Evening star., 1949-05-13
This and That
BIZ Charles Il. Trdce,oeH

Be- sure. when you pick up baby bird,
that 1t is bird. not bat.
That was the experience recently of Mrs.
J. w. c. Of Cathedral avenue.
Hurrying out that morning. she noticed
small, downy. brownish object. scarcely
car. "A poor. baby bird" she thought.
believing 1t must have fallen out Of o
nest in the tall tree overhead.
II thought it might be still alive" she
writes. so 7 dashed back into the house,
found candy box. gently brushed the
little creature into it. on top Of q piece
of cotton.
1.-THE day was cold. raw and drizzling.
so put the open box in the sun porch
and went on my way.
"On returning a couple Of hours later,
I looked at the little furry object in the
box and could see that 1t was breathing.
bird" saw no beak. No doubt 1t was
a newborn SQUIRREL! How cute 1t would
be If could raise it. thought of feeding
1t milk with q medicine dropper.
The cook suggested putting 1t outside
again where the mother squirrel could ceme
and get it.
Several hours later picked UP my sewing
and sat down by the radio to listen TO
the evening neWScaSt.
"As I raised my eyes for q moment.
I.saw something sailing overhead very quiet
ly-around the living room, and then the
dining room. never brushing q wall.
II thought q swallow must have come
down the chimney on this rainy day.
II glanced at the fireplace, but the fire
screen was quite closed. and so that entrance
seemed unlikely. Still 1t scared over my
head-its radar working perfectly. ] opened
the front door to the inclosed porch. and
instantly it sailed out--still gracefully glid-
ing, never colliding with anything.
II opened the outer door, and again 1t
instantly passed through and disappeared
among the trees in my neighbor.s place. ]
was glad to set 1t free 50 easily.
when my husband returned home that
night he asked to see my baby squirrel.
II said, oh, yes, here 1t Ia. wonder ii
1t is still alive
But to my anazement, the box was
empty We looked under the cotton, and
even on the floor with q fiashlight. but
nothing could be found. said knew
1t was too young and weak TO get out by
itself. 1t seemed impossible.
Then q light dawned.
That bird was q young bat!
II had innocently brought him In and
warmed him up and he had come to life.
i had the StrangeSt feeling. he may nave
dropped on my car from the roof Of the
garage have heard that bats hang up
in such places. in cracks and erevices among
rafters. etc.
But have decided really need lessons
in nature lore"
Bats are interesting.
Last summer one few into the seventh
floor of q downtown ofice.
Whether some one had tried TO kill It Wa
unknown. but some one probably he'd. The
poor creature has an evil reputation
We put 1t In . cardboard box. marked
1t brown bat" on the lid, and bored holes
for air.
We opened the box in the garage. and
left the creature to its own devices.
Several hours later. it was gone. Whether
1t got itself into one Of the crevices OF the
sort spoken of by our correspondent. or
new away, we never knew.
But the other evening. just at dusk tbut
there was still plenty of light beautiful
bat came sailing over the yard. And he
really was q beauty.
He dipped and rose. went . block TO the
west and a block to the east, and then
there he would be again. dipping and ris-
ing, never touching leaf or tree or shrub,
but coming close to them every second. as
he kept at It there rustling up his dinner
of insects On the wing.