Evening star., 1948-02-09
This and That
By Charles E. Traceuell

People who live in the suburbs often take on
an air of superiority when speaking about birds.
One might suspect they believe wintering
songsters are found only out where they live.
This of course is just pleasantly, on their
part; actually they know birds, having wings,
fly everywhere.
One day during the snow we spotted mock
ingbird pecking in the dirty snow far down on
lower Connecticut avenue.
What filthy snow it was
Oil and SCOT combined had turned all the
snow pushed back to the curbs into black
looking mass that could not have been iden-
tilted if it had not been for the cleaner-looking
snow back in the yards
Birds might we'll be defiled by such snow, a
travesty of what snow, beautiful snow ought
to be.
Probably birds are not harmed by such pol
luton. but the fact is that most of our winter
ing species eat some greedily.
One may wonder what happens to them
when they get crawful of oiled snow
The plain dirt would not harm them half as
much.
OIL is not good for birds. One citizen even
has an idea of putting oil on food put out for
starlings, with the idea that the birds will get
1t on their EGGS which in turn, he claims, will
not hatch.
Fortunately, the starlings are protected by
the migratory bird act.
Even the Government cannot harm them
WlGIlOuC q special dCG VI SOlSlCoo.
If matters were left to people who for one
reason or another want to destroy, there would
be little natural life left.
The cat-haters would somehow manage to
get rid of all the cats, the dog-haters destroy
all the dogs-fnally there would be nothing
left except people-and people, as is being ex-
cellently demonstrated around the world, love
to slay each other.
The latest idea, according to reports is q
plan, Matched in what odd brain we do not
know to ship 100000 cats to Europe-Europe,
Of all places, where they do not have enough
food for the people.
The idea, odd as it is, is based on fallacy.
as most odd ideas are, that cats can live on
rats and mice.
Cats cannot live on such fodder.
II, as is very unlikely, one million struggling
cats were shipped, at least 100000 of them
would be dead in no time.
Catching rats and mice, for cats, is sport,
not life and death matter.
People who do not know much about cats
and those who want to destroy them-alWays
profess to think that cats can live on mice
and rats.
Nonsense!
Catching a mouse is sport, merely, to most
cats.
They really hate the nasty things, and like
to catch them for the fun of it, not to eat.
Now and then comes along a true mouser,
or ratter. Persian cats specialize on rats
Most American cats hunt rodents solely for
the sport, just as American men hunt ducks,
deer, rabbits, etc.
Supplemental feeding is essential for the
well being of cats and dogs. 1t is impossible
to believe that any true American cat can
suddenly, even at the call of hunger, turn
itself into a creature capable Of taking care
of itself.
They have been on the human dole too
long for that.
Let us all let our natural flora and fauna
alone, and suspect all persons who want, for
whatever reason, to begin to exterminate any
part of it.
1t Is all ours, it all belongs to America, and
every part of it is integrated with every other
part.
This golden chain of life should not be
broken.
He who breaks off branch of dogwood
tree is striking at America. Careless Staying
of hawks is crime against our land. He who
proposes to deport cats is striking a heavy
blow at agriculture since experts tell us that
without cats we would have no agriculture
worthy OF the name. 1t is easy enough to think
UP some scheme" but more often than not
such ideas are inspired solely by ignorance
They won't work" anyway, so why try to
put them into e1ect2