of the
chickadee was shown him, he Immediately ex-
claimed, That's it! That's it,"
There is real excitement in all voices at
the identification of a favorite bird
The mystery is really mystery, until the
bird has been named.
The naming seems to satisfy as nothing else
does That is why names came into being.
Who is there, using name, at some time
or other has not wondered about it, how 1t
came about what it really means, whether
in the final analysis it means anything at all.
Many persons have evolved a means OF ad-
dress totally without the use OF names Such
persons never find it necessary to put the
name even of one dearly loved, before the
rest OF sentence
They simply say what they want 10 say,
and find it sufficient.
Others, more commonly, find it essential, for
some reason or other, to put name at the
head of almost every sentence, especially when
opening conversation.
In greeting, too, we find the same difference.
Some persons merely say Hello or Good
morning" Others must say, John, how are
you?" or Good morning, George"
**
The name of a wildbird seems to offer some
thing, actually and especially psychologicaly
1t satisfies the urge to know, the famous
urge that sets us apart from the animals
lie uLlCICilSo OCe"cSAA AAoAAAe1AAo "AA~
| is too often held to be one of shame for the
| creatures, but actually the differences are
better than that, they simply mean that we
| have gifts that the creatures do not have.
In beauty, in use Of what they have, the
| animals need suffer no inferiority complex,
| and of themselves certainly do not.
Many persons saw the photograph OF the
| fox and the hound together, each in its own
| dignity, and each calmly appreciative of the
| other
Those animals would put to shame the quar-
| reling fighting peoples of the world, who, with
peace and happiness in their grasp. can find
nothing better to do than chase each other
| to MAIN and kill
In the final analysis the names "fox" and
dog" and "cat" and bird" may turn out
in the grand lexicon of heaven, to mean as
| much to God as man
It may be that when He comes to the word
'man," He Efl turn over the page hastily