Evening star., 1948-01-10
This and That
Bu Charles Z. TrnceDeH
&y1yoNnI .EV M


Dear Sir:
1--WE feed the birds on ledge below an up
stairs window which is protected by climbing
rose. Our usual winter visitors are the mock
ingbird, song sparrow, redbird, English Spar
row, nuthatch, chickadee titmouse and on
occasion the grackle, the blue jay; but now
we have a visitor who looks and acts like a
wren
"He is smaller than a ground sparrow, dark
brown, short and round bodied with a narrow
tail that sticks almost straight up and Whlcn
he is always jerking as he nervously Jumps
about. He eats the water softened bread
ignores the sunflower seed and evidently con-
siders himself as belonging to the upper crust
In society as he dimes strictly alone.
II am reminded of the lines in the third
reader:
The robin and the wren have flown,
And from the shrub the Jay,
And from the woodtop caws the crow
Through all the gloomy day
IF he would just sing I would be sure VINO
he is but never peep! We call him Sassy
which seems to At him better than Shorty.
els he a wren, and If so, isn't he acting
out Of character by staying with us this winter?
very respectfully yours, J. D. F."
This bird Is the Carolina wren, the largest
Of his kind
He is wonderful fellow, often wintering
here.
His habits are interesting, and his song
marvellous Often he gives it, time after time,
earlier in the autumn.
The song has whirling, loud character,
which has been characterized as resembling
the turns of the old-fashioned pin-wheel,
SO dear to hearts OF old-fashioned children.
1t Is unique. There is nothing else like 1t,
50 it is easily recognized, although sometimes
those who hear 1t fail to team it up with the
bird that makes 1T, because it seems SO much
louder than such comparatively small bird
could make
The Carolina wren is only large for wren.
That tail of his types him, but his habits are
not altogether wren-like.
He often decides to seek protection from the
cold in the rolled up screens or awnings OF
q porch.
He will come for bread, and sometimes
raisins. Feeding him meal worms, bred in
mouldy -four is said to be excellent but many
bird lovers draw the line at mealworms These
wrigglers are not pretty, and their raising Is
rather messy business Sometimes they can
be purchased by the thousand at pet stores.
They are attractive to sparrows and others,
and probably most Of them would be consumed
by these before the Carolina wrens got to them.
An Arlington correspondent declares that she
dares not 60 out on her own front porch
without bucket of sunfower seed.
WnaL started as OIL OF DeI1eFoleIlt CTuIIlU
tossing has developed into project. She says
that she can spread them feast of suet,
corn bread and apple slices, but if she forgets
the red box of raisins, she's reminded by fish,
eyed stares and much unnecessary rufhing OF
feathers She goes on:
"St Francis can have 'em. refuse to be
bullied around by bunch of loud-mouthed,
nosey, spoiled feather -polishers Hereafter
they'll eat suet and apples with or without
he
This correspondent continues: II don't know
one bird from the other, but they've certainly
got my number read your column first, and
then can take some of the headlines about
the state OF the world-and the ruble. Merry
Christmas, and give us re-take on the hungry
field mouse and his fate. That was writing
at its best
The raisins spoken Of win do fine for the
Carolina wren, the mockingbird and many
others In the cold. It gives them iron, and
other minerals, with certain amounts Of heat
units, all desirable for tiny creatures in the
cold.