Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1949-08-12
This and That
By Charles E. TyaceveH

Friends Of the birds are everywhere.
At one transit terminal hundred beady
little eyes watch every day from an ever
green for the approach Of q friend.
These sparrows know that this business
man has q soft spot in his heart for birds,
and especially sparrows, and is bringing
them food.
The man at the candy and cookie counter
already Is wondering over the great appe-
tite Of this character for peanut butter
sandwiches. cookies, shortbreads and the
like as he thinks.
Two packets every day, at about the same
time. strike him, doubtless, as rather heavy
diet for an already plump man.
Actually. these cakes go to the birds.
There Is an evergreen across the way, and
toward this the man wends.
He opens the packets, and a shrill chorus
Of approval goes up.
He crumbles up cookie, and losses 1t
down, and no sooner does he do so, than
down comes sparrow.
BY the time the man has taken out all
the cookies. there are dozen birds at the
feast.
Then the gentleman retires to distance
and watches the fun.
+ +A&
Birds fly in from across the street.
Evidently some of them keep watch from
the green shady seclusion of church yard.
These skim across the busy thoroughfare,
often not more than three feet above the
hot concrete.
The man often marvels at the way they
dodge oncoming cars.
At first. not being used to it, he felt
nervous, feeling that he might be the cause
Of some avian traffic fatalities.
Several days of watching got him over
10 Ho hot fall xyvity ,.
wings know the life they lead
Called by some gamins, they nevertheless
are hardy, intelligent capable bits of bird
life.
One Of them in particular, intrigued this
watcher.
This bird was very thin, but game. He
came every day to the station platform in
search Of crumbs
Somebody is always eating. Children
drop bits of ice cream cone, cookies, candies.
All these and more are fodder for. spar
rows.
This very small sparrow came daily, to
see what he could find, but If one might
judge from his size, he managed to get
very little.
The watcher determined to do something
about this, and so he began to feed these
birds.
And, as so often happens, when he put
out food, the one he had done 1t for could
not be seen again.
Either he was not there, which probably
was not SO. or he had merged into the crowd,
in all probability what had happened.
The watcher was content in seeing these
downtrodden birds Of the streets enjoying
the cookies.
One mother bird brought an offspring and
repeatedly dropped big bits Of peanut but
ter crackers down its capacious bill.
Birds are not greedy, in the human sense
They never eat more than they should
because nature constructs the throat, after a
suitable amount has been taken. This is
true, at least, for baby BIRDS In all prob
ability this protection is lost, in later life,
for many birds remain all day long at feed
ing stations, as every one who has ever fed
them knows.
The watcher at the station expects to see
these particular sparrows grow fatter over
the days, and they will preen brighter and
glossier feathers. This will come about
through the ration supplement he gives
them. It is not much. but will be just
enough to make the difference.
In the meantime. 1t Is little extra game,
to see II the man who sells the cookies ever
fnds out what he ID s with them.