Evening star., 1948-12-31
This and That
BIZ Charles z. TrdceUeH
'THIRTY-sECOND STREET.

Dear Sir:
DO bird lovers very often have heart
attacks?
"Pandemonium reigned at our house this
morning. Breakfasts and morning shaves
were rudely interrupted.
"The reason?
-Four bluebirds were calmly eating at our
feeding station while two more waited on q
nearby limb.
For years I have tried to attract these
heavenly blue harbingers Of happiness, but to
no avail.
Then fellow bird lovers told me TO put out
peanut hearts for them. This 1 did, but was
disappointed. My usual cardinals. titmice nut
matches, snowbirds and chickadees would have
none Of such fare.
But today! All, me, we neighbor folk are
expecting real happiness in Chevy Chase, now
that the bueoirds have come to dwell among
us.
incidentally, all the birds enjoy the hearts,
now that they are used to them.
Happily, 6. Z. NJ"
Peanut hearts make an excellent aool'loh "
the winter bird menu.
These hearts are taken out, in the making OF
neanut butter, and usually are sold at COM
paratively low price.
They have a heavenly smell.
A hap of them inside will scent up the en-
tire house 49,
No wonder they attract creatures IN the
wild! It is usually the case that the Wintertne
songsters have to get used to them, out tne
SQUIRRELS have no such preliminary mhloltlons
SQUIRRELS take to peanut hearts greeony
Peanut butter, fed in small quantities, Is an
other excellent squirrel food. Birds as rule
do not care so much for 1t.
For SQUIRRELS, the butter is best spread on q
folded piece of cardboard, thus giving the
nf "a
The peanut butter is put on the inner sldes,
30 that when the squirrel holds the book In
his paws. he must spread open the leaves
This makes him appear, for all the world
to be reading
It is indeed. an amusing sight. Care should
be taken however, not to feed too much peanut
butter to these rodents 1t is perfectly
unnatural food, as far as squirrels are con-
cerned Nowhere in nature would they nno
such concentrated stuff
Too much of it also has cumming enect,
as nanvsa sandwich eater knows, and will
cause squirrel to gasp for breath.
Bluebirds at Christmas time are wonderful,
but they probably will not stay long.
Therefore, our good correspondent should
not be too disappointed If they fly away.
Usually. bluebirds do not come until early
In March.
few live in Chevy Chase and Wesley
Heights, probably as many as several hundred.
Bluebirds like neighborhoods where there is
some brush left, and small saplings.
1t is difficult to cater to these beauties, but
raisins and peanut hearts might cause them
to stay around until nesting time.
Out near the East-West highway, in Chevy
Chase, Md, bluebirds have been reported in
some numbers in winter time, but at our own
location, east of the Chevy Chase Club, we
have never seen any in the very cold months.
Our own take" of bluebirds has been disap-
pointingly small. In almost 20 years. one pair!
The beautiful house that attracted them
for one day still is there, but never a bluebird
has deigned to visit it since. All, well, one
can't have everything. Sometimes bluebirds
seem too good to be true, too much to keep.
Let them fly away if they will, to bring their
spirit of happiness to the toiling souls of this
earth. Not that the bluebirds seem to have
been able to accomplish much yet. Wars and
threats of wars, misery, hunger and cold cloud
this human world, and make the promises of
peace seem so far away But when we see q
bluebird in the sky, he still reminds us of
something to be lived for, worked for, prayed
for: in the blue heaven Of his wings there Is
q hint Of the promise OF better things.