Evening star., 1949-01-19
This and That
BIZ Charles z. TraceUeH

Ones own experiences count moSk III mo6t
situations. but they do so particularly at home
and especially in the garden.
Watching the birds, for instance Is very
personal. =,
II makes no difference, after all for very
little), what another person sees, bioeks OF
miles away Now and then. Of course 1t may
mean something, but not day by day.
Here are three doves.
That sounds very simple, just three doves
but when they light in ones own yard, for the
first time in months. 1t suddenly becomes
interesting.
Turtle doves remain here all the year. but
not every home garden will have some as
steady customers
Usually these fat fellows show up later. But
1t is nice to have them at any time
Possessed of simple faces, perhaps. but with
heads holding enough brains for all occasions,
the doves make q nice note in any yard
They are waddling sort of fellows, on the
ground, but once let them get into the air.
they become as light and graceful as their
cousins the pigeons.
Turtle doves make o whistling noise with
their wings as they take of.
This Is distinguishing. Few birds make 1t.
Doves usually prove none too gentle at feed
ing places, often running blue jays away, but
they feed mostly In perfect amity with the
smaller songbirds.
There is no occasion, therefore. for any one
minding to have them around.
They like the larger grains and seeds con-
tanned in most mixtures of wild-bird' food.
No one should sneer at the dove because it
is not pretty at least in the sense that q
chickadee Is so.
Doves were not made that way They are
heavy. fine flyers, possessed of soft, engaging
voices Though some people regard them as
melancholy and pretty feathers.
The head is too small and the facial contours
rather homely.
The truth is that not all birds, any more
than all people. have attractive faces
The smaller the bird usually, the nearer the
face comes to striking the average locker as
attractive. in q human sense.
Relatives OF serpents, birds cannot be ex-
pected to be movie stars, exactly.
Hawks have mean faces, eagles stern faces
chickadees "cute" faces, turkey vultures ex-
trennely ugly faces.
Most birds are taken in by the eye as whole
things; that is, the watcher sees not just one
feature, such as face, but the entire bird,
from head to tail, all at once.
This Is the way we see most animals, birds.
insects, and fish, and it Is method that en-
ables us to dispense with petty criticisms, the
bane of everyday life among humans.
Did you near the cardinal sing his true
spring song the other day, that warm day?.
1t made no difference whether he sang so in
some one else's garden, but good deal In
And how fine that song sounded with the
extra notes. and a certain urgency, added to
the usual few
There were numbers of chickadees around.
white e-throated sparrow and a song sparrow
Wed with each other In song
Some people have seen bluebirds in their
yards. It is always a question whether they
have come early, or just happen to be speci-
mems living IN the vicinity. Sometimes folks
in the suburbs have these beauties living near
them but don't know it. Bluebirds like plots
OF land on which saplings are growing, with
plenty Of bushes. They might live there for
years without once flying into cultivated
garden.
The moment a pair of bluebirds flies into a
yard, that yard has something unique. Oh,
yes, there are still many bluebirds but only
one pair has flown into our own yard, for in
stance, in 20 years.
Now is the time to put up bluebird houses.
if they have not been put up. The sooner
the better now. They are easy to make, from
any soft wood, and may be painted to suit the
fancy White, dark brown, dark green or gray
are the best coors.
The bluebird house is made according to
the following PLAN Floor S by inches; depth,
8 inches; diameter of entrance hole. IL inches;
height Of entrance above floor, inches. The
box may be placed from to 10 feet above
the ground, the lower the better Experts say
about feet, preferably on a post, is best.
This low placement IL to keep sparrows away.