Evening star., 1949-03-02
This and That
BIZ Charles E. TrdceWelL
MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE.

OOA14
Dear Sir:
II am going to ask you question which
only you can answer. think.
II have had a quota of sparroWs on my
22-inch window sill. but for two weeks
have had only four.
The others have left, but one standby is
faithful to his boarding house. yet cannot
name him.
mo doubt you can, and would be pleased
to know.
"TIe is as large as a startling but more
streamlined and has an extra long tail
He is what we used to call elephant gray
in color, and in flight he shows white quill
under both wings.
He is not aggressive to the sparrows but
they will stand back while he is in the feed
ing dish.
He takes very small meals, only three
peckS. sometimes, but what water glutton.
He will take IL sips before departing, and
sometimes he will return to repeat
He has been alone both falls, but never
see him in summer.
Il use flower pot saucers for both food
and water They are heavy and are not
so sharp on the edge as tinware.
Yours truly. s. l."
This seems to be a good description Of q
mockingbird.
Only recently we told of one on our own
back porch who ate just raisins at time.
Raisins make the best food for the winter
ing mockngbird.
Usually there is just one, commonly be-
lieved to be the male.
Sometimes the Wintering r1ocker is very
much of a dog lin the -manger. He chases
all other birds away from food put out.
Again, specimen may be docile enough.
C1Irn hn iS hooI1 ,hot
or not. In the early morning he comes max
ing a sharp call. He will perch In nearby
bush until raisins or other foods are put
out. Being soft billed, he cannot handle
SEEDS but does very we'll with raisins dough-
nuts, apples, etc.
He is not only beauty. but very inter-
esting bird. Enough of them remain here
in the fall to give almost every neighborhood
one or two.
In the spring and summer, each father
mocker stakes out territory since he feeds
the young on insects, and defends 1t at all
hours.
He will chase dogs, cats, humans, and Of
course other birds.
He will dive repeatedly at a cat, pecking
it on the back.
He will even sail at a human as If trying
to knock his head or hat off
ALI the time he makes a peculiarly ugly
and distressing grating noise.
After the nesting season, the female
finally flies away South, sometimes accom-
panied by her mate, but not always. For
some obscure reason, here and there
mockingbird will choose to remain.
AS fall comes on, he finds the berried
shrubs to his taste.
He likes nothing better than plantation
of poke berries. These juicy morsels keep
him in good shape we'll into the Christmas
season.
Then he needs food from houses and
usually manages to find some bird lover to
cater to him. He likes nothing better than
to be served raisirs on back porch rail.
Sometimes he will come to a kitchen win
dow and give his sharp call while clinging
to the sill. He flies away for little dis
tance, but will return shortly for his food.
II is possible, with some patience, to lure
him to eat from the hand or even at times
to fly into kitchen. He is better left out
side. Some people resent his flying at other
birds, but he never harms them, and usually
gives over the practice after a few days.
He may be helped to better manners by
placing some of the foods he likes on the
other side of the house. Occasionally
very stubborn specimen will keep all birds
away from we'll stocked feeding station
far a few weeks. In such cases, the small
birds should be given supplementary rations
on the far side Of the house.