Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1949-04-20
This and That
BIZ Charles Z.
WATERFORD, Va.

Dear Sir:
Among my many birds there Is one kind
I don't know very common kind. but
looking one up In bird books is a puzzle
in itself-no bird one sees ever lookselike
any picture!
This bird Is q bit larger than q sparrow,
has black throat and then red breast some
what like robins. There Is a white edge
on the black wings that goes straight back
to the tail.
These birds come In the spring, and have
just arrived at my feeding place. I hang
suet and seeds high, and feed chicken feed
on the ground. I find that most birds like
to eat on the ground.
The bird probably is . towhee.
One can sympathize with Mr.. c. for his
troubles In using the bird books.
Part Of that difficulty. Of course, is ones
own lack Of observation and knowledge.
But. in addition, there is something else
too much faith on the part of the bird books!
They do not know how little we know.
Then. too, there Is the vast difference
between q painting or photograph-even
the best Of them-and the real thing
Then, again, there is the difference be-
tween life and the Meless.
The incessant motion Of the bird at feed
ing station. or In tree or bush, throws one
of.
The real thing. the bird in the bush, is
far different from any painting.
It Is not always realized that the play of
light on the feathers makes the same bird
look different from second to second.
Many persons who complain against
starlings. for instance. have never watched
them in the sunlight.
Surely, after seeing those shining coats
no one could honestly say much against such
beauty.
"RoDMAN STREET.
Dear Sir:
This Is the Spring Valley area, with many
trees about. We have q bird and squirrel
feeding shelf. put up soon after we moved
here last September. During the fall and
winter we had many squirrels, and two pairs
of bluebirds. and pair Of cardinals.
THE shelf is on tulip tree, and squirrels
dug for seed pods when snow was on the
ground df the feeder was empty.
Recently, more birds have been coming,
and two are particularly interesting to us,
but we cannot identify them.
I'VE cannot get close enough to describe
them very well. One is about the size of a
sparrow, or medium sized. He has a dark
back, light breast. but has much white in
patches on his back. He is smaller than a
mockingbird.
1.-THE second bird is a little smaller than
. robin. is q gorgeous glistening blue. and
has Q reddish color breast area, like robin.
I'VE do not think that either Of these birds
has head tuft.
DO you think there are any flying squirrels
about Washington?
Sincerely yours, 3. Nee"
We wonder II our correspondent has con-
fused two jays with "bluebirds?" This would
make 1t easy to identify the second bird Of
the list as real bluebirds. The area is full
Of these all winter. The first bird is any
body,s guess from the description.
There are plenty Of flying squirrels in the
Washington suburbs. just as there are chip
hunks, but not all neighborhoods win have
them.
one local resident had family Of flying
squirrels In his attic.
He trapped them. took them miles away
into the woods. and released them.
When he got back home. he found the
flying squirrels had beaten him to 1t, every
member Of the squirrel family being present
In the attic.